Stress: Gremlins At Work

A tough day at the office.

We've all had one. Or a tough day on the job site, at a client's business or in the operating room. No one is immune from a stressful workplace, whether you're a blue-collar assembly line worker or a white-collar executive.

But what really constitutes job stress, and what can be done about it? In this two-part series, HealthAtoZ takes a look at job stress, with the help of Carolyn M. Gatty, M.S., OTR/L, CEAS, assistant professor in the master of occupational therapy program at Chatham College in Pittsburgh and an expert in ergonomics. Ergonomics deals with how people interact with technological and work situations and how to maintain human health and well-being. Work-related stress is a social stress. In our culture, Gatty explains, the obvious stress is simply to be employed: there is an expectation that you will be employed and productive. Once employed, there is another expectation that you will advance. "You have to climb the ladder to be successful."

With every rung during the ascent, we are faced with multiple challenging stressors. In the workplace, some 60 percent of perceived stress is a result of interactions with others. Of that 60 percent, 90 percent are related to interactions with a supervisor. Workers in service-related industries are at risk for dealing with high levels of stress simply because of the level of contact they have with the public.

Oh, there are other stressors at work, too. Physical working conditions may be sources of stress, such as for butchers who have to work in cold temperatures, or assembly line workers who have to maintain a certain work pace and perform repetitive tasks. Shift work that goes against a person's natural biorhythms is stressful. Poor lighting and fumes can create a stressful work environment. Ergonomists look at these areas to try to relieve some of the stressful conditions. But even if you have your mouse and your keyboard adjusted properly with proper lighting, you're still left with those potentially stressful interactions and a handful of "organizational" stressors.

Six workplace stressors

Gatty explains there are six specific organizational stressors in the workplace.

The first is role conflict, which occurs when a person's fundamental values are in conflict with those of the employer. For example, an animal lover who must test animals in a lab will likely experience role conflict.

The second organizational stressor is role ambiguity, which is when the worker does not have a clear understanding of what is expected of him or her. People who have ever found themselves saying in frustration, "But that's not my job," can relate.

The third stressor is role overload: There is simply too much to do in too little time. "This is a common perception in the workplace," Gatty says.

The fourth organizational stressor is non-participation, when an employee has no say in important decisions. "You don't have input into decisions that impact your job," Gatty says.

The fifth organizational stressor is under-utilization of the worker. Think too much stress is harmful? You're right, but too little can be equally devastating. Employees can be frustrated in meaningless jobs where their tasks don't begin to tap their potential. The person who says, "What am I doing here?" or "I am sooo bored!" is stressed.

"You hear the word 'stress', and the first thing you think is, 'Ooh, that's a bad thing,' " Gatty says. "But a stressful situation can be a positive event. It's anything that requires us to adapt or change, and that can be a positive thing, like a promotion or a negative thing, like a demotion."

The final source of organizational stress is resource inadequacy or the lack of sufficient resources to perform the task to the level of expectation. This would likely to be experienced by an employee who pales at the thought of using Windows yet is asked to work with a sophisticated software system.

Beyond those six basic types, in which stress seems to come at us from every direction, we worry in today's economy about whether we can have the job at all. Will my job be there in the near future?

So, how do we respond to what we perceive as stressful? The body has a physiological flight-or-fight response. But in a civilized society, one doesn't run screaming from the office or punch the boss. Even so, the body prepares itself similarly by releasing certain hormones that can wreak havoc on our immune system. Chronic levels of stress can be associated with an immunosuppressed state, which in the long run, can result in physical illness. Even for someone in relatively good health, symptoms, such as backaches, headaches, stomachaches, and muscle tension are physical manifestations of stress.

And it's not just the physical. Workers may experience signs of depression or anxiety and develop nervous behaviors such as tapping or pacing. They may lose their patience more readily and be subject to angry outbursts.

What are some of the signs that things are reaching a crisis point?

Professional burnout is a state of chronic work-related stress and is easier to prevent than treat. Poor motivation, decreased job performance, and high job dissatisfaction are signs of burnout. Absenteeism and high turnover rates also indicate that something is amiss.

"How many times have you heard someone say, 'I need a mental health day'?" Gatty asks. They do - because their job is stressful.

The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health lists the following early warning signs of job stress:

• Headaches
• Sleep problems
• Difficulty concentrating
• Short temper
• Upset stomach
• Low job satisfaction
• Low morale

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External Source National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.

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