The New Age of Stress at Work

You once found work challenging and rewarding, always manageable. Now, almost overnight, work is nearly unbearable. You may feel isolated, because everyone around you seems happy. Your inbox is piling up, and you no longer seem able to handle the work as well. Your boss is getting on your back and you wonder how to deal with increasing criticism.

According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), you are not alone. Here is what thousands of workers had to say according to national surveys:

• 26 percent of workers in the United States are "often or very often stressed or burned out" at work.
• 29 percent feel "quite a bit or extremely stressed" at work.
• 40 percent report that their job is "very or extremely stressful."

You probably know already that chronic stress, particularly work-related stress, can lead to poor health. Studies have already shown that high-demand jobs, especially where workers have little control over workload, can lead to cardiovascular disease and digestive problems.

From cave to cubicle

Stress is a necessary survival response that draws upon instinct, hormones and muscle. Indeed, our ancestors' fight or flight response enabled the survival of the human race. How much has changed? Studs Terkel, in his 1972 book Working, referred to work as "...violence to the spirit as well as to the body."

We no longer brandish a spear in the 21st century. Yet even with so many timesaving advances, we are still hunters and gatherers in the workplace jungle. Perhaps, for some of us, life on the job may still be one "fight or flight" reaction after the next.

The good news is we are living in an age when addressing the work stress problem is good for business. Managers recognize that stressed workers are not productive and need to take more sick days. Whether you want to seek help for yourself or participate in a group, you can choose from among several options.

Take your stress temperature

First figure out the origin of your work stress. This knowledge will help guide your search for solutions. How much does each stress factor contribute to your own work?

• Lack of control. Workload, downsizing, relocation and unexpected changes in job tasks are realities over which neither employees nor managers have complete control and lead to a sense of powerlessness. While employees tend to suffer in silence, managers blame economic whims. Cited as the most common source of work stress, a feeling of powerlessness strikes at the heart of family life and sense of self. Damage control depends on one's abilities to balance work and family, to tap into social supports and to sustain a positive outlook.

• Poor physical environment. Whether you work on an assembly line or at a computer screen all day, the physical environment may contribute to job stress.

• Traumatic event. Air traffic controller and florist alike may have to grapple with tragedy. An airline disaster or the death of a fellow worker on the job is a traumatic event that makes returning to work after the fact difficult.

Know your resources

1. Established work resources. Talk to your human resources department. There may be an employee assistance plan or stress management training courses.

2. Health and safety. Find out if the required safety and health measures are in place. If they are not, offer to help organize compliance. The environment can still trigger stress even if the workplace is compliant with health and safety regulations, but it's a start.

3. Stress reduction self-starters. If there is no program in place, and your coworkers are motivated, look into establishing a stress management program at your company. You may be surprised to see your employer embracing the idea. It's a relatively simple matter to find a stress management program outline, but perhaps management just has not had the time to implement any.

4. Taking care of yourself. Consider taking stress management courses, or a meditation, yoga or tai chi class. If the stress is extreme and is interfering with your family life, you could consider seeing a therapist.

Related Articles Stress: Gremlins at Work How to Beat Workplace Stress

External Sources National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health: Stress American Institute of Stress American Psychological Institute

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.

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