What is Job Stress? by Adrian Whittle

Most people can identify with job stress. I bet if you asked people for their top stressors, job related or workplace stress would be at the head the list. Common job related stressors include potential redundancy, rapid technological advances, work overload, inadequate training and poor supervision.

It's important to identify possible causes of job stress so that ways to defuse the stress can be implemented. If a strategy for relieving the stress cannot be found or is not practical, it is still important to understand how the stress can affect you. Here is a breakdown of common job related stress.

On the job

The kind of stress that results from the day to day work required to fulfill your job description. Common causes are:

• Complex work - the work is not what you thought was expected of you or you have not been trained to do the work.
• Over or under worked - too much work can cause chronic stress as things back up or are done to a poor standard. Conversely, underworking can lead to a lack of motivation, boredom and frustration.
• Too much responsibility - can lead to overworking or doing things that you are not trained to do leading to stress.
• Conflicting direction - if there are conflicting instructions on how to do your job from management and supervisors this can lead to inaction and frustration.

Working conditions

Working conditions deal with the environment in which the job is to occur. Common causes are:

• Poor work environment - this could be poor lighting, cramped working space, sub standard equipment
• Poor posture - office jobs and computer related jobs can lead to back strain, eye strain or even repetitive strain injury unless the proper seating is supplied and training on how to sit properly.
• Physically demanding work - without proper training, equipment and support, physically demanding jobs can lead to injury or potential injury which can cause stress.

Employment conditions

Employment conditions deal with the agreement between the employer and employee about their rights and responsibilities in fulfilling the job description. Common causes are:

• Threat of redundancy - job insecurity can lead to demoralisation.
• Poor pay - if the perceived pay is below the industry standard or overtime is not paid this can lead to Job dissatisfaction.
• Poor career prospects - this can lead to frustration and demoralisation.
• Changeable employment conditions - the reduction of hours, pay, holidays and generally the changing of the employer/employee contract can lead to dis-satisfaction.

Interpersonal relations

This includes the relationships that evolve at work between peers, supervisors and management. Common causes are:

• Sexual harassment.
• Discrimination on racial or religious grounds.
• Poor supervision - failure to communicate what needs to be done.
• Poor management - failure to provide leadership and communicate the bigger picture with employees.

By knowing the types of stress that you may be experiencing at work you are in a better position to take the appropriate action to deal with it.

Stress is one of the major causes of lost productivity at work. It is often cited as a contributing factor in ill-health and sickness in the workforce. How does stress affect health and other issues related to stress management can be found at http://stressmanagementreview.com Adrian Whittle writes on a number of topics including stress management and the risk to health of chronic stress. Article Source