Workplace stress is a depression resulting from an interaction of a person to his/her work environment leading to an inability to balance work with other aspects of life and attracting systematic building up of a negative response emotionally. Causes of stress, thus referred to as stressors are elements or circumstances leading a person to anticipate a feeling of exceeding psychological and physical demands on ability to comfortably cope up with the situation.
Though difficult to explain a definite cause, stressors mostly are associated with certain occupations like policing where fear of recurring violence, emotional repugnant scene or unstable work shifts constantly create an imbalance in the emotions and thoughts.
Besides, it is also associated with physical factors at work place like heat, cold, excessive noisy environment and physiological aspects destabilizing body balance such as limited recuperating interval between work shifts. In addition, unrealistic deadlines among other excessive demanding works and personal cognitive factors inclusive of health issues, relationship, and inability to adjust to prevailing climatic order are also associated with stress (Schneider, Chung, &Yusko 1993).
Stress in practicality is such a complex phenomena and it is very rare for two or more individuals to undergo through it the same way in the work environment. According to arousal motivation theory, each victim seems to display a unique sign for onset of stress and should such an individual remain silent on his/her stress, then the employer may not be in a position to know in order to assist with an alternative solution.
Employer may eventually learn of the same only if in the structure of such an organization has confidence oriented systems for reassuring the victims of a comprehensive solution. As the bucket model theory asserts, stress matures up upon complete drainage of a person’s bank of personal resilience as a result of work conflicts, unfavorable working conditions, and emotionally straining assignments outweighing supportive relationships, interesting works, rest and good health. In order to control disastrous levels of stress, regulators are constantly needed (Schneider, Chung, &Yusko, 1993, p.56).
Though life is meaningless without challenges, balance between rest and stimulation is necessary.Goodness or bad state of stress is dependent on the victim tolerance and subsequent recovery period. Prolonged depression has serious negative influence in work and life of a person. With time if successfully handled, stress may turn into a monotonous habit ending up stressing the victim.
In addition to work environment causes, second job, family problems or physical health may increase levels of depression when combined with work related challenges. As a remedy, at every stage of workforce development, an employer is advisable to set up simple practical strategies to get to know and “offer solutions to employee’s artificial impairment before it generates into a workplace risk or harm” (Kinicki & Kreitner, 2009, p.47).
Tolerance levels for stress is dependent of the interest attached to a work, support from family or work relationships, physical ,and psychological health and the nature of work causing stress. Eventual resilience will vary depending on the period taken to heal as each stress is totally different from another neither do two individuals undergo it the same way.
Also, there is the passive aggressive behavior characterized by indirect expression of negative feelings than openly handling them. There is always a clear disconnect between actions and spoken words. Therefore, symptoms of this behavior include procrastination, inefficiency, sullenness, irritability, stubbornness, hostile or cynical attitude, constant complains of in appreciation, and resentments on other people’s views.
To reverse this disorder, supportive family members should convince the victim to seek assistance from a therapist besides improving the work environment as noted by the humanistic motivation theory. However, the solution lies on him/her accepting that there is a problem and is ready to accept a solution.
To effectively handle the above work place related stress disorders, I would concentrate on establishing a good work place relationship as a security strategy for confidential sharing of work related hiccups with the employer or a trusted staff mate. In addition, I would concentrate on preventive policy of creating informal inter-group meetings where the staff is given an opportunity to share on experiences and encourage each other.
I would then research on any pre evidence of a recognizable stressor they knew or ought to have known because of the work nature besides the work environment. Instead of playing blame game, I would then concentrate on addressing these issues and where necessary provide rehabilitation support since prolonged periods of stress may be catastrophic in safety management, heart complications, substance abuse, irritability and anxiousness, failed relationships, indecisiveness, frequent headaches, and error prone (Kinicki & Kreitner, 2009).
Conclusively, absenteeism, low morale, high accidents at work, low quality work, overdependence on employees assistance program, and low turnover are associated with stressors which results in improper handing work culture, disrespectfulness to the need to constantly monitor structures in place handling behavior and employee’s interests. In most cases, short term depression may be a challenging motivational factor when it falls under good stress.
References
Kinicki, A., & Kreitner, R. (2009). Organizational behavior: Key concepts, skills & best practices (4th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
Schneider, B., Chung, B., &Yusko, K. (1993). Service Climate for Service Quality. Current directions in Psychological Science, 12(2), 197-200.