Stress in the Workplace

We all know that stress can cause problems for our physical and mental health.

Our bodies react to stressful situations in just the same way as a stressed caveman would have reacted to an encounter with a bear. You don’t really need to run away from that crucial presentation at 10 o’clock but the adrenalin and other chemicals you need to get you moving behave as if you do. Your heart rate goes up, your blood vessels dilate, your metabolism slows down and extra glucose surges into your blood stream to give you extra fuel. As you sit seething in traffic at 10.20, in the relative comfort and safety of your company car, your body’s gearing up to get you away from that grizzly!

If we recognise the signs in ourselves, we can learn techniques to help us cope. As managers, we should also be looking out for evidence of stress in our employees. Typical warning signs are: a normally outgoing individual becoming withdrawn and less interactive, a downturn in performance, looking tired and pale, losing their sense of humour, mood swings and being unusually defensive.

The recession has provided even more reasons to be stressed at work – job insecurity, increased workload not to mention frozen or reduced pay. Mental health problems (including work-related stress, depression and anxiety) are the second most common cause of sickness absence, costing the UK economy up to £7billion annually* so it’s worth tackling the problem before it gets out of hand.

*Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives http://www.healthyworkinglives.com/