According to Anthony-McMann, Ellinger, Astakhova, and Halbesleben (2017), in an era of economic instability and high competition in business, “many factors increase mental stress in the workplace” (p. 166). HR specialists have long complained that stress during work is one of the main reasons for staff turnover. Constant feelings of anxiety, tension, and dissatisfaction reduce the efficiency of the work process and affect workers’ health. Professional stress is an employee’s psychological state when they are under the influence of negative emotions in the performance of official duties (Anthony-McMann et al., 2017). Effective methods of preventing stress in the workplace will help to avoid unpleasant consequences. Prevention of stress at work is one of the critical points in any professional field.
According to Maulik (2017), “most people regularly experience stress in the workplace”; first, people with the corresponding inclinations are susceptible to it (p. 443). Due to their psychological characteristics, they are very receptive, acutely react to criticism, problems, and conflicts. There are several types of work stress: emotional, communicative, and informational (Maulik, 2017). The first type of stress results from all kinds of conflict situations. It is associated with personal experiences, resentment, anger, guilt, injustice caused by contradictions in the team. Communication stress becomes a reflection of problems in business relationships; the reason is the difficulties in communicating with colleagues, resisting manipulation, and communicative aggression. Information stress occurs due to high mental loads, strict time frames for completing tasks, information overload, or lack of information.
Cvenkel (2020) states that “to prevent stress in the workplace, an employee needs to learn how to diagnose its first signs” (p. 137). Accumulating in the body, the syndrome is reflected in various negative symptoms. The problem can be prevented by recognizing the first warning signs, which are lost sense of humor, frequent headaches, constant fatigue, and memory deterioration (Cvenkel, 2020). The degree of response to external stimuli is determined by the sensitivity to various influences, the psychophysiological constitution, and the characteristics of the emotional-volitional side. To protect themselves from stressors, workers need to develop stress resistance. To do this, they should cultivate beneficial qualities in themselves, form self-control, become accustomed to discipline and organization, and strive to overcome obstacles.
According to Lockwood, Henderson, and Stansfeld (2017), “stress prevention helps minimize the risk of adverse signs”; when the threat is noticed at the initial stage, the situation can be easily coped with, and the danger can be avoided (p. 214). Various techniques should be used to eliminate the psychological aspects of stress. Any training gives a kind of charge of endorphins, brings a sense of peace and tranquility, moving away from the sources of stress. If there is a lack of time, a simple five-minute physical training will also work. The main problem of employees is the habit of taking on too many tasks (Lockwood et al., 2017). Excessive responsibility, an enormous to-do list lead to a decrease in work performance, negatively affecting the emotional and physical state. Therefore, it is necessary to clearly distinguish the time for work, sleep, and rest. To prevent a drop in productivity, employees should take a break during the day.
Stress is an integral part of the life of any modern person. The reasons for it may be different, but most often, it is connected with psychological discomfort caused by an unpleasant situation in the workplace. Workplace stress is a severe obstacle to accomplishing professional goals, so a decent resistance to stress factors will allow employees to avoid difficulties and achieve the desired career success (Lockwood et al., 2017). If employees can cope with workplace stress, then they are not in danger of depression or burnout.
References
Anthony-McMann, P. E., Ellinger, A. D., Astakhova, M. & Halbesleben, J. R. (2017). Exploring different operationalizations of employee engagement and their relationships with workplace stress and burnout. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 28(2), 163-195.
Cvenkel, N. (2020). Workplace stress and well-being in the workplace: The workers’ voice. In D. Liyanawatte (Ed.), Well-being in the workplace: Governance and sustainability insights to promote workplace health (pp. 135-158). Springer.
Lockwood, G., Henderson, C., & Stansfeld, S. (2017). An assessment of employer liability for workplace stress. International Journal of Law and Management, 59(2), 202-216.
Maulik, P. K. (2017). Workplace stress: A neglected aspect of mental health wellbeing. Indian Journal of Medical Research, 146(4), 441-444.