Good essay about the sources and effects of stress that workers face

Sources and Effects of Stress that Workers Face

Stress can generally be defined as a state of being unsettled as a result of having feelings of worry or nervousness which stop one from relaxing or having peace of mind. Some scholars have also defined stress as the state of being in emotional turbulence. Stress can be triggered by various factors which include but are not limited to challenges at work, financial problems as well as personal problems. It is almost inevitable that at one point or the other in life, every human being experiences some level of stress. Indeed, in childhood, individuals rarely experience any stress as the early childhood years are years when one has no worries at all about life largely as a result of not understanding life itself. Furthermore, childhood is an age where all of an individual’s needs are met by other persons. However, the scenario changes as persons grow older. This is because with age comes more responsibility and a sense of independence. It is in handling the responsibility and independence that at times people find themselves stressed. Workers of an organization have a responsibility to discharge their duty to the organization. In the course of discharging their duties, they are bound to experience stress at one stage or the other. This stress will in return have certain effects. In other words, stress can be termed as a phenomenon that has a cause-effect relationship. This submission will thus proceed to highlight the sources and effects of stress that workers face at work areas and job sites and how this stress can manifest itself in workers’ attitudes and behaviour.
One of the sources of stress in the workplace is lack of a proper working environment. For employees to have peace of mind and to completely focus on their work, they need to be sure that they have a proper working environment. It must be a working environment where they are safe, have adequate working space and have access to all the tools and equipment that they require so as to perform their duties. They must not only have access to the tools and equipment, but such tools and equipment must be enough. Any absence of meeting the above requirements and especially for a prolonged period of time may occasion stress among the workers. This is because they will not be able to perform their duties. Furthermore, without an assurance of safety, workers are likely to continuously worry about their safety and this will ultimately result in stress.
Another source of stress to workers is the attitude that the management adopts towards workers. This is especially where the management adopts an attitude of high handedness and open disregard for the concerns of the workers. Such a scenario usually arises when the management only focuses on the financial bottom line while disregarding the important role that workers play in attaining and maintaining a healthy financial bottom line. Such types of management will be characterized by practices such as dismissal of workers without sufficient notice or cause and very strict work regulations that do not accommodate other personal concerns of workers or at the very least, acknowledge the fact that workers are also human beings with other needs that are not necessarily related to their duties but which can nevertheless affect their performance of those duties. Where such a type of management exists, then this is bound to be a great source of stress to workers because they are expected to function like machines yet that is impossible. The failure by the management to take into account issues touching on the welfare on the workers is bound cause stress to the workers.
There are a number of effects which result from workers being stressed in their work areas and job sites. Key among these is reduced productivity. It is common knowledge that a there will be significant productivity differentials between workers who are stressed and workers who are not stressed. Workers who are stressed are usually not highly productive as they cannot focus all their attention to their duties. Their minds are constantly ‘ scattered’. This reduced productivity may in the long term be reflected in the financial performance of an organization.
Another effect of workers being stressed is that they will continuously be looking for ‘ greener pastures’. In this context, greener pastures refer to other jobs where they will not experience the high levels of stress that they experience in their present jobs. Consequently, an organization where workers are stressed is likely to be characterized by high employee turnover. Even if they are able to attract top talent, they will not be able to retain such talent for long because no one enjoys being in a stressful environment. On the contrary, in such circumstances, they will seek the quickest route out of the predicament in which they find themselves. One such route is through seeking employment in other organizations with better working environments.
While workers may go to a great extent to try and mask their stress, there is bound to be some outward manifestation of the turmoil that is taking place within them. By way of analogy, stress can be compared to steam. Whenever there is build-up of steam, then the steam will have to find an outlet otherwise the results may be catastrophic. To that extent, outward manifestation of stress can be termed as one of the outlets of the internal turmoil that one is undergoing. One of the ways through which workers’ stress is manifested is through reduced morale and motivation to discharge their duties. Workers who are stressed will more often than not show a lack of motivation to discharge their duties. They will do only the bare minimum and will hardly ever take on extra duties. Such workers will also have low morale and this may be manifested in the manner in which they perform their duties. They may do their duties in a most lethargic and disinterested manner. Arguably, they will only be doing their duties because they would not want to be fired.
Stress among workers can also be manifested in their interactions with other workers. Workers who are stressed will most likely keep to themselves and will avoid group or team activities. Furthermore, they are likely to be rude or totally indifferent to other workers for no apparent reason. Such workers may also tend to be completely withdrawn and will prefer solitude. In extreme circumstances, workers who are stressed may even be rude to their superiors when they are given instructions or reprimanded. All these are actions that they may find themselves doing unknowingly not because they wish to but because they lack mechanisms of dealing with the stress. It is thus incumbent upon individuals to ensure that they develop ways of dealing with stress. In the workplace, the management must ensure that they develop mechanisms of helping their employees deal with stress.
References
Gerr, F., Fethke, N., Anton, D., Merlino, L., Rosecrance, J., Marcus, M., et al. (2013). A Prospective Study of Musculoskeletal Outcomes Among Manufacturing Workers: Effects of Psychosocial Stress and Work Organization Factors. The Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 1-20.
Sharma, B., & Mahajan, H. (2013). Assessment of Stress among Workers Engaged in Zari Making in an Urban Slum of Mumbai, India. International Journal of Recent Trends in Science And Technology, 134-138.