It is almost inevitable that we will experience some degree of job stress at some time in our working lives. Even those that get the chance to do work they are passionate about and enjoy will still experience job stress in their careers at some stage.So many different things can lead to work stress which can't be avoided and others can easily be avoided or overcome with minimal changes in lifestyle or working practices.



One of the most common causes of work stress or job stress if you prefer are the pressures our employers put on us as workers. All to frequently employers pile on far to much responsibility and accountability on their work force expecting too much in to short a time with little or no training.

Concerned about losing their jobs as a result of company restructuring or just concerned at not appearing to be team player, staff often try and achieve totally unrealistic targets set by management to improve profitability or just to impress.Workers face a on going expectation to perform often beyond their capabilities to satisfy continual demands put on them by middle managers and their juniors.

A major contributor to work related stress issues are the working practices of a company. These might include staff being given little or no responsibility when more than capable of completing a task unsupervised. Or there could be a lack of career progression or the ability to earn reward or incentives for achievement.But the biggest failure in working practice cited is that of managers failing to listen to staff ideas and feedback.

When staff are unable to air grievances and concerns this leads to worry and discontent and even anxiety. If unchecked this can lead to a pressure cooker like working environment of over stressed workers.

Job stress can also be caused by work place bullying which is increasingly common as workers become disatisfied. Staff may bully staff who are junior or who don't fit in or just out of spite or for fun. This includes such actions as sexual harrasement,threatening or just teasing on grounds or race or religion. Some insensitive employees may even spread malicious gossip in order to destroy status or position.

On occasions bosses upset, harass and humiliate their employees in a attempt to assert their authority. Both men and women can be subjected to sexual insults, sexual discrimination which is designed to leave staff feeling humilitated and embarassed.

This kind of thing often leads to severe stress for staff who are trying both to protect themselves and carry on working. In addition to the obvious detrimental effect harassment and bullying has to the victim which leads to stress it can also damage self belief , confidence and self esteem.

Lastly, although now not as common as a a few years ago the place which employees are required to operate in can be another cause of job stress.A dirty, crowded, unsafe working environment can often lead to stress and in extreme cases result in serious depression. On the other hand a well designed, safe and clean working environment can lead to a happier more productive work force.

In a dusty or chemically polluted working environment stress levels can very quickly increase making it almost impossible to work in. This is a very unsafe and potentially hazardous place to work and should be avoided at all costs.