Ellen Says: Stress affects people at work in many different ways. If there were one single way of identifying it, then stress management plans and programs would be much simpler to operate. However, unlike a physical complaint such as a broken leg that is easy to spot and identify, stress can have a multitude of symptoms and affects different people in different ways. When asking the question"how does stress affect people at work" there are some key features to look out for. This list is by no means exhaustive and different work environments or other external local factors may result in different symptoms.
The effects of stress can be broken down into three core areas.
Emotional
When people suffer from stress it is often their emotions that show the first signs that something is wrong. This might include people who don't normally cry becoming prone to tears or otherwise placid members of staff losing their temper or becoming irritable. While everybody suffers from a bad day every once in a while, ongoing changes in a member of staff's well being could very well be an indication of stress and the matter should be explored in more detail and any necessary action taken..
Motivation
Sufferers from stress may find making decisions difficult or have an erratic thought process. Ordinarily dynamic staff may become apathetic or disinterested in their work. This is particularly common in stress cases where the stress comes from a feeling that 'it is all too much' and a person is feeling overwhelmed. Line managers are in a good position to recognize these symptoms and should be trained in stress management.
Behavior
Changes in behavior can also be an indication of stress. This might include someone turning to drink or recreational drugs as a release, or extreme dieting or eating resulting in dramatic weight gain or loss. Sometimes the behavior can become destructive including cases of self harming in extreme cases. Self harming, fasting or other self destructive traits are often a symptom of someone trying to regain control over some element of their life.
The effects of stress can be broken down into three core areas.
Emotional
When people suffer from stress it is often their emotions that show the first signs that something is wrong. This might include people who don't normally cry becoming prone to tears or otherwise placid members of staff losing their temper or becoming irritable. While everybody suffers from a bad day every once in a while, ongoing changes in a member of staff's well being could very well be an indication of stress and the matter should be explored in more detail and any necessary action taken..
Motivation
Sufferers from stress may find making decisions difficult or have an erratic thought process. Ordinarily dynamic staff may become apathetic or disinterested in their work. This is particularly common in stress cases where the stress comes from a feeling that 'it is all too much' and a person is feeling overwhelmed. Line managers are in a good position to recognize these symptoms and should be trained in stress management.
Behavior
Changes in behavior can also be an indication of stress. This might include someone turning to drink or recreational drugs as a release, or extreme dieting or eating resulting in dramatic weight gain or loss. Sometimes the behavior can become destructive including cases of self harming in extreme cases. Self harming, fasting or other self destructive traits are often a symptom of someone trying to regain control over some element of their life.
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