Stress In The Workplace
By Lisa Branigan, Thu Dec 8th

According to the Australian Council of Trade Unions’ (A.C.T.U.)1997 survey, fifty per cent of workers had suffered some form ofstress at work in a 12-month period. The statistics in careprofessions were even higher, with the Department of Educationand Training in Western Australia reporting in its 2002Attitudes To Teaching Survey that seventy per cent of teachersidentified workplace stress as a cause for concern in theirteaching positions.

Stress in the workplace is becoming a major concern foremployers, managers and government agencies, owing to theOccupational Health and Safety legislations requiring employersto practice ‘duty of care’ by providing employees with safeworking environments which also cover the psychologicalwellbeing of their staff.

One of the costs, for employers, of work place stress isabsenteeism, with the A.C.T.U. reporting that owing to stress,nearly fifty per cent of employees surveyed had taken time offwork. Other negative effects were reductions in productivity,reduced profits, accidents, high rates of sickness, increasedworkers’ compensation claims and high staff turnover, requiringrecruiting and training of replacement staff.

While a certain amount of stress is needed to motivateindividuals into action, prolonged stress can have a huge impacton overall health. More than two-thirds of visits to doctors’surgeries are for stress-related illnesses. Stress has beenlinked to headaches, backaches, insomnia, anger, cramps,elevated blood pressure, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgiaand lowered resistance to infection. For women, stress is a keyfactor in hormonal imbalances resulting in menstrualirregularities, PMS, fibroids, endometriosis and fertilityproblems. Stress can also be a factor in the development ofalmost all disease states including cancer and heart disease.

Each profession has its own unique factors that may causestress; below are some causes of stress that cross manyprofessions:

· Increased workload · Organizational changes · Lack ofrecognition · High demands · Lack of support · Personal andfamily issues · Poor work organization · Lack of training · Longor difficult hours · Inadequate staff numbers and resources ·Poor management communication · Lack of control or input

So what can be done to effectively manage workplace stress?

Organizations can:

· Educate their employees to recognise the signs of stress. ·Where possible, give their employees the chance to be involvedin decisions and actions that affect their jobs.

· Improveemployer-employee communications. · Provide employees withopportunities to socialise together. · Be understanding ofemployees’ personal and family responsibilities. · Ensureemployee workloads suit their capabilities and resources(provide more training and resources if not). · Provide support(internally or externally) for employees who have complex stressissues.

Employees can reduce their overall stress by:

· Regularly exercising, as this releases ‘happy hormones’. ·Eating a healthy diet, as stress depletes vital nutrients. ·Getting adequate rest. · Using tea and lunch breaks to read,listen to a relaxation CD or have a five-minute power-nap. · Ifappropriate, playing relaxing music at work and burningaromatherapy oils. · Being more organized. Get up earlier tohave more time. · Delegating responsibility where possible. Sayno! · Taking time out to laugh by telling someone a joke. Starta laughter group: by standing in a circle and all forcing a biglaugh, it will soon become real! · Avoiding caffeine and sugar.Although this may provide an instant lift it later depletes thebody of energy and nutrients. · Taking time to do things thatbring enjoyment and pleasure. · Making the work environmentpleasurable. Have relaxing sounds in the form of music or awater fountain. Have enjoyable smells by burning candles oraromatherapy oils. Hang beautiful pictures or posters on thewalls; have photos or flowers on the desk. · Taking care oftheir overall health and wellbeing by practising good self-care.

Sometimes trying to implement change (even for the better) canitself cause stress and prevent a person remaining motivated. Inthis case it’s important to get support for your stress from acounsellor, doctor, naturopath, friend, peer or life coach whospecializes in stress issues.

The benefits of a systematic and joint approach to reducing workstress are:

· Increased productivity · Decrease in absenteeism · Improvedmorale · Decrease in workers’ compensation claims · Reduction inworkplace accidents

The most important benefit in reducing workplace stress is thatit will promote a pleasant work environment for all.

About the author:Lisa Branigan is a Stress and Energy Life Coach working withbusy women who are stressed, tired and overwhelmed. Her passionis to ensure her coaching sessions provide women the necessarysupport, encouragement and understanding needed to createchanges and bring balance to their life and health. Lisa is thepublisher of "Life Solutions" a free monthly e-zine providingtips, advice and information on self-care and wellbeing forwomen. Visit her website at www.quantumcoaching.com.au