Stress is a tension that occurs in the life of a person. There is a way in which an individual manages to control stress in the workplace. Staying away from conflict is one method of avoiding stress. A disagreement can affect people emotionally, resulting in pressure. It is rare for a clash not to happen in an organization where workers with different ideologies meet and share the same platform. Therefore, when employees get involved in a disagreement, they have to find a procedure to handle it themselves (Chin et al., 2019). It is possible to manage stress at work if employees stay organized.
Although the word “stress” is associated with negativity, it positively impacts workplace performance. Stress affects an individual’s presentation since workers are motivated to finish the task assigned effectively. In an organizational setting, stressed employees might affect the whole production process making the cooperation runs into losses. Individual performance in an organization can be affected when they lose focus (Chin et al., 2019). Employees experiencing stress may have difficulties in remembering the new rules of the organization, and those that existed ending up making mistakes in their workplaces.
There are several advantages and disadvantages of managing stress in the workplace. One of the advantages of tackling tension in the organization is that there is the retention of employees. Workers with less stress tend to remain and work for one employer for a long time, and in return, the employer provides a healthy working environment (Chin et al., 2019). Another advantage is that stress management reduces employees’ absenteeism at work, as workers have less stress. For example, an employee will have no excuse for not coming to work as the organization has a good working environment (Barley et al., 2011).
There are different causes of tension within a work setting. One of the sources of stress in a work environment is a high demand on the job. Employees working for a highly demanding job find themselves under pressure all the time because they can be replaced immediately in case of any damages in the workplace. Communication styles in the organization contribute to stress in the company. When workers are not communicated to or involved in the organization’s decision-making, employees will feel the institution does not recognize them. For example, in a scenario where an organization plans to transfer the worker to another station without proper communication with the employee, it will automatically affect the worker (Barley et al., 2011).
An unsupportive work environment contributes to stress among the employees. It is not easy for any individual to work in an environment that does not support them; they will lose morale and concentration, hindering productivity. Lastly, job responsibility assigned to employees by employers may result in stress (Chin et al., 2019). Workers get stressed whenever they are given a heavy workload and work for many hours without rest.
There are ways in which workplace stress can be managed and controlled. Pressure can be ordered in an organization when the workload assigned to workers is of their capability, and there are resources available to carry out the task. Establishing a stress management program can significantly improve workers’ ability to deal with difficult situations. This program enables them to understand the sources and the effects on themselves and the institution (Chin et al., 2019). Stress management improves by hiring a consultant to recommend ways to reduce stress in the working environment. Workers will have nothing to stress about when they communicate to them about the overall association’s health.
Assigning workers the duty to carry out minimizes stress as each person will be responsible for the role assigned. Social interaction among teammates helps manage stress as they will share their experiences and help each other. There are several ways an institution can help its employees overcome anxiety while on duty (Chin et al., 2019). A firm should encourage open communication between employees themselves and their leaders. In most cases, workers get much pressure from their employers, usually not in good relations. Enhanced communication in an organization reduces conflicts among employees, and employees can change their views on their leaders.
Collaborating with employees in the agency decision-making will reduce stress in the organization, as employees will feel respected and valued. Cooperation can offer a flexible working environment to its employees. Flexibility occurs when there is minimal supervision and the task assigned to them completed on time. For example, workers can share their ideas with coworkers without charge (Barley et al., 2011).
Another way an organization can help its employees to overcome stress is by encouraging them to take breaks from work. Giving a break to employees will enable them to get back to work with less stress and provide full-bodied energy to the production. The organization can take the tension of the employees to care by bringing some diversions to the workplace. Having a fun moment with other teammates can reduce the level of stress.
A good example is arranging vacations for employees by cooperating to help them interact and have fun together (Barley et al., 2011). The cooperation can help their workers avoid stress by providing feedback to employees on how they have performed their tasks to achieve organizational goals (Chin et al., 2019). Encouraging employees to take part in stress management programs and meditation classes will help in the reduction of stress.
In conclusion, stress has a significant impact on the life of a person. Stress has its advantages and disadvantages to an organization and an individual. When pressure is taken care of well, it can be of benefit to the company. It can bring a lot of problems to people and an institution when not taken care of. Companies should put measures to control stress among their employees.
Reference List
Chin, B., Slutsky, J., Raye, J. and Creswell, J.D. (2019) ‘Mindfulness training reduces stress at work: a randomized controlled trial,’ Mindfulness, 10(4), pp. 627-638.
Barley et al (2011) ‘Email as a source and symbol of stress’. Organization Science, 22(4), 887-906.