Find out where strain at work may lurk and if the stress is helping or hindering your well-being.
We’ve all heard before that jobs can be stressful, but could your regular nine-to- five responsibilities be causing you just sleepless nights or putting you on the fast track to a heart attack? Learn more about job stress and its warning signs through our informative pop quiz. It could save your life and those of your co-workers!
1) What is job stress?
- Damaging emotional and physical responses when a worker’s capabilities and the needs of the job do not match up.
- Stress you bring to work from a situation at home.
- A response you exhibit when you don’t have enough supplies at your desk.
- There is no such thing as job stress.
2) What causes job stress in the workplace?
- Unhealthy work-personal life balance
- Disjointed relationships with co-workers
- Heavy work load given at a pace impossible to complete
- Lack of control in job as well as lack of career development
- All of the Above
3) True or False: The working conditions of an office are the only contributor to job stress.
4) What are some warning signs of job stress?
- Exhaustion
- Short temper
- Problems with concentration
- Headache and/or stomachache
- All of the Above
5) True or False: All stress connected to a job is bad.
6) What are some ways to reduce job stress at the workplace?
- More organization towards work load systems.
- Stronger support and recognition among workers and their supervisors.
- Improved working conditions to encourage better job performance.
- More lines of communication within the office to discuss improvements to job design and the overall work environment.
- All of the Above
Resources: Information provided from the websites of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(www.cdc.gov) and World Health Organization (www.who.int).
ANSWERS
Answer 1: A) Job stress is considered the harmful responses that occur when the worker’s abilities, resources and/or needs cannot fill the requirements of their job (as stated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website). It is stress that stems entirely from the job, but it can be encouraged from difficulties at home.
Answer 2: E) All of the Above. According to the World Health organization, these factors, along with pay rate and work-related view of the boss, can increase the level of stress within one’s job.
Answer 3: False. Worker characteristics is another component that could increase job stress, due to the worker’s coping style towards pressures at work and whether his/her personality fits with the demands of the job.
Answer 4: E) All of the Above. Several of these symptoms are sure signs that you are experiencing job-related stress. These symptoms could be contributing factors that have led to more risk of cardiovascular disease, psychological issues, injury, cancer, and even suicide in workers.
Answer 5: False. Harmful job stress can be alleviated through more stable control of the balance between job duties and the worker’s capabilities/personality as well as regular expressed support from colleagues and supervisors. A job that is presented as a challenge may produce healthy stress to motivate a worker to learn new job skills and improve their performance, which will lead to more job-gratification for the worker and success for their company.
Answer 6: E) All of the Above. There are several approaches an office can take to decrease job stress among workers, but the first step is to recognize that there is a problem with job stress in the workplace and make it a goal among workers and supervisors to reduce the stress for everyone.
CREDITS
by BLAIR TOWNLEY