We can suffer from work stress at any time in our lives and it has become a collective problem, not an individual one. We spend many hours of our lives at work and satisfaction at work will inevitably have an impact on other areas.
Workplace problems are all those situations that generate conflict, dissatisfaction, or difficulty in the workplace. These problems can occur with a boss or with colleagues, but they can also arise due to an excessive workload or not having enough motivation.
Types of labor problems:
Work stress: Excessive pressure at work can cause high levels of stress. This is common in jobs with tight deadlines or where workers are given too many responsibilities.
Burnout syndrome: this is a type of professional exhaustion that is common among service professionals who are in constant contact with other people. It also occurs when one is subject to excessive hours that prevent rest and disconnection from work, or if one has to take on too many responsibilities.
Difficulties in relationships with colleagues: disagreements with colleagues or the boss that create a tense atmosphere. These may be bosses who perform poor management or an overly competitive environment that creates rivalry between colleagues.
Mobbing or workplace harassment: is psychological violence that is continuously exercised against a person in the workplace. Harassment can come from a superior, colleagues, or the company itself.
Career reorientation: This occurs when you know what you don’t want, but you don’t know what you want. It is a dissatisfaction with your job, without knowing exactly what reorientation you want to follow. You suffer from job demotivation, which generates uncertainty and anxiety that is difficult to sustain over time.
Symptoms of work-related stress
Work stress has effects on our physical and mental health. It also affects how we perform at work, which is reflected in absenteeism, performance, and productivity. Therefore, the symptoms that we can identify if we suffer from work stress are the following:
In the mornings or at the beginning of the week, there is a difficulty in facing the day
The feeling of frustration and demotivation
Feeling harassed by some colleagues and/or a boss
Decreased productivity and feeling of exhaustion
Feeling that the work environment is tense and is not resolved over time
Experience that work is the main stressor in your life
Causes of work stress
Stress is the response to a stimulus (internal or external ), i.e. a stressor. These stressors can appear in the form of:
Managers with poor leadership skills who are unable to resolve problems between employees
The crisis in the company generates a tense work environment due to the pressure to perform better
Cultural and personality differences between colleagues and/or boss
Power struggles that generate a competitive environment due to the objectives set
Difficulties in internal communication
Wrong choice of job
Lack of harmony between personal and corporate values
A mismatch between personal perspectives and work reality
The monotony
Very tight deadlines
Working at high speed
Exposure to violence
Physically hazardous working conditions
Burnout syndrome or being burned out
Burnout syndrome is a particular sort of stress. It is a response to chronic work-related stress and its main characteristics are the experience of being emotionally exhausted, depersonalization, and a feeling of inadequacy.
Emotional exhaustion is the central element of this syndrome and is characterized by a growing feeling of physical and mental exhaustion at work.
Depersonalization is a set of pessimistic, isolating attitudes and negative feelings toward the people with whom one works and towards one’s professional role. Depersonalization is a self-protective response to emotional exhaustion.
The feeling of inadequacy is a consequence of a negative self-evaluation of the worker, who feels that the demands of the work environment exceed his or her capacity to respond.
Psychological treatment for work stress
Psychological therapy for work-related stress works at an individual level to get to the root of the problems that may arise in the workplace. Once the symptoms that the person suffers from have been identified, an attempt will be made to reduce work-related stress through certain techniques such as:
Social and communication skills training
Techniques for time management
Cognitive restructuring of dysfunctional beliefs
Relaxation techniques training
Strengthening self-esteem
Career reorientation
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