Job Stress

What is job stress?

A number of studies and surveys identify occupational fears and pressures are the leading source of stress in the majority of adults. The amount of people who are severely affected by job stress is steadily increasing and there doesn’t appear to be any signs of this trend slowing down.

There are numerous causes of job stress. The following describes some of these causes and their effects:

Increased working hours

In the last generation, the average number of hours worked by the average American adult has increased by 8% to an average 47 hrs/week; and similar numbers can be found in many other industrial countries.

Increased expectations

There is a rapid change in technology used on the job and there is a heightened expectation that all employees not only keep up-to-date with the latest technological trends, but also produce an increase in efficiency and productivity.

Job insecurity

The level of job security is different based on the type of industry. Many types of manufacturing jobs, such as the auto sector, can be at risk if there is a slowdown of sales or a slump in the economy. Manufacturing jobs are only required when there’s money to be made and it doesn’t make sense for these corporations to keep workers around if they’re not making money.

For this reason, many people may find a higher level of job insecurity, which ultimately leads to elevated levels of job stress.

It is important to understand the causes of job stress, as described above, but it perhaps even more important to study the outcome of heightened job stress on our society.

Studies of workers from hundreds of different companies have showed that the number of employees calling in sick due to increased levels of stress has tripled in the last decade. It is estimated that 60% of employee absences are due to job stress.

In addition to increased levels of absences, employees can begin to display elevated levels of irritation or aggression while on the job. Increasingly, behaviors like “phone rage” or “Desk rage” are becoming commonly experienced in most offices.

Unexpected absenteeism and undesired behavior can cost companies millions in lost productivity. Therefore, it is essential to identify and treat the causes of job stress before they spiral out of control.

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