Isn’t stress just part of any job?

depresioni_lidhet_me_stresin_nStress is a normal part of any life, and any job. Stress can be positive or negative, and how people react to various stressors is highly individual. But excessive negative stress (or distress) can contribute to or even cause serious health problems for employees.

Excessive job stress can be caused by many factors, but research over the past 15 years has shown that some stressors are worse than others:

  • Jobs that are highly demanding because they involve constant imposed deadlines over prolonged period, and provide the individual with very little control over the day to day organization of their work (high demand/low control jobs).
  • Jobs that require high physical or mental effort but offer little reward in the way of compensation, status, financial gain or career enhancement (high effort/low reward jobs).
  • An accumulation of home stress and job stress affect overall wellness.

The health of workers doesn’t have to be compromised by stress, however. Changes to the organization of work can make for a more mentally healthy workplace, especially when employees feel adequately rewarded and under greater control of their work.

via Isn’t stress just part of any job? | Mental Health Works.