Work Related Stress (WRS)
Work Related Stress (WRS) is stress caused or made worse by work. It simply refers to when a person perceives the work environment in such a way that his or her reaction involves feelings of an inability to cope. It may be caused by perceived/real pressures/deadlines/threats/anxieties within the working environment.
Stress occurs when an individual perceives an imbalance between the demands placed on them on the one hand, and their ability to cope on the other. It often occurs in situations characterised by low levels of control and support.
People behave differently when under pressure:
- Some people feel very threatened but keep it to themselves
- Others behave in very aggressive ways, without acknowledging that their behaviour is caused by stress
- Others react to the same issue in quite calm ways, feeling unthreatened and relaxed
- Others who are highly aware of their moods report that they are not very stressed by the issue, but enjoy its challenge
- Others have very low tolerance of any threats, and so find smaller, simpler demands made of them quite threatening and start feeling stressed as soon as these demands are made of them.
It’s not easy to establish the degree to which the work environment and factors outside of work contribute to an individual’s stress level. Someone who is experiencing stressful life events may find that he or she is less able to cope with demands and deadlines at work, even though work is not the cause and had never been a problem before.
Workplaces which have good communications, respectful relations and healthy systems of work can help people recognise and manage the type of stress which may have more than one cause, such workplaces tend to get the best results in achieving a healthy and productive workforce.
Anastasios M. Margaritis
Occupational Health& Safety Specialist.
Bsc Physiotherapy & Sports Science.
Orthopaedic Manual Therapist.
Back Mechanic Specialist.