The Stigma of Stress
There is a stigma that to admit the symptoms of stress is a sign of weakness and may lead to people at work being passed over for courses, promotion etc. this can lead to problems elsewhere in their personal lives. If somebody goes sick with a stress related disorder, it can be a very difficult time for people especially if the company that they work for does not understand.
Returning to work does not solve the problem, it can worsen it. This is where people need to be educated in stress and its affects. If not there is a risk of more serious damage and maladaptive responses.
What needs to be done, before the stress reaches crisis point is the recognition of stress, there is a combined responsibility for dealing with it. We will look at the signs and symptoms of stress, but it is a very real illness with unbelievable debilitating effects on the body and those around you.
So how does stress affect the organisation as well as the individual?
Within an organisation of any type, there is stress; the effect of stress as you will see from the diagram can affect the organisation. The following can be labelled as intrinsic to any job.
- Poor working conditions
- Shift work
- Long hours
- Travelling
- Risk and danger
- New technology
- Change in what is considered a stable environment
- Work underload
- Work overload.
