Many people today are faced with stress at their workplace. Sadly, they don’t know how to handle it, and the fear of losing their jobs makes them push their limits despite the negative impact on their health.
People usually experience job stress when they feel that the demands of their jobs exceed their resources or abilities. And this kind of pressure doesn’t automatically disappear when you close for the day and head home from work; it lingers and can affect how you interact with your family. This article will show you how to prioritize your mental and emotional well-being so that you don’t lose yourself to job stress.
Identify Your Stressors
Identifying your job stressors is the first step toward managing them. Depending on the industry you operate in, the stressors may differ. However, there are some common causes of stress in most work environments. One of them is the demands of the job. If you feel that your manager demands too much from you, it can make you feel overwhelmed and incapable of meeting up with their expectations. Another possible stressor may be the overbearing or controlling nature of your manager if they always want things done their way. Being forced to carry out tasks in the same manner all the time can dampen your creativity and contribute to job stress.
Your job stress can even stem from the poor relationship between you and your co-workers. When there are unhealthy team dynamics, bullying, or undue competition within the work environment, it can lead to grievances and stress. Also, if job roles are not clearly defined in a work environment, it can lead to tension among workers or between workers and employers. And if there are large organizational changes at your job, it can leave you with uncertainty about job security and where your job role is heading. You might even be stressed because the physical conditions at your workplace could potentially harm you or your co-workers, but you aren’t sure how to address them. Whatever the trigger might be for you, try to identify it.
Know Your Rights
When people are newly employed, they just want to go to work and feel safe and comfortable at the office. Things might be going on so well that they don’t take the time to think about their rights as employees. No matter how rosy things may feel at your workplace, it is still crucial to know and understand your rights as an employee. If you are experiencing job stress, it’s an even bigger reason to know your rights. If you’re not aware of them, you might be a victim of injustice, such as workplace bullying and discrimination, without even realizing it. You may be taunted, excluded, or even assigned unrealistic duties that are beyond your pay scale. In that situation, you’d be keeping late nights to ensure that the tasks assigned to you are complete, but you wouldn’t be getting commiserate compensation. If you don’t know your rights, this situation will likely continue.
Furthermore, knowing your rights as an employee can help you see when you’re working in an environment with unsafe working conditions. The Barnes Firm, a team of personal injury lawyers in Los Angeles, emphasizes that ”the companies and supervisors responsible for workers’ safety have an obligation to make sure that all safety measures are in place, and guidelines are being followed.” Unfortunately, some workplaces do not comply with the required legal standards, like providing proper cooling and equipment or the training employees need before using large machinery. Knowing your rights will help you to determine whether you were given adequate training and protective clothing required to keep you safe at work.
Take Action
Employee health and well-being and strongly related to workplace productivity. When your boss creates a healthy work environment that supports your overall well-being, they stand to benefit from it as well. Have an open dialogue with your supervisor or manager concerning the stressor you have identified. Your aim here wouldn’t be to present a long list of complaints but to come up with a functional plan for managing issues so that you can perform the best at work.
Besides engaging your employer or manager, you also need to work on yourself and establish personal work-life boundaries. Set a time limit for checking work emails; after that time, try to focus on yourself and your family. Take some time to disconnect from work and recharge. This helps you to replenish and return to your pre-stress level of activity. Consider practicing relaxation techniques like deep breathing, mindfulness, and meditation. Mindfulness can help you focus on one activity at a time and avoid distraction.
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