What causes stress in the workplace – Introduction
Workplace stress is an increasing concern for both employees and employers. It refers to the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when there is a poor match between job demands and the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker. While some stress can be positive and motivate employees to perform, excessive stress has been linked to reduced engagement, higher absenteeism, and increased health issues. Addressing what causes stress in the workplace and preventing it is critical for creating a psychologically safe environment where employees can thrive.
Prolonged stress has been shown to increase the risk for depression, cardiovascular disease, obesity, burnout, and other chronic health conditions. Therefore, understanding the common causes of workplace stress can empower both employees and leadership to cultivate a more positive, engaged, and productive workforce. This article will explore the leading contributors to stress that professionals face on the job today.
‘Chronic stress, in particular, has been shown to cause atrophy in brain mass, neurogenesis disorders, and can severely impair memory by affecting neural structures like the hippocampus. Stress impacts not only memory processes, leading to disorders in short-term and long-term memory, but also learning abilities, potentially altering important brain functions such as long-term potentiation which is crucial for memory formation. Interestingly, stress under certain conditions could temporarily enhance brain function and memory, indicating a complex relationship between stress, brain function, and memory processes.‘
Yaribeygi H, Panahi Y, Sahraei H, Johnston TP, Sahebkar A. The impact of stress on body function: A review. EXCLI J. 2017 Jul 21;16:1057-1072.
Common Causes of Workplace Stress
Workplace stress is incredibly common, with over half of working adults reporting that their job is a significant source of stress in their lives. There are many potential causes of stress that employees can face in the modern workplace.
Work Overload
One of the most prevalent causes of stress is simply having too much work to do in too little time. Excessive workloads and tight deadlines lead to employees feeling overwhelmed and anxious. Working long hours without breaks also contributes to stress and burnout over time.
Lack of Control
Employees who lack autonomy and control over their work are more likely to experience stress. Not having a say in decisions that affect your job, or being micromanaged, can make workers feel powerless. Being unable to influence workload or schedule also leads to stress.
Office Politics
Navigating office politics, gossip, and lack of trust between coworkers is another common workplace stressor. Unclear hierarchies, competition for promotions, and poor communication can negatively impact working relationships. Interpersonal conflict and lack of social support affects wellbeing.
Job Insecurity
The fear of losing your job causes significant stress. Corporate restructuring, acquisitions, and lack of stability all contribute to employees worrying about being laid off or fired. Even small changes like new managers can increase anxiety.
Poor Management
Ineffective or unsupportive management is a leading driver of workplace stress. Managers who don’t communicate well, offer inadequate support, or foster negative work cultures harm employee morale and wellbeing. Micromanagers undermine confidence and autonomy.
Unrealistic Expectations
Unreasonable demands and impossible targets add to workplace stress. When managers don’t understand the realities of the work involved, it leads to frustration. Fast-paced environments with ever-changing goals also make it hard for employees to succeed.
What causes stress in the workplace – Work Overload
One of the most common causes of stress at work is taking on too much and feeling overwhelmed. When employees are consistently working at maximum capacity, it can quickly lead to burnout. Having unclear expectations around workload and responsibilities also contributes to work overload. If employees aren’t sure what’s expected of them and how to prioritise tasks, they may take on too much unintentionally.
Unreasonable deadlines and last-minute demands from managers add more pressure. Employees feel anxious and stressed when they’re scrambling to finish projects at the last minute, working evenings and weekends just to keep up. The constant race against the clock takes a toll both physically and mentally.
To combat work overload, managers need to set clear priorities and realistic deadlines. There should be open communication to align on workload expectations. Taking breaks and time off is also key to avoid fatigue. Setting boundaries around work hours and not overextending yourself is essential. The organisation also needs to provide enough staffing and resources to balance the workload. If one employee consistently takes on the work of two or more people, burnout is inevitable.
Lack of Control
A major cause of workplace stress is a lack of control over one’s responsibilities and duties. When employees feel they have little autonomy or input into decisions that affect their jobs, it can create a great deal of anxiety and frustration.
One aspect of lacking control is micromanagement from bosses or managers. When managers constantly monitor, nit-pick, and criticise every little thing an employee does, it’s incredibly stressful. Employees feel they are not trusted to do their work properly, and have no power to push back against unhelpful oversight. This excessive top-down control saps morale in the workplace.
Similarly, a lack of input into policies, procedures, and resource allocation is stressful for employees. If workers feel their voice is not heard and their needs are ignored when major decisions are made, they will feel helpless and demotivated. Rigid policies set from the top-down, without any flexibility or employee participation, can also cause strain. Employees need some autonomy in how they accomplish their work in order to feel engaged.
Organisations can reduce workplace stress by decentralising control and giving employees more participatory decision-making power over their work. Allowing flexibility in how tasks are completed, and trusting employees to self-manage, goes a long way toward creating a positive and empowering work environment.
What causes stress in the workplace – Office Politics
Office politics and interpersonal issues can be a significant source of stress for employees. Favoritism, gossip, lack of trust, and competition between coworkers can create a negative and stressful environment. Employees may feel that they are not treated fairly or that they have to constantly watch their back.
Favouritism is demoralising and causes resentment when managers have clear favourites on the team. This breeds jealousy and makes other employees feel undervalued. Gossiping and talking behind people’s backs also erodes trust between co-workers. Employees may become anxious, and isolated if there is a pervasive lack of trust.
Overt competition between employees can lead to cutthroat behavior. There may be a lack of teamwork and unethical conduct like sabotage. Employees may hoard information, avoid collaborating, and even steal ideas from coworkers they view as threats. The competitive atmosphere undermines job satisfaction and increases distrust.
Interpersonal problems like these contribute to a toxic work culture. Employees feel stressed coming into work everyday when there is constant political maneuvering and interpersonal conflict. Managing workplace politics requires building trust, setting clear expectations, and promoting teamwork and collaboration over competition. More transparency from leadership and open channels of communication can help alleviate office politics and reduce associated stress.
Job Insecurity
Job insecurity is a major cause of stress in the workplace. When employees fear losing their jobs due to potential layoffs, mergers, or short-term contracts, it creates high levels of anxiety and stress.
Employees who constantly worry about being laid off can experience decreased morale and lower engagement. The fear of suddenly losing one’s livelihood is extremely stressful, making it difficult to focus at work. Studies show that employees experiencing job insecurity are more likely to have health problems, sleep disturbances, and depression.
Frequent organisational changes like mergers and acquisitions also contribute to feelings of uncertainty. Employees may worry about how their roles and responsibilities will change, if they will still have a job after the merger, or if they will be forced to relocate. This instability leads to stress as employees feel they have little control over their job security.
Another factor is the rise of short-term and temporary contracts rather than permanent positions. Contract roles come with an end date, so employees are perpetually concerned about finding their next job. The instability inherent in contract work causes stress and makes it hard for employees to feel invested in the organisation.
Managers should be aware of how job insecurity affects employees and do what they can to provide reassurance. Being transparent about organisational changes and providing regular updates can help alleviate some of the uncertainty. Offering stress management resources like counselling can also assist employees struggling with job insecurity.
What causes stress in the workplace – Poor Management
Poor management can be a significant source of stress in the workplace. When managers fail to communicate effectively, support their team, and make reasonable demands, it can leave employees feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, and anxious.
Bad Communication
Managers who don’t communicate well with their team often leave employees unsure of priorities, expectations, and job duties. Important information gets lost, questions go unanswered, and employees waste time and energy trying to figure things out on their own. Poor communicators fail to provide clear direction, feedback, and guidance. This ambiguity and confusion leads to stress as employees don’t know where they stand or how to do their jobs effectively.
Lack of Support
Good managers support their team by providing coaching, removing obstacles, securing needed resources, and having their back. When managers don’t provide adequate support it leaves employees feeling like they are on their own. Having to constantly fight for resources, permissions, or help to do their jobs becomes exhausting. Employees lose motivation when managers don’t have their back during conflicts or stand up for them.
Unreasonable Demands
Managers who overload employees with too many responsibilities or impossible deadlines create tremendous stress. Continually having to work nights and weekends to keep up with unreasonable workloads harms mental health and leads to burnout over time. While some overtime may be expected, managers who chronically overwork their team show a lack of respect for personal lives. Making unreasonable demands without additional resources or support sets employees up for failure and frustration.
Unrealistic Expectations
Unrealistic expectations in the workplace can be a major source of stress for employees. This often stems from perfectionism, either self-imposed or from overly demanding managers or company culture. When perfectionism takes over, it can quickly lead to burnout.
Employees may put unrealistic expectations on themselves, striving for flawless work even when it’s unnecessary. The fear of failure leads them to overwork themselves trying to meet impossibly high standards. Even small mistakes can cause high anxiety. This perfectionism often comes from underlying self-esteem issues or imposter syndrome.
Other times, unrealistic expectations come from the employer. Management may establish goals without providing sufficient resources, support or reasonable timelines. When goals are vague or impossible to reasonably achieve, employees are set up for failure and stress.
Excessively high workloads are a common culprit of unrealistic expectations. Workers feel overwhelmed trying to complete an endless to-do list each day. This causes mental exhaustion and anxiety from constantly playing catchup.
To reduce stress from unrealistic expectations, employees need to reset their internal mindset. Learn to accept that minor mistakes are okay and don’t mean complete failure. Let go of perfectionism and aim for balance.
Managers must provide clear, achievable goals and sufficient resources. Give reasonable deadlines that don’t demand overtime. Offer support to help employees develop suitable skills.
With realistic standards, employees can thrive. Unrealistic expectations will only lead to demotivation, burnout and high turnover. A psychologically healthy culture understands perfection is unattainable and unnecessary. Excellence comes from engagement, not fear of failure.
What causes stress in the workplace – Lack of Growth
Employees often experience stress when they feel stagnant or bored in their current role. A lack of learning and growth opportunities can make the work mundane and unfulfilling over time. Employees may start to feel restless and unchallenged if the job duties remain the same without any room for development.
Stagnating in the same position for years without any new skills training or chances for promotion can demotivate employees. They may start to feel like their career is at a dead end, causing anxiety about the future. Boredom from repetitive tasks day after day can also cause stress as employees lose interest in their work.
Without learning opportunities for new training or cross-functional projects, employees miss out on developing new capabilities. The lack of growth makes them more prone to skills obsolescence as responsibilities remain narrow and limited. Over time, the stagnation can negatively impact their performance and contribution to the organisation.
Companies need to provide developmental opportunities and career paths to retain engaged employees. Job rotation, training programs, and stretch assignments are some ways to counter stagnation. Empowering employees with new knowledge and skills can reignite their passion. Enabling growth through learning and progression is key to preventing boredom and stagnation from causing excessive workplace stress.
What causes stress in the workplace – Conclusion
In today’s fast-paced work environment, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and stressed. However, unchecked chronic stress can lead to burnout, health issues, and decreased productivity. That’s why it’s critical that both employees and employers take steps to identify and address the root causes of workplace stress.
As we’ve discussed, some of the most common triggers include heavy workloads, lack of control, office politics, job insecurity, poor management, unrealistic expectations, and lack of growth opportunities. The sources of stress are often complex and multi-layered. Tackling them requires self-awareness, communication skills, boundary setting, and in some cases, organisational change.
The good news is that when companies invest in employee wellbeing and foster positive workplace cultures, they see improved retention, engagement, and performance. As an employee, be proactive about managing stress by practicing self-care, communicating concerns, and seeking support when needed. Reducing stress leads to greater job satisfaction, creativity, and productivity for all.
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Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is intended for general knowledge and educational purposes only. It should not be construed as professional health, legal, or business advice. Readers should always consult with appropriate health professionals, human resource experts, or legal advisors for specific concerns related to mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information at the time of publication, Wellbeing In Your Office cannot be held responsible for any subsequent changes, updates, or revisions of the aforementioned content.