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Stress (Internal Links)

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Job stress is one of the most serious health hazards faced by AFSCME members. While not as obvious as safety problems, noise or exposure to toxic chemicals, stress can cause serious health problems.

Stress is the body's natural reaction where there is an imbalance between the demands of the environment and the ability of the worker to respond to those demands. Stress increases when the worker has little control over his or her work. A little stress is not bad, but continuous stress can have serious health effects on workers.

The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reports that psychological disorders, many of which result from stress, are among the 10 leading causes of work-related disease. The U.S. Office of Technology Assessment predicts that stress-related illness may be the greatest public health problem faced by office workers of the future.

People have very different abilities to deal with stress. What may be stressful or very upsetting to one person, may not be stressful to another. Nevertheless, it is important for people who work under stressful conditions to realize that stress on the job is the body’s natural response to poor working conditions. It is not caused by an individual’s shortcomings and cannot be cured by being “tough.”

 

Health effects

Workers suffering from repeated, prolonged or continuous job stress may experience:

  • frequent headaches 

  • sleeplessness 

  • loss of appetite 

  • depression 

  • short temper 

  • backache 

  • stomach problems 

  • ulcers 

  • high blood pressure 

  • heart disease and heart attacks 

Stress can also increase the risk of being injured on the job, weaken the body’s resistance to disease and lead to marital problems, drug abuse and alcoholism.

Burnout is a severe reaction to job stress. Burnout is common for workers in occupations such as social work, day care and health care who are in constant contact with clients or patients. These workers are not only exposed to stressful conditions, but also suffer from emotional over-stimulation. The resulting “burnout” leads to a sense of emptiness and loss of feelings, in addition to the other physical and psychological symptoms of stress.

 

 Factors that cause stress at work include:

  • Physical and environmental conditions such as: poor, unsanitary or unsafe working conditions, lack of privacy, improper lighting, and poor ventilation and temperature control. 

  • Psychological: harassment, inadequate job skills, role conflicts, conflict with co-workers and supervisors, and lack of adequate breaks. 

  • Organizational: policies and procedures, schedules, deadlines, repetitive work, unreasonable workloads, inadequate pay and benefits. 

  • Socio-cultural: lack of support from supervisors or co-workers, overly authoritative or crisis-centered management style. 

  • Interpersonal: lack of respect, lifestyle, financial or family problems. 

  • Work setting: lack of job security, lack of control over one's job. 

 

Reducing stress at work

Poor working conditions are the primary cause of workplace stress. “Stress management” techniques (such as meditation, muscle relaxation, etc.) are useful in treating the symptoms, not the causes of stress-related illnesses. The best way to reduce stress is to reduce the causes of stress in the workplace. The following steps should be taken by the union:

  • Do a survey or talk to workers to define what aspects of the job cause stress. 

  • Negotiate strong contact language to reduce the causes of stress. These may include increasing staff levels, reducing overtime, providing more rest time, reducing the frequency of shift rotations, improving physical working conditions. 

  • Use Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) to help workers deal with stress and other problems, whether at home or at work. 

  • Stress Training and Reduction Workshops can teach techniques that can reduce the symptoms, but not the causes of stress-related illnesses. These techniques can be helpful to reduce some of the symptoms while the causes of stress are being addressed. Physical exercise, relaxation exercises, and making more time for families, hobbies and outside interests are important methods of stress reduction. 

 

See the Following Publications and Web Sites for More Information

AFSCME fact sheet: Workplace Violence

AFSCME, Preventing Workplace Violence: A Union Representative’s Guidebook

CalOSHA, Guidelines for Security and Safety of Health Care and Community Service Workers 

CalOSHA, Guidelines for Workplace Security 

Civil Service Employees Association, What’s Wrong With Work: A Stress Digest, 143 Washington Ave., Albany, N.Y. 12210.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH),
Plain Language About Shiftwork, 
(PDF file requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader)

NIOSH, Stress ... at Work, Publication #99-101.

NIOSH, Stress At Work Web site

Occupational Safety and Health Administration, (OSHA), Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Health Care and Social Service Workers, OSHA Publication #3148, 2003 (revised),
(PDF file requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader)

OSHA, Recommendations for Workplace Violence Prevention Programs in Late-Night Retail Establishments, OSHA Publication #3153, 1998.
(PDF file requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader)

U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Dealing with Workplace Violence, A Guide for Agency Planners, OWR-09, February 1998, 

Washington Department of Labor and Industries, Workplace Violence: Awareness and Prevention for Employers and Employees,