Excessive Stress example essay topic

315 words
In today's human-capital workplace, stress can be a company's greatest asset or worst liability. The right amount of stress can drive staff to achieve high levels, on the under hand, excessive stress can hurt morale, slow productivity, and lead to a variety of maladies. Such has chronic absenteeism or workplace violence. It has been argued by some researchers that stress is "not a bad thing, but a necessary thing", Like a stringed instrument, people need a certain amount of strenousity in order to perform. Minimal stress and the instrument will not sound right.

Excessive stress and the string will break. Stress is needed to drive company production, however stress can easily be escalated, and if left unchecked, the effect can be one, which is negative to a company. "Stress costs industrialised economies around 10 percent of GNP, through sickness absence, ill health and labour turnover". There are various aspects in the workplace that could be said have a direct effect on an individuals stress levels. Korn hauser (1965) maintained that poor mental health was directly related to unpleasant working conditions, the necessity to work fast and to expend a lot of physical effort, and to excessive and inconvenient hours".

A study carried out in the USA by Hay and Open (1972), found that nurses working in intensive care were susceptible to stress due to the type of lighting they were working with. The combination of an 'oppressive visual environment' and the rout inal nature of the job cause feelings of anxiety that can lead to 'claustrophobia' and 'dehumanisation'. Additionally "the physical design of the workplace can be another potential source of stress. If an office is poorly designed, with personnel who require frequent contact spread throughout a building, poor communication networks can develop, resulting in the role of ambiguity and poor relationships.".