Academic Leadership: Fundamental Building Blocks
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The long-term effects of stress are illustrated in Figure 8.
FIGURE 8: Long-Term Effects of Stress
Although individuals have different levels of tolerance to stress, the long-term effects
of stress should never be underestimated.
Stress at work may be caused by a range of factors. Some of these are listed in
Table 4.
TABLE 4: Sources of Stress in the Workplace
Job factor Examples
Intrinsic to the job decision latitude
level of structure
Role conflict and ambiguity juggling roles
lack of clear job specification
Relationships at work job pressure from boss
lack of support by peers
Social support and appraisal colleagues failing to provide
support
negative appraisal
Home-work interface conflict over time and loyalties
Organisational structure mergers
downsizing
cost reduction
reorganisation
Environmental factors work travel
economic & political uncertainty
Successful stress management depends on recognising the degree to which you are
stressed and having a range of strategies in place to deal with it. It is useful to identify
possible and actual sources of stress in your personal life, in yourself, and in your job.
