heavy workloads, tedious or repetitious work,
demanding customers, and short staffing. As well,
people may work in jobs that are not a good
match for their needs and interests—because such
a job may pay more than a better-suited job, offer
more lenient time away to deal with children,
have health insurance benefits the person or fam-
ily needs, or be the only work available in a par-
ticular location. Physical danger inherent in
certain jobs also establishes a high level of emo-
tional stress.
FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO WORKPLACE STRESSautomation
child care issues
complex, time-sensitive work tasks
co-worker conflict
downsizing and corporate restructuring
family demands
heavy workload
inability to make decisions about work tasks
lack of privacy
noisy work environment
repetitious or tedious work
work unsuited to interests
Work responsibilities are often in direct compe-
tition with family responsibilities for a person’s
time and interest. About 40 percent of American
families have only a single parent, resulting in sig-
nificant stress around child care arrangements and
expenses. Even among families in which both par-
ents work, parents find it necessary to juggle work
responsibilities and child needs such as illness,
health-care appointments, and school activities.
Unmitigated work stress has numerous conse-
quences for both physical and psychologic stress.
Stress-related physical conditions may include fre-
quent headaches,IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME(IBS),
and ACCIDENTAL INJURIES. Work stress may also con-
tribute to various psychologic conditions in which
stress is a significant factor. An extreme of work
stress is burnout, in which a person may experience
symptoms such as PALPITATIONS, trembling, sleep dis-
turbances, and unprovoked outbursts of anger.
The most effective solutions for work stress
combine changes in the work setting with stress
management methods. Many people may benefit
from career counseling to help them determine
what kinds of work or jobs might be more appro-
priate for their interests and abilities. Sometimes it
is necessary to change jobs to relieve work stress.
Other approaches may include identifying one
specific problem at work that causes stress and
coming up with possible solutions.
See also ANGER AND ANGER MANAGEMENT; OCCUPA-
TIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY; SOMATIZATION DISORDER;
STRESS AND STRESS MANAGEMENT; VIOLENCE.256 Human Relations