“More than 50% of workers are not engaged at work as a result of stress, leading to a loss of productivity.” – Zippia.com
The stats above show the extent to which stress impacts the modern-day workplace, and what it leads to.
Employees who experience too much stress and anxiety at work often cite excessive workload, people issues, and lack of job security as reasons.
If not dealt with on time, it leads to absenteeism, increased employee turnover, and even impacts your personal relationships. Moreover, it causes you to develop anxiety in the workplace, which should never be taken lightly. This is how work stress and anxiety can affect an employee’s and employer’s personal and professional life.
So, it is very important that we understand what each of these means, how they impact an employee’s productivity, and what you can do to get rid of both.
What is stress & anxiety?
The terms stress and anxiety are used interchangeably, but there are some differences between the two.
Stress is your body’s normal response activated by the brain and nervous system in response to an event or situation. In stress, your heart beats faster to pump more blood into your body, and prepare it for a fight or flight situation.
Anxiety is similar to stress in a physiological way. It is a constant feeling of worry, tension, and uncertainty that persists longer than anticipated. Anxiety occurs as a result of the stress response system remaining active longer than necessary.
In the workplace, you can experience either or both of these issues. They can impact you due to unexpected responsibilities. Employers can also experience these when the skills and knowledge of an employee do not match the job they were hired for.
That’s not it! There are some major reasons why you or a manager may experience work anxiety.
Causes of workplace anxiety
The root cause of work anxiety varies from person to person. For some, it is longer working hours, for others, it is a lack of support from colleagues and the manager.
Apart from these, there are some situations that might cause you to develop workplace anxiety. These include;
- Work-related issues
- Giving presentations
- The meeting, staff lunches, and office parties
- Meeting and setting deadlines
- Being asked to speak during meetings
- Juggling between personal and professional relationships
Now, how would you know if someone is experiencing work stress and anxiety? Here are the symptoms you need to be aware of.
Work stress & anxiety symptoms
The problem of employees leaving jobs due to stress and anxiety is growing every day. Employers need to do a lot more to keep the workforce away from these issues. But, it is only possible when one knows the signs or symptoms of either.
With that said, given below are several symptoms of an employee experiencing too much stress at the workplace.
- Takes unnecessary work leaves
- Arrives late to work
- More nervous or twitchy than usual
- Mood swings
- Decision fatigue
- Being withdrawn
- Physical symptoms like upset stomach, and sweating
- Loss of motivation, commitment, and confidence
- Increased emotional reactions – more tearful, sensitive, or aggressive
Read More: Feeling Exhausted, Drained? 10 Ways To Beat Decision Fatigue At Work
Given below are the symptoms that make it clear anxiety is at play.
- Irrational worrying
- Exaggerated reactions
- Tiredness/Fatigue
- Dry mouth
- Racing heart
- Shaking/Trembling
- Negative thinking
- Unable to complete any task
Luckily, there are some tips you can inculcate for managing work anxiety and stress with ease.
Tips to deal with stress and anxiety at work
Work-related stress and anxiety do take a toll on the mental and physical health of the modern-day workforce. From heavy workload to unsupportive management, the reasons seem to be endless.
But, it does not mean there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Employees and employers need to work together to deal with the issue. First, let us see what employees can do to deal with workplace stress and anxiety.
What employees can do to be stress and anxiety free
1. Self-reflect
You have to consider what it is you are experiencing at work and how it impacts your work performance and behavior. Take note of the duration of the impact, whether it is short and will go away or is chronic. Think about whether the stress is caused by work or something in your personal life. Lastly, reflect on what caused it in the first place, especially if it was not present before.
2. Ask for help
Asking for help from friends and family can help improve your ability to handle work stress and anxiety. But, if you keep feeling overwhelmed at work, consult a psychologist who can help you bring some changes to the daily routine to deal with the issue.
3. Communicate
Share with your employer how work stress and anxiety are affecting your workplace productivity. Unfortunately, many employees fear losing their job over this, but it is not so. Your employer can refer you to a stress management program including online information for counseling or referral to a mental health professional.
4. Go on vacation
To counter the effects of stress and anxiety on your well-being, you need a little time away from work to relax and rejuvenate. During the vacations, completely “switch off” from work by neither engaging in work-related activities nor thinking about it.
5. Be healthy
Do not eat unhealthy food or drink alcohol to counter stress and anxiety. Make healthy choices when you feel they are impacting your mind and body. Be it hitting the gym or doing yoga, physical activity is beneficial in such a situation. Make time for hobbies and favorite activities, sleep well, limit caffeine intake, and do not work on the computer or mobile phone at night.
6. Educate yourself
Learn more and more about how to deal with work stress and anxiety. You can try different techniques like meditation, deep breathing exercises, and mindfulness. Regularly practicing these will help you deal with unnecessary stress and anxiety. You can start the day with deep breathing, and some light walking.
7. Skip the perfectionism
Being a high performer in the workplace and dealing with stress and anxiety is not uncommon. Unfortunately, many employees fall into the trap of trying to do everything to perfection. You should know that being perfect at everything is not possible, but only a way to cause unnecessary stress and anxiety.
8. Keep everything organized
Stress and anxiety at work are often a result of losing our sense of control. To be in control, an employee has to be clear about their responsibility at the workplace. It is good to keep the day’s tasks listed in order of priority and create detailed notes about how to complete them. Doing this helps one schedule downtime for self-care also helps.
Finding it hard to deal with workplace stress? Maybe it is one of these five factors affecting your willpower to deal with it.
9. Establish work boundaries
An effective way to deal with work stress and anxiety is by setting boundaries at the workplace. Staying online after work hours or catching up with your seniors about a project on the weekends is a big NO. Your ability to stay functional at the office depends on setting the right boundaries. Remember, your family and friends are more important than the job. So, work demands do not matter once you are out of the office.
10. Switch job
If you are unable to get rid of stress and anxiety at the workplace, whether it is due to coworkers, bad management, or a toxic work environment, consider switching jobs. Always prioritize your well-being and understand that no job is worth losing your sleep on the weekends, not spending time with loved ones, or falling sick.
Besides the employees, the employer also has to play an active part to ensure that no one at the workplace suffers from these debilitating health issues.
The question is – What can an employer do to help someone deal with work-related stress and anxiety? Read further to know the answer.
How employers can help employees remain stress and anxiety free
1. Help them separate failure from success
An employee having work stress and anxiety, especially when suffering from impostor syndrome, lives in constant fear of losing their job. Employers and managers can ease this doubt by providing them with clear parameters of what constitutes a good job, and when it needs improvement.
2. Offer flexible work timings
A rigid work environment only worsens an employee’s stress and anxiety. Employers should offer them a flexible work time schedule. Doing this takes off the extra pressure they feel during working hours and maintains a better work-life balance.
3. Provide a safe workplace
Employers should create a work environment where employees feel comfortable in sharing their feelings without being judged or mocked. Working in a psychologically safe workplace gives employees the confidence to approach the management and be candid about when they are struggling mentally.
4. Offer mental health support programs
Only after the pandemic did organizations start taking their employee’s mental health issues seriously. Employers should invest time in providing sufficient support to employees for managing their stress and anxiety. They should implement mental health programs that offer employees the resources to manage their mental health. These will help raise awareness about the importance of mental well-being.
5. Provide a clear work structure
Micromanaging employees can only worsen their stress and anxiety. Employees often complain they are not given the right guidelines to complete a task. To prevent this from happening, employers should offer them clear guidelines about a task, share their expectations, how they should communicate, and more.
Trying to ignore work stress and anxiety does have some serious repercussions in the long run. Let us see what these are.
Effects of work stress and anxiety
Productivity relies on an employee’s ability to manage time and finish the task at hand. But, work stress and anxiety make it hard for them to focus on tasks, meet deadlines, and give every project their best.
That said, given below is the impact both have on your professional life, if not dealt with on time.
1. Burnout
“80% of workers feel stress on the job, nearly half say they need help in learning how to manage stress and 42% say their coworkers need such help”. – Stress.org
Chronic stress makes you less engaged in your work. In the long run, this makes maintaining normal productivity levels at the workplace a challenge. It leads to burnout, which leads to absenteeism, and employee turnover. You are likely to feel less satisfied with the job, which further puts you at an increased risk of developing mental health issues like depression.
2. Disengagement
Like stress, anxiety keeps you stuck in a state of “fight or flight”, which makes it harder to relax and focus on everyday tasks. In the long run, you become either outright defensive or withdraw completely from your work responsibilities and colleagues. Being left out or having your concerns ignored by senior management only causes the issue to get out of hand. In the long run, it leads to being disengaged from the workplace.
3. Poor time management
Stress can jumpstart your adrenaline, which offers a major boost to help you accomplish work more quickly as a response to upcoming deadlines. On the contrary, not having proper support or handling too many tasks at once causes frustration and panic that there isn’t enough time to do it all.
Moreover, if this continues and the employee takes their work home, the stress of not being able to manage their time effectively can make them resent the workplace.
4. Fuels intense fear of failure
Anxiety is often the result of having an intense feeling of dread, which makes you doubt your ability to do a good job. A head filled with fear of the worst that could happen can never be productive and amount to anything good. For example, anxiety can manifest as writer’s block or procrastination, both of which are impediments to your proper growth as a professional.
5. Loss of self-esteem
For many individuals, their jobs define who they are as a person. If it is the same with you, then doing a good job not only gives you financial security, but also confidence in your abilities. But, too much stress and anxiety compromise this identity, which tends to affect how you feel about yourself as a person.
6. Lack of focus
Stress can impact your ability to remember things, process new information, and apply it to whatever situation demands it. Too much work stress and anxiety affect the ability to concentrate on the task at hand, which occurs when you are mentally exhausted from all worries caused by a stressful work environment or lifestyle.
7. More conflict, less collaboration
If you experience work anxiety or stress, these also impact your team’s performance. Collaboration becomes a challenge when you are stressed out, which causes workplace conflicts. Too much stress impacts your ability to have meaningful conversations. Moreover, stressed employees are least likely to find solutions to workplace conflicts.
8. Physical illness and pain
The body does not respond well to anxiety or stress. On the other hand, these two aggravate an ongoing medical conditions like migraine or sleep issues. These also compromise the immune system, which makes the body vulnerable to illness and cold.
Now, barging into your boss’s cabin and declaring that you have work stress and anxiety will not work. So, how do you do it?
How to tell your employer about work stress and anxiety
At times, trying to create a balance between the job and your well-being can be challenging. Now, before it becomes a serious mental health issue, it is a good idea to inform your immediate superiors or HR.
The question now is – What is the right way to do it?
1. Prepare a script
Are you wondering how to approach the boss to talk about your struggle with work-related stress and anxiety? Here are a few tips you can try.
Approach#1 – Be honest and direct
“I have been experiencing stress and burnout and would like to request time off to manage my mental health.”
Approach#2 – Address the organization’s needs
“I have been struggling with personal stress. I am distracted and unfocused at work as a result of that. I need a few days off to tend to my mental health and come back ready to work.”
Approach#3 – Make it an ongoing conversation
“As I work on my stress, I will be in touch with you about what I need and how you can help. Let’s talk about a schedule of regular check-ins, and what work priorities I should keep in mind to manage my stress.”
These can help you get the conversation started on why it is important for you to take some time off and deal with the issue.
2. Pick the right time
Discussing your woes with the boss in the middle of a busy workday is not the best way to approach the issue. You should look for a less hectic and happier moment to share how work stress and anxiety are impacting your workplace performance. There are employees who feel more comfortable trying to contact through email or text.
3. Start the conversation
After deciding what and what not to share, set up a time for a one-to-one chat with HR or the manager. Ask for more time if you think the issue is big enough so the conversation does not get cut short. Share how work stress and anxiety are impacting your workplace productivity and causing further mental health issues. Ask for additional resources that can help you deal with the issue.
Conclusion
Feeling stressed out or anxious is pretty common in the workplace. It does not mean you should normalize the impact that works stress and anxiety have on your life. Everyone should be able to remain productive without having to resort to medications to deal with everyday challenges at work. It is why you should prioritize your mental and physical health and take the necessary measures before they get out of hand.
FAQs
1. Can a stressful job cause anxiety?
Yes! If you work in an industry like healthcare, which often has a high-pressure environment and requires quick decision-making skills, it can lead to anxiety.
2. Should I quit my job because of anxiety?
Quitting your job due to anxiety should be the last resort. Inform your manager or the HR department about how anxiety is impacting your ability to be productive at work.
3. What to do when your job is affecting your mental health?
Share your concerns with the management. Be open and candid about how it is impacting your everyday work and what you need or they need to do to resolve it.
4. What are the red flags to leaving your job?
Some of the red flags to leaving a job include the job taking a toll on your health, bad personal relationships, unnecessary burnout, unsafe work environment, and a toxic workplace.
5. How to get time off work for stress and anxiety?
Visit a doctor and get it diagnosed, inform your employer of the same, and explain how it impacts your work performance. Ask for some time off work to deal with it.
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