Work-related stressors: types, classification and examples

Different ways in which stress appears in the work context and wears down our health.

What is work stress and in what types can it be expressed? It is necessary to begin this article by warning that it will be impossible to list each and every one of the causes that can make a worker feel stress, so, necessarily, it will be necessary to group them together and, therefore, simplify the problem.

It is also essential to draw a line between one-off stress levels and those sustained over time.. It is normal to experience some stress from time to time; it helps us to get our work done. Here we will talk about situations of sustained stress, those that overwhelm the worker's ability to feel control over the task, over the work environment or over their own emotions.

The occurrence of occupational stress

Roughly speaking, a worker will feel job stress when he or she perceives that there is a mismatch between his or her resources and the demands of the environment. Optimally, there should be a fit between the person and the environment, but when this fit does not occur, stressful situations are generated. Rather, stress will occur when the person is aware that there is no such adjustment because either the demands or the working conditions exceed his or her capacity for resistance.

Excessive workload, lack of control over work, inadequate rewardsThe list can be endless and each employee may have circumstances that are a source of stress, such as role ambiguity, a toxic boss, fussy colleagues, crazy schedules, boredom, the feeling of injustice, stiffness or lack of professional development, tasks with impossible deadlines, the emotional demands of the job, one's own capabilities....

The list can be endless and each employee may have circumstances that are a source of stress. Sometimes you may not even be able to identify them specifically. So where do we start?

Types of work stressors

A first way to identify stressors can be to classify them into three groups: those related to the specific job, those related to the organization and those related to the individual.. Other factors, perhaps more remote, can also be included, which have more to do with the political/economic/legal/cultural framework of work dynamics.

This "magma" on which organizations and workers themselves are based is undergoing slow but profound changes that condition many of the "precipitating" factors of stress.

Organizational stressors (poor work design or inadequate work environment)

In this first category of work stressors we find, fundamentally, the following problems.

1. Conflict and/or role ambiguity

In office workers this is one of the main stress factors associated with the job. It occurs when the worker does not really know what is expected of him or is not clear about his objectives or responsibilities. He receives contradictory orders, does not know where the limits of the task are or on what basis his work is judged. This is a a typical problem in large, unstructured organizations..

2. Role overload

It is also caused by a poor distribution of work. The employee is given more responsibilities than he/she is capable of assuming, whether due to time, training or hierarchy. There is also "role underloading", when the worker's capabilities are underestimated and they are assigned work that is not commensurate with their training or skills.

3. Communication problems and interdepartmental conflicts

Conflict between departments due to contradictory objectives between them, to an imbalance of power between them or to a deficient type of communication.

4. Insufficient career and development plans

People aspire to improve themselves and expect their companies to help them do so through training and professional development. If the company is not able to meet career expectations, this can lead to deep dissatisfaction. can lead to deep employee dissatisfaction. The problem can be aggravated if the company had previously nurtured these expectations.

5. Organizational Structure

If the company or organization is highly hierarchical, it is likely that decisions do not reach lower levels and that top-down communication is poor. communication from the top down is likely to be poor.. This is a source of dissatisfaction and stress.

6. Work climate

Tension within the organization, excessive control over workers and conflictive relationships increase stress among workers and can ultimately lead to extreme situations of aggression (mobbing or harassment) or emotional exhaustion (burnout). Both have a lot to do with the organizational climate and culture, although in the case of mobbing, it is more common in the workplace.In the case of mobbing, the presence of an aggressor or "bully" is also necessary.

7. The location of the company itself and its design or the services offered to the worker.

For example, a workplace that is far from home or the lack of services such as parking, cafeteria, etc. can lead to longer working hours or having to invest time off to compensate for some of these deficiencies.

Associated with the workplace

In this category we find the following types of work-related stressors.

1. Job insecurity

Precarious and temporary work is a source of pressure and stress.

2. Mental workload required to perform the task

If the task requires sustained attention or mental effort.

3. Control over the task

This is one of the variables most associated with work stress in many of the studies carried out. It occurs when the worker does not have control over the tasks to be performed and/or cannot organize his or her agenda or work content because it depends on third parties or situations beyond his or her ability to maneuver.

4. Variety and complexity of the task

If the task is too monotonous or too complex it will produce stress.

5. Identity and coherence of the task within the organization

The employee must know what his individual -or group- impact is within the context of the organization. If the employee has the feeling that his or her work is useless, not visible or dispensable, he or she will experience frustration. he/she will experience frustration.

6. Intra-departmental relationships

In the same way as interdepartmental relations, poor relations with close co-workers will cause stress and can lead to other more serious problems. can lead to other more acute problems..

7. Physical conditions of the workplace

Factors such as poor lighting, excessive noise, temperature, humidity, pollution, etc., would enter here.

8. Material conditions of the workplace

Not having the right equipment (computers that are too slow, machinery that does not work properly, etc.) can also generate moments of continuous stress.

9. Physical risks of the workplace

This would include all those that can cause musculoskeletal damage; long days standing without the possibility of moving or sitting, carrying weight, forced postures, handling hazardous and/or toxic materials, rigid positions when using the computer, physical and visual fatigue, etc.

10. Shift and night shifts

They entail a significant impact and disorder at a physical and psychological level.

11. Work remuneration linked to objectives

If the objectives are very high, they can produce either stress or idleness (if you are not able to achieve them).

12. Schedules, breaks and vacations

Very long working hours and/or accumulation of long working hours for weeks at a time.not taking breaks between tasks, etc.

Related to the person

We said at the beginning that stress occurred when the person felt a mismatch between the demands of the environment and his or her own capabilities. Therefore, the worker's personality plays an important role in assessing the threat. Some personality traits can feed or lessen the feeling of stress and influence our coping strategies.

Emotional control

Some people manage to maintain great control over their emotions and are able to adapt them to the moment and situation. Both positive and negative emotions are part of life and work. It is important to deal with them adequately and maintain a balanceIt is important to deal with them properly and maintain a balance, neither overreacting to negative emotions nor denying them.

2. Emotional empathy

In the same way that we must know how to manage our own emotions, it is important to recognize the emotions of others and know how to empathize with them. This will facilitate good relationships with peers and provide the individual with "social supports" within the organization. Social support has been consistently related to a lower experience of stress.

3. Self-motivation ability

It is achieved through intrinsic motivation, the feeling that one's work has "meaning", the perception of self-efficacy in the assigned task and the recognition of others. Motivation is also a stress buffer.

4. The degree of tenacity

Understood as the ability to self-empower oneself, reliability, systematic and orderly approach to tasks has been consistently associated with job satisfaction and lower stress levels. However, perfectionism and the degree of self-demand to oneself are personality traits strongly associated with experiencing stress.

5. Emotional stability

The emotional stability of the employee will greatly influence his or her mood and perception of stress. If the employee is going through unstable times in other aspects of his or her life, this will also affect his or her stress level at work.

6. Eating, sleeping and exercising

Healthy lifestyle habits increases the chances of stress management.

Factors related to the political and social framework.

Few human realities have changed as much since the dawn of time as labor relations. Change is the norm and the magnitude of change in this area has been colossal. Not so long ago, one aspired to a stable job for life.. Today this is more of a rare exception more linked to the administration than to private companies. The massive incorporation of women into the labor force, which began in the middle of the last century, the strength of developing economies, mainly in Asia, which have profoundly modified the industrial fabric on a global scale, etc.

In the last twenty years, other trends have had a strong impact on how we relate to our work and to the way in which we work. how we relate to our work and to the companies that employ us.. We can point to a few of them:

• Jobs have become insecure and Temporary contract types are imposed.
• Overtime has progressively increased. Normally without financial compensation.
• Variables linked to productivity and ratios have been introduced that demand better results from workers year after year.
• Middle and upper management workers in companies, whose jobs were relatively more stable at the end of the 20th century, are experiencing more job insecurity, are experiencing more job insecurity.
• The global crisis that began in 2007 has contributed to the destruction of many jobs and the precariousness of others.
• Social networks (extended family, social security), traditionally protective of the worker, are disappearing.
• Individualism, labor mobility and the lifestyle of the big cities make the worker more isolated.
• Some types of work are changing profoundly as a result of the introduction of new technologies.

In short, jobs have become more insecure, jobs have become more insecure while workers are more vulnerable.. The level of demand has risen and social supports tend to decrease. These circumstances may explain why in some industrialized countries stress has replaced muscular problems as the leading cause of sick leave.