In Australia, more than $133.9 million was paid in benefits to workers who had made claims related to workplace stress during the 2004/2005 financial year. According to the National Health and Safety Commission, work-related stress accounts for the longest stretches of absenteeism.

Pressure is part of work and keeps us motivated and productive. But too much pressure, or pressure that lasts for a long time, can lead to stress, which undermines performance, is costly to employers, and can damage both physical and mental health.

Common causes of work-related stress include too much or too little work, lack of control over the work being done, eg process or target-led tasks, conflicting priorities and major change. Other sources of work-related stress include conflict with co-workers or bosses, constant change, and threats to job security, such as potential redundancy.

Symptoms

Symptoms of work-related stress can be physical, psychological and behavioural.

Some physical symptoms include:

• Fatigue
• Muscular tension
• Headache
• Sleeping difficulties

Some psychological symptoms include:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Feeling of being over-whelmed
• Reduced ability to concentrate or make decisions

Some behavioural symptoms include:

• Mood swings
• Drop in work performance
• Disinterest

Causes

Some causes of work-related stress include:

• Long hours
• Heavy workload
• Boring work
• Tight deadlines
• Few promotional opportunities

What do I have to do?

There are a number of ways that you can help yourself, including:

• Talk over your concerns with your manager.
• Make sure you are well organised. Schedule the most difficult tasks of each day for times when you are fresh.
• Take care of yourself by having a healthy diet.
• Make sure you have enough free time to yourself every week.
• Don’t take out your stress on your loved ones. Instead, tell them about your work problems and ask for their support and suggestions.

At Occuhealth, our professional medical staff are available at both of our Belmont and Mandurah locations.