Pressure is mounting. Your workload is increasing. You need a break but there’s too much to do and think about. How does stress affect you at work and do you notice when you feel it? Let’s explore the causes of stress in the workplace.

Stress makes us feel lousy. It puts a strain on what we do, how we interact and how we conduct ourselves. We all want to be our best selves and work in a way that makes up feel good. So what causes us to become stressed? This is important to consider to maintain a healthy mind and do what we can to minimise stressors. The CIPD cites stress as one of the top three causes of short and long-term absence from work so we should also bear in mind how it affects not only our mental health but also our physical and general wellbeing.

For now, let’s look at sources of stress at work.

Causes of stress at work

Many things can cause us stress at work; the work itself, the people, the environment, the list goes on but what exactly pushes our buttons in the workplace. Let’s review:

1. Heavy workloads

In a survey conducted by the CIPD, 60% of respondents reported that a heavy workload is a top cause of stress. This is no surprise. When you’ve got too much to do and the volume of work is always on the rise, it’s difficult to focus on the task you’re doing without keeping an eye on the other things on your list. It can also be demoralising when you feel like you’re making little progress because your mountain of work keeps getting higher and higher. In another blog about increasing productivity, I mentioned delegating work to others to free up time and headspace. I can’t help recommending this again. If there’s a task that someone else can do, pass it on and save yourself the trouble. Prioritise the things that will make a real impact and do the things you enjoy the most where possible.

2. Lack of time

When the clock is against you and you’re doing your best to keep up with everything, a lack of time is a common cause of stress. It goes hand in hand with a heavy workload because you’ll have too much to do and not enough time to do it. When time is short you need to prioritise. Work will need to be organised by urgency, impact on the business and how long it takes to complete the task. If you’re constantly finding there aren’t enough hours in the day to finish your work, use additional resources to divide and conquer. That’s where someone like me comes in; if you know you’ve got to do marketing, for example, because you’re looking to grow your business, strengthen your brand or promote a new product, let me use my expertise so you can get back to yours. (See more about my services)

3. Isolation at work

It’s lonely at the top. When you’re running a business, trying to keep your team happy and juggling so many plates, sometimes it can feel like no one has your back. An Occupational and Environmental Medicine (OEM) study lists relationships at work as both a source and antidote of stress; depending on the nature of the relationships you have with your colleagues it can strengthen or impede your ability to do your best work. If you feel like you’re constantly putting out fires and no one sees things from your point of view, stress will rear its ugly head. You need a team you can rely on, who work in unison to reach shared goals, and help out as and when it’s needed. Together you can make greater progress.

4. Long hours

When you’ve got too much to do and there aren’t enough hours in the day, you find the time to do what needs to be done, and it’s usually in your own time. We’ve all burnt the midnight oil and there’s a time and place for everything but when it becomes too frequent and you’re not doing the things you love outside of work to recharge and relax, herein lies the problem. Working long hours at work is another source of stress, according to OEM research. You need a balance, or better yet, a work/life flywheel. When you’re energised in both your personal and work life it propels you to do more in each area, but when you’re stressed, tired and irritable you’ll feel like you’ve got little energy for anything.

5. Pressure to meet targets and/or deadlines

Deadlines and targets are useful, it gives us something to aim for and achieve. We need boundaries and motivators to push us in the right direction. If we had unlimited time, projects always went to plan and nothing unexpected ever happened, deadlines and targets would be a breeze. Life doesn’t work this way, there’s always pressure, limitations, changes and compromises we need to make to meet them. It’s just the way it works when you can’t see into the future. In a survey conducted by the CIPD, pressure to meet targets and/or deadlines were recognised as a cause of stress by 23% of respondents. How much pressure is there on you to meet your deadlines or targets and how easily can you meet them?

The cost of stress

Data from the Stress Management Society notes that in the UK over 12.5 million working days are lost every year due to stress, which equates to about a £12 billion cost to UK industry each year. Health and Safety Executive statistics, on the other hand, reveal that there are 15.4 million working days lost due to stress, anxiety or depression, which is estimated to cost £5.2 billion to industry, individuals and the government. These are huge numbers no matter which way you look at it. Are you aware of when you’re feeling stressed? Do you know how it affects you and how to calm yourself down?

When I’ve got a lot going on and feel stressed, I can’t concentrate or focus my mind on what I’m doing. I try but when my mind is distracted by other things it’s impossible to get anything done, at least not to the standard I’d like or expect. (Take a look at my other blog on distractions) You can make progress but there will most likely be space to improve the quality of the work, which takes time. Things often feel more difficult than they are when you’re stressed too. Things become difficult or seemingly impossible but if you change your mindset, take some time for yourself and reset you’ll be able to find the motivation and energy you need.

It’s impossible to avoid all workplace stress, it comes with the territory and a little stress can sometimes be helpful. At times it will present us with moments that push us in the right direction and allow us to reach heights we’d never have imagined otherwise, but when stress is constant and we don’t feel happy at work or at home something needs to change. Where possible, we should minimise these stressors and seek more constructive ways to manage it.

Stress manifests in all kinds of ways, people have told me about physical symptoms they believe are caused by other things, but when you really listen to their story you can’t help notice that their physical symptoms started at or around the time a major life change occurred. The physical symptoms are real. It’s not to say that they shouldn’t be thoroughly investigated but it demonstrates the power of the mind and how it can affect us in ways we may not be aware of.

Ways to de-stress

I’m such an advocate of meditating. I know it’s not for everyone and I don’t always stick to my practice either, but we have so much input from people, technology, work etc. sometimes we just need a little space to be still and quiet. Take a moment now to stop. Take a deep breath and just breathe. I recommend Headspace if you want an accessible way to start meditating.

How stressed have you felt recently? How does stress affect you? What do you do to feel calmer and how do you know when you’re stressed? I know it’s personal but I’d really like to know how stress affects you and your work. A lot of us are in the same boat and doing our best to juggle everything that life throws at us. Please leave me your comments and share this blog.

Stress cost the UK £12 billion each year. Learn 5 causes of stress in the workplace