Stress is described as the reaction in people to excessive demands, pressures and expectations. All of our jobs bring responsibilities, problems, demands and pressures. In most cases they are unavoidable. We must assume that some amount of pressure is normal.

Not all pressure is negative. Some people are motivated by challenges and difficulties we experience at work. However, our ability to deal with pressures is not limitless. When it is excessive and unending it can become harmful. Our performance can drop, inefficiencies can occur and our health can decline.

Because each of us is different, it is difficult to pinpoint specific workplace activities that are likely to cause stress. What may be a challenge to one person may be an impossible task or boring and repetitious task to another. A death or sickness in the family, a temporary setback or other personal problem can also influence the way we cope with the pressures of work.

Effects of excessive stress can be physical and psychological. Physical effects may include increased heart rate, headache, blurred vision, dizziness, neck and shoulder muscle aches, etc. Behavioral effects may include increased anxiety and irritability, "flying off the handle," restless sleep and poor concentration. When relief from a stressful state is not available or is of short duration before the next occurrence, the body has no time to repair and the stress can become long lasting and more serious.

Levels of stress likely to become harmful occur when there are prolonged or increased pressures without relief, thus producing a sense of powerlessness over the demands being made. In turn, this causes a series of conflicting demands without easy resolution, and organizational change that may impact individuals. These can be made worse if there is bullying, conflict, harassment, and indifference to staff needs. Additionally, when the organization lacks leadership, work arrangements, deadlines and demands are set without consultation and seem to be inflexible, this leads to a high degree of uncertainty about direction, purpose, objective and job responsibilities among staff members.

Evidence of work-related stress may involve: 1) Performance at work (e.g., a decline in productivity with no obvious reason, increase in errors, deadlines not met, and poor decision-making); 2) Employee morale (e.g., motivation decreases, and an increase in time at work does not improve results); 3) Relationships at work (e.g., tension between colleagues increases) and 4) Sickness/Absenteeism (e.g., increase in illnesses, increase in number of breaks from work, and more frequent tardiness and early departures from work).

In summary, management can help to reduce or remove stress by providing: 1) Effective two way communication between managers and staff; 2) Well-defined tasks with clear responsibilities and authority with adequate relief if the job is excessively boring or tedious; 3) Challenging but achievable targets; 4) Flexible work schedules that are planned and agreed on; 5) Negotiations when needed; 6) Equitable treatment of staff; and 7) Positive feedback when appropriate.

There will always be times when our workplaces may be stressful. However, creating a more relaxed workforce will help to ensure that a crisis is met with calm competence and without disaster. The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) available through the Health Center provides confidential, professional assistance to resolve work related problems and thus may help in stress related issues.

A special thank you goes to Barbara Brown, Sr. Research Scientist in the Department of Microbiology for her helpful comments.