1. Define Job Stress, Burnout and Depression.
Job stress is a type of stress that is work-related. The pressure at work, the challenges and the obstacles that are facing employees each day can result to negative physical and physiological responses.
Burnout is a term used to describe the onset of exhaustion after experiencing long-term stress. This results from being constantly exposed to stressors at work without getting the system a chance to fully recover from adrenaline surges.
Depression is characterized by low mood, lack of interest in usual things that excites the person, and lesser capacity to experience pleasure. This condition is not alarming when it’s not pervasive, otherwise, it becomes a psychiatric problem that needs professional attention. Depression can have serious effects on a person’s personal life and work.
2. Explain how you would reduce stress at work.
Stress impacts our thoughts, emotions, and behavior in a number of ways. In the workplace, stress makes a person less productive and difficult to deal with. In order to reduce stress at work, a person has to recognize when he or she is experiencing it. Some of the symptoms and signs of stress are lack of focus, moodiness, depression, and muscle tension, among others.
Once a person accepts that he is experiencing stress, the next step is for him to identify what are stressing him at work. By knowing the stressors, it will be easier for the person to deal with them. For instance, if an employee doesn’t like his job anymore, he can began scouting for other job opportunities in other companies.
In most cases, however, a person does not really know what’s stressing him at work. With all the things he needs to face in the office, it would be confusing for him to exactly point out what are causing him stress. If this were the case, the first thing that the worker needs to do is to take a break and stop working for a few days. Distancing himself from the entire organization will give him a breathing space and a chance to slow down. Vacationing to a warm place where there is sand and sea often does wonder to a tired mind and body.
3. Why you believe this approach would be successful.
I believe that taking a long vacation would be successful because many people I have talked to have done this. They always make it a point to go away for a few days every year in order to de-stress and slow down. After the vacation, the employee is normally back to his old self, ready to face the daily grind at work.
If a person who is constantly stressed at work does not give himself the chance to recover, the most likely thing that will happen to him is to feel burnout in the long run. Rest and relaxation ensures that a person’s mind and body will experience rejuvenation before joining the rat race once more.
On another note, when stressors are identified and dealt with, the employee’s worries and concerns would probably be over. Say for example that an employee’s co-worker is harassing him. This attitude is causing the person stress. So long as he doesn’t do anything about it, he would continue to feel violated by the harassment he is receiving. If he brings it out in the open and talks to the right persons, then the harassment would stop and the harassed person will be able to work more comfortably.
References
Depression.com Home Page. Retrieved April 15, 2008, from http://www.depression.com/
“Preventing Burnout: Signs, Symptoms, and Strategies to Avoid It.” Helpguide.org Home Page.
Retrieved April 15, 2008, from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/burnout_signs_symptoms.htm
“Understanding Stress: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Effects.” Helpguide.org Home Page.
Retrieved April 15, 2008, from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm
