If work is stressing you out you are not alone. Work stress is a challenge for
and a threat to the health of both workers and organizations. As the nature of
work and work environments change, so do the kinds of stress problems that
employees face. And work organization plays a significant role in work stress.
People may experience work-related stress when their job demands and pressures
are not matched to their knowledge and abilities, and they have a low amount of
control over meeting these demands.

Stress is often made worse when employees feel they don't have support from
supervisors and coworkers. Some pressure at work is unavoidable and may even
keep workers alert and motivated. However, when that pressure becomes excessive
or unmanageable it leads to too much stress, which can harm workers' health and
the performance of the organization. The more control workers have over their
work and the way they do it, and the more they participate in decisions that
concern their jobs, the less likely they are to experience work stress. Most of
the causes of work stress are related to the way jobs are designed and the way
organizations are managed. Because these aspects of work can potentially cause
harm, they are called 'stress-related hazards'.

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) has published a
new website describing

• Stress-related hazards


• Effects of work stress


• What employers can do to help


• Well-designed work.

More info

AplusA-online.de - Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety