Study points to main sources of stress at work

Job pressures and lack of organisational support are the major sources of stress in the Maltese workplace, according to a study conducted by Claudine Camilleri.

The study, conducted as part of Ms Camilleri's MSc in the psychology of work at the University of Leicester, showed that the person's occupational level seemed to have a stronger impact on work-related stress than gender.

"The results of my study clearly demonstrate that employees working at higher occupational levels generally reported experiencing both greater severity and frequency of job stress than employees working in lower status occupations," she said.

In her dissertation, Ms Camilleri focused on the differences in work stressors related to gender and occupational level in a Maltese context.

Her study attempted to examine the antecedents of job stress among Maltese male and female employees in managerial/professional and lower occupational levels in the business, industry and academic setting.

The three particular occupational stressors, which emerged from among the employees sampled, were frequent interruptions, working overtime and meeting deadlines.

Ms Camilleri said it was interesting to note that periods of inactivity was ranked as the least stressful aspect of the workplace.

"Perhaps this indicates that periods of inactivity are appreciated by employees. One interpretation could be that the majority of respondents in this survey felt they were often too hard at work and would welcome short lulls in an otherwise strenuous routine," she pointed out.

In a new European context, Maltese employers had, now more than ever, a legal duty to draw up and observe health and safety procedures at the workplace to reduce stress levels.

"Undoubtedly, there are several job conditions that negatively affect psychological well-being and physical health, so it was useful to try and discover the working conditions most likely to adversely effect workers," she said.

"It is in the interest of Maltese organisations to analyse job stress characteristics and to formulate appropriate long-term strategies rather than focus solely on stress management and employee assistance programmes that may otherwise prove too costly and unsuccessful."

Stress on the place of work should be taken very seriously because it costs the employer dearly. Recent research has estimated that up to 40 million workers in the EU suffer from work-related stress, costing member states up to €20 billion in lost time and health costs.

Ms Camilleri said that workload stressors could be adjusted by redesigning the job such as reallocating tasks, revising he workload and addressing employee training.

"There is also constant evidence to suggest that employees with more support experience lower levels of emotional exhaustion, psychological strain and burnout," she said.

"Greater awareness on work-related stress should hopefully continue to lead to more practical and promising efforts to control and reduce the debilitating effects of stress on the place of work."

Coping with work-related stress

According to the Wellness Centre, in the US, the strategy to relieving stress is to prevent it before it develops. In a highly stressful society, learning to cope with stress was the key to preventing it and implementing the following techniques into a daily routine will help to prevent stressful situations:

¤ Get a good night's sleep to prevent exhaustion, which interferes with the body's ability to handle stress. Having a set time when you go to bed and wake up every morning is one of the best ways to improve your rest, especially when cramming for exams or working on intensive projects.

¤ Think realistically. Most stress comes not from what happens but what we are thinking about what happens. Thinking realistically about events in your life will help you deal with them more effectively.

¤ Stop your negative self-fulfilling prophecies. When you think negatively about something you increase the odds of that event happening.

¤ Take a few minutes out of every day to relax. In only five minutes a day, you can fully relax your mind and body. Take a few minutes to leave your workspace to stretch your muscles and give your mind a break. If you get relaxed you will be more ready for stimulating events.