Identifying Work-Related Stress
There are many sources of work-related stress.
In public safety and healthcare fields, decades of research have shown that organizational components can impact the mental health of employees [Brown et al., 1999; Carlton et al., 2017; Casas et al., 2021; Doyle et al., 2021; Paton et al., 2009; & Van fer Velden et al., 2013].
Generally, research shows that employees identify routine, administrative, and bureaucratic stressors as AT LEAST AS STRESSFUL as some of the other low-frequency, yet high-danger events on the job (i.e., critical or major incidents). These routine stressors include:
changes in administrative policy and procedure.
lack of support and resources, including poor communication, oversight, and ability to receive adequate training.
work overload and understaffing—which create a toxic cycle of increased demands on the employee without sufficient support and recovery time.
lack of autonomy and ability to be a part of decision-making that impacts their job position.
Being able to identify sources of work-related stress is important because organizational stress is linked to both frustration, anger, and burnout, all modifiable and preventable mental health consequences.
If you are experiencing any of these work-related stressors and want to get ahead of the burnout curve, contact us at The Ridge today.
-Dr. Jena Casas, Ph.D.
