Four Stressors That Affect Employee Performance
Stress is a natural part of any job, but there are various ways to manage it. Although, you can only control stressors that are within your personal control, such as those that involve changing the way you think, feel, and react to your environment. For stressors that are simply beyond your command, you can minimise their effects up to a certain extent. Unless you take higher precautions, like urging company leaders to settle the issue from its core, the stressor will persist and will likely cause long-term effects on your mental health and work performance.
Let’s look at some examples of these stresses.
Office politics. Politics is beneficial to the organisation if it involves using influence and professional relationships to effect positive change. However, when it becomes an elaborate scheme to forward selfish interests and undermine others, it will compromise employee morale and mental health. When employees see that they are not granted the same opportunities as their colleagues, they would less likely feel motivated to perform well.
Bullying. Commonly characterised by unfair criticisms, snide remarks, and baseless allegations, bullying is no doubt threatening to our mental peace and safety. We often turn to our colleagues for social support and resources to cope with stress better, so to experience intimidation from them is inconsistent with the narrative that we should feel comfort and safety in their presence. Can you imagine coming to work every day fearing that at any given moment, you will hear unwarranted attacks against your personality? That must be very stressful.
Organisational fit. Your skills may match your job well, but unless your values do too, you will feel stressed and distressed. If you are some who values your creativity yet organisation thrives on routines and severely structured systems, you will easily find your job draining and demotivating. Perhaps, one way to avoid this kind of misfit is for employers to assign equal importance to attitudes and values as with skills, knowledge, and abilities. The goal of hiring must not be limited to whether an applicant can get work done. It should also consider whether the applicant can do so with passion and enthusiasm.
Poor working conditions. Work performance does not solely depend on ability and skill. Environmental factors such as light, noise, temperature, and smell also have a role to play in an employee’s overall productivity. Without control or protective measures, the discomfort and distraction brought by these elements could also increase and prolong stress, ultimately compromising employees’ health and safety.
Stress management techniques are necessary, but these can only do so much if the social and environmental conditions where the employee operates aren’t optimal for topnotch performance. As an employer and business owner, you are responsible for minimising discomfort and improving the overall experience of your workforce. Sure, stress is inevitable and pervasive, but it always won’t hurt to perform due diligence– assess risks, conduct skills training, review work health and safety laws, and more importantly, consult your workers. They’ll point you in the right direction
