JOB STRESS AND BURNOUT

Introduction

Stress can be regarded as the interaction of the demands and the burdens that emanate from the environment and affect an individual. If these effects affect workers, then this becomes job stress. Excess job stress then results to job burnout. There are various causes of job stress which include work related causes. These are factors that specifically emanate from the job itself. For instance, a social worker with a big work load is likely to be stressed. This is because the excessive workload may be beyond his/her ability yet their supervisor expects the work to be done. Since deadlines are set, the overwhelming thought that one may not complete the workload on time and the fear of doing substandard work in the run to meet the deadline may result to job stress. A social worker may have job stress due to tiresome work or work with little meaning. Every employee endeavors to see the impact of their work on their organization. If the employee is allocated a monotonous job that tires them with no tangible results, then the worker may suffer from job stress.

Another cause of job stress is lack of breaks or inadequate breaks. When a social worker works for long hours without taking a rest, then the accumulated exhaustion may result to job stress. Employees need frequent breaks for them to relax, refresh and rejuvenate their energy to enable them tackle various phases of jobs. Another cause of job stress is working the social worker for long hours while paying them lowly. Employees expect extra motivation for extra work. When the normal working hours set out for a certain job lapses, the employee expects to be paid extra money for every extra minute worked. Finally, unreasonable demands on performance of a social worker by the supervisor may result to job stress. According to Primm (2005, p 449), the need for greater production resulting from increased competition may result to employee stress. Moreover, if the boss or even the immediate supervisor demands unfeasible results that a worker is not able to attain, then this results in job stress. Every employee has certain ability and demanding for results that they cannot meet only makes them experience job burnout.

Immediate physical environment of the social worker is another major cause of job stress and burnout. These include overcrowding, where the worker’s working environment has too many people or the environment has so many disrupters, for example machines or products that are disorganized. Physical noise is also a cause of job stress. When the working environment has noise pollution, for instance from nearby churches that play loud music, heavy machines or even supervisors who shout at workers when giving orders may result in job stress and burn out. Moreover, polluted air is also a source of job stress. When the employee cannot breathe fresh air due to too much dust or smoke, then the employee feels distracted and may suffer from job stress. Bad smelling toilets or sewage and garbage may also result in job stress. Finally, another physical cause of stress is safety and health risks. If the social worker works in an environment that has un-railed stair cases, a faulty lift or even dangerous machines and chemicals, then they are likely to suffer from job stress and burnout. This results from the increased anxiety and the fear of the unknown.

Another cause of job stress is organizational practices. These may include unclear job demands where the worker does not know the exact expectations of their job, having many supervisors who give different directions and have different expectations in different time, poor communication where there is no information clarity from the supervisors and from the social workers themselves.

Fear of career disruptions is another cause of job stress. These include increased job turnovers where the immediate colleagues move to other jobs leaving one questioning the cause, demotion where one is removed from a senior position to a lower one, promotion to a position that one is not ready to serve in and whose expectations are above one’s ability. Finally, another cause of job stress and burnout is interpersonal affairs. These include supervisors who are poor in communication, subordinates who perform poorly below expectations making one fear being compromised by the supervisor, harassment from workmates and supervisors and lack of time to spend with one’s family where one is expected to be on job all the time making them abandon their family life. According to Jacobs & Gerson (2004, p 46), lack of a balance between an employee’s work and family results in job stress.

Prevention of job stress and burnout

As a social worker, if I were in management position I would do the following to reduce job stress and burnout: making sure that the workload for every social worker is in line with their specific abilities. This will ensure that the workers are able to handle their jobs in time. I would also ensure that every employee understands his/her job description and that the jobs are specified and their responsibilities outlined. This will reduce chances of confusion and double expectations. I would also give all the social workers an opportunity to take part in major decision making especially on matters that affect them. This will make them own the process hence reduce their stress. I would also eliminate any form of harassment and discrimination of employees by their colleagues and supervisors through the introduction of punishment for those that indulge in this vice. Work place bullying is an eminent cause of job stress that is mostly covered by the top management Rhodes, et.al, (2010, p 96). I would also use the open door policy where workers report directly to their supervisors or managers about any stresses that affect them in job. This will enable them vent their stress and prevent the impact of full brown job stress. I would also install a leadership that is all inclusive and that involve peer counselors from among the employees. Finally, I would ensure that the employees are affirmed of their job security and the regulations of the organization are well understood by every one of them.

References

Jacobs, J. A, & Gerson, K. (2004). The time divide: Work, family, and gender inequality. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Primm, D. (2005).”What Workplace Stress Research is Telling Technical communication?” Technical Communication 52(2005)449-455

Rhodes, C. R., Pullen, A. P., Margaret, H. M., Clegg, S. R. C., & Pitsis, A. P. (2010). Violence and workplace bullying: What are an organizational ethical responsibilities? 32(1), 96-115.