Karoly Soos and John Villiers
We want everyone both the hierarchy and our peer to recognize and address the issues arising from stress in the workplace. We need to be able to identify the main driving factors and to prevent stress before the situation leads to problems with physical and mental well-being and a decrease in job performance.
As a former EEAS Mediator indicated: “there are too many colleagues that are stressed, anxious, angry or feeling unjustly treated. There is a lot of suffering, much of it preventable". As well as the impact on individuals, stress also affects the overall functioning of an organisation. According to an ILO/WHO factsheet, an estimated 12 billion workdays are lost annually due to depression and anxiety costing the global economy nearly US$ one trillion dollars[1]. When applied to EU Delegations, stress among staff potentially affects the results of the EUs political, economic and development objectives and lowers morale in general.
USHU promotes and fully supports institutional change to alleviate stress in the workplace and to promote a culture of better management with more empathy and cultural understanding so that colleagues feel comfortable and perform better.
Work-related stress occurs when the demands of the job exceed the staff’s ability to cope with them. A poor psychosocial work environment can have significant negative effects on a colleague’s well-being. Symptoms include burnout, difficulty in concentrating, making more errors, problems at home, drug and alcohol abuse, poor physical health, in particularly cardiovascular disease and musculoskeletal problems.
These negative effects lead to worse business performance, increased absenteeism and presenteeism (staff turning up for work when sick and unable to function effectively).
Staff experiencing prolonged stress at work may go on to suffer serious mental and physical health problems so clearly awareness and prevention is critical to avoid an escalation in problems.
Psychosocial problems linked to poor management and a negative working environment are often triggered by a combination of the following :
Little or no appreciation for a job well done; credit being awarded to the hierarchy instead of the individual
excessive work demands with unreasonable timetables to complete tasks;
conflicting demands and lack of clarity over the staff member’s role;
mismatch between the demands of the job and the individuals competency — underutilising an individual’s skills can be a source of stress just as much as overstretching them;
lack of involvement in making decisions and a lack of influence over the way work is carried out;
lack of support from management and colleagues, poor interpersonal relationships;
psychological or sexual harassment in the workplace — victimisation, humiliation, undermining or threatening behaviour of supervisors or colleagues;
an unfair distribution of work, rewards, promotions or career opportunities;
ineffective communication, poorly managed organisational change and job insecurity;
difficulty in combining work and personal commitments
 | RESPECT REDUCES PROBLEMS IN THE WORKPLACE. Line managers should act as leaders rather than ‘bosses’. Emotional intelligence is critical in the work place. It is paramount to display empathy, trust and to express genuine appreciation on a regular basis. Management is responsible for implementing a plan to prevent/reduce psychosocial risks. By being approachable, sensitive and promoting a supportive workplace environment, staff can safely raise issues with managers and propose solutions. An understanding of staff difficulties outside the workplace will also help to foster a supportive working environment, as well as creating opportunities for social interaction outside work. |
 | Good leadership can help to reduce work-related stress and psychosocial risks. Like other skills, good leadership and people management skills can be learned and developed. A good leader is a role model who inspires workers and motivates them to fulfil their potential. He or she is open, approachable and understands the strengths and weaknesses of each team member. A good leader challenges and encourages team members to work towards shared goals for the greater good and take responsibility for their work. Fostering a team spirit produces high morale and produces results. |
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