Stress and Violence in the Workplace, Essay Example

Most times often people confuse between stress and pressure or challenge and many at times put to use that to excuse practice of bad management at the workplace. Stress at the place of work happens in endless work circumstances; however, it gets worse when the workers feel that from their supervisors or colleagues they get little support. Stress at work is the reaction individuals own when introduced with pressures and work demands not in match to their abilities and knowledge; in turn it challenges one capacity to cope (Bickford, 2005). On the other hand, workplace violence alludes to the occurrence when employees are abused, assaulted, threatened by people at their workplace or outside. This essay aims to give an analysis of factors contributing to employees stress and violence in the workplace. Besides, also expound on the legal and ethical obligations of employers to mitigating stress and violence in the workplace. Ultimately, in referring to the job as an Area Sales Manager of a New Development Real Estate Agents give suggestions to an employee on what to do to address issues of stress in the workplace.

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According to studies done workplaces are changing and approximately 80% of senior executives have the idea that workplace now is more stressful than five years ago of how it was (Bickford, 2005). Employees feeling stressed at work may be contributed from many factors, and people tend to be differently affected by stress. A point to note is that regardless of ways the pressure is noticeable within the working surroundings it can adversely affect employees' productivity. One of the major factors contributing to stress at the workplace is work demands or not having the ability to withstand job demands. There are multiple factors that trigger the ability to not being able to cope with job demands like an organization having a mismatch amidst staff skills, less staff training, and role demands or unattainable expectations or demands created upon a worker in connection to their designated roles. The other factor leading to stress at work is Technology, today most reliance within working environs is on mobile technology leading to many workers still to work outside of office hours. For instance, during their personal time is when they get the time to answer personal emails; as a result, it leaves employees with less time to rest and not to switch off even at the end of a day of working contributing to high risks of stressing. Working environments are bound to make changes at all times; however poorly communicated and managed changes impact employees' mental health leading to stress. Stress caused by change can be triggered by factors like employees lacking opportunities to influence proposals of change at an organization, employees lacking timely information and reasoning and lacking support in time of changes.

Violence at the workplace could be caused by various factors ranging from employees who are stressed out, former employees who are angered, to co-workers having conflicts thus elevating the level of a violent dispute in the office. One factor contributing to workplace violence is Companies lacking a pre-employment screening on employees. Companies have failed to do thorough testing on potential employees' background thus risk employing one who had a violent past or susceptible to violence (Mayhew & Chappell, 2005). It is evident other firms have been using psychological tests while hiring to try remove the possible violent candidates. However, the test is not substantiating thus the need for an in-depth background check. The other factor contributing to violence in the workplace is Stress, most employees get to the office with personal issues, at times causing one to snap and strike out at any person they perceive as an enemy. Employees feel at times overworked at work, and if combined with the personal issues it creates a hostile surrounding thus becoming disastrous. Violence at the workplace can also be initiated when there are no programs like Employee Assistance Programs; with such programs introduced they can come in and scatter a situation with a likely violent employee before the employee has a feasibility to react. Employees who in the last resort become violent are those with the feeling that no one is ready to address or acknowledge their desires. From an EAP initiative, employees can have another party they can talk to of possible stressors in their life thereby getting immediate help or intervention they may require before things get out of hand resulting in violence.

All employers have a legal obligation to mitigate stress and violence in the workplace as according to the Healthy and Safety at Work Act 1974 (Memish, Martin, Bartlett, Dawkins & Sanderson, 2017). The responsibility lies primarily on employers who need to address stress at the workplace by considering issues like finding if persons with often or long-term absenteeism may be due to stress at the workforce. In that, they have the legal duty to identify, pinpoint and relieve on likely stress factors. Besides employers have the legal obligation as related to the Disability Discrimination Act to gauge if there could be a possible concern around disability on their employees causing work-related stress. Alternatively, it is also a legal role for employees to ensure reports are submitted to the right personnel all times as they maintain the duty of confidentiality. Violence in the workplace may also require legal obligation of employers to mitigate it by enforcing laws in opposition to cases like assault, threatening acts or terrorism. Consequently, also an employer can introduce at the workforce administrative regulations and a considerable body of case law in connection to employee compensation and tort liability concerning the workers' role for preventing assaults to them (Schneid, 2017).

For the ethical obligations of employers to mitigate stress in the workplace, it is for the companies to ensure they have clear ethics procedures to ensure no employees struggle to keep themselves at work or who are perennial with stress. Ethical obligations of employers are to ensure the organization is lead with ethics guidance, in that the bosses are also supportive of their employers. As with no such ethically guidance, workers tend to mistrust their bosses and will usually perceive themselves as always offering manipulative orders that fail to meet the companies' goals. It is due to bad ethics whereby companies set unrealistic goals to be achieved by staffs they employ; thus they become stressed engaging in unethical acts attempting to reach the objectives set and therefore become poor performers. Besides, mitigating on stress in the workplace it is of significance employers take on an ethical duty to reduce acts of violence at the workplace. Employers can ensure they create the right surrounding for their workers because it all starts with you "the Employer." It is the boss to set the right tone for the workforce since when workers view you treating all with respect, then they will follow suit. An employer should create a comfortable place for employees who feel free to share when not comfortable. It is clear when all workers have the zeal to come to you when a problem comes up then it is sure all are going to be safe of any acts of violence whatsoever. It is an ethical duty for an employer to regularly talk to their workers even pertaining personal challenges out of the office or talk to them of any restraining order they could have against anyone at work. It is by encouraging them to speak to relevant departments like the HR that it avoids at the workplace personal attacks of violence.

In reference to the job as an Area Sales Manager of New Development Real Estate Agents, I would suggest employees address the issue of stress in the workplace by beating on pressure at work by reaching out and sharing. One can opt to turn to colleagues or even their boss at work and share as long as they listen, it is much better also if they do not help solve on the issue, it is from a sound support system that it buffers one from effects of stress at work. The other suggestion would be for employees to be organized and prioritize by incorporating time management tips like planning frequent breaks, establish a balanced schedule and do not over commit yourself to reduce on job stress since at times work in the office can be overwhelming (Siu, 2017). Employees can also:

Find meaning in their work to avoid stress, and always should look out for satisfaction

Be proactive in their workplace obligations

Cut on bad habits like resisting perfectionism or trying to controlling the uncontrollable since that adds up to workplace stress

Conclusion

At some point anyone who has held a job at some point has felt the pressures there are resulting in stress at work or even acts of violence. The factors contributing to stress vary differently in every person for others; it could be due to excess workloads, workers failing to have opportunities for advancement or growth or employers giving unclear performance expectations to employees. For violence in the workplace, factors could be due to lack of EAP programs or employers not undertaking a thorough pre-employment screening of workers background. Stress and violence in the workplace, therefore, calls for legal and ethical obligations of employers to act thus mitigate stress and violence. Ultimately, there are various suggestions employees can partake to deal with stress issues at work.

References

Bickford, M. (2005). Stress in the Workplace: A General Overview of the Causes, the Effects, and the Solutions. Canadian Mental Health Association Newfoundland and Labrador Division, 8(1), 1-3.

Mayhew, C., & Chappell, D. (2005). Violence in the workplace. Medical journal of Australia, 183(7), 346.

Memish, K., Martin, A., Bartlett, L., Dawkins, S., & Sanderson, K. (2017). Workplace mental health: An international review of guidelines. Preventive Medicine, 101, 213-222.

Richardson, K. M. (2017). Managing employee stress and wellness in the new millennium. Journal of occupational health psychology, 22(3), 423.

Schneid, T. D. (2017). Occupational health guide to violence in the workplace. Routledge.Siu, O. L. (2017). Stress management techniques in the workplace. The Routledge Companion to Wellbeing at Work, 284.