Workplace Pressure: How to Adjust to Improve Overall Well-being and Job Satisfaction

The workplace is typically all about pressure. Consumer demands are always increasing for quality, reduced cost, and timely delivery. Such pressures are transferred to employers who demand increased output, more commitments and increased expectations from their employees. It gets to a point when these workers become bored, get fed up, and desire to resign. The point is that human wants and desires are insatiable. When you produce a good job, the expectation level raises, and you are rewarded with more jobs. The point is that the pressure to perform is all around the stakeholder environment. If an employee resigns to start a company, the pressure will still be very much around through the customer, competition, and environment. These pressures are then reflected in the entire ecosystem.

These pressures present a roller coaster of emotions. Long work schedules, limited deadlines, and the continuous rise in job demands take its toll on the individual and make an employee feel overwhelmed, anxious, and drained. When the pressure at work becomes overwhelming, it can negatively impact employees’ satisfaction on the job. The effect of this can be devastating for the organization as well, resulting in low productivity levels. Studies reveal that workplace pressure is associated with constant absence from work, increased employee turnover, low-performance level, poor service delivery, poor social relationship, and tardiness, each affecting the individual from becoming the best version of him/herself.

Effects on Overall Wellbeing and Wellness

Employees who feel pressured at work usually take to drinking excessively, abuse drugs, become incredibly aggressive and bullies co-workers, have problems sleeping and relaxing, become depressed, anxious, irritable, and have difficulty concentrating within and outside the workplace.

Also, studies show that increased levels of pressure at work could mar the individual’s health and cause him/her to suffer from back pains, increased blood pressure, cardiac conditions, stomach problems. It could make the immune system weak.

Usually, the source of pressure at the workplace is not something that can be addressed on the spot. Therefore, it is essential to seek means to maintain adequate physical and psychological health while dealing with pressure proactively.

Steps to manage workplace pressure 

No matter how much pressure individuals feel in the work environment, they must guard their mental space. Some factors are responsible for increasing stress levels, and the employee must ensure a complete overhaul to gain job Satisfaction by taking this following steps:

If the job design does not match your skills and capabilities, equip yourself with the needed training and skills to meet job demands.

Where you need clarity on the responsibilities you are to discharge or have no idea about what is expected from you, seek support from co-workers and supervisors

Unhealthy relationships in the workplace affect performance level causing regular conflicts and aggressiveness. Handling this requires diplomacy and setting boundaries so that toxic people wouldn’t encroach on your space.

Have control over your work plan and decide how your task would be carried out and completed. This solves some of your work challenges. Take vacations and engage in activities that are not work-related to rejuvenate yourself.

Relax, sleep well, and take several deep breaths daily and take stretch breaks. Be practical and constructive in your mannerism. Be realistic about shifts in the workplace.

How Employers Can Help

Managing workplace pressure is easier said than done. Employers should create a healthy work environment wherein individuals can thrive.

Here are a few tips for employers:

Make attainable demands and performance targets that are realistic and reasonable. Improve communication gaps, respect individual dynamics, and show support to employees.

Treat all employees fairly and respectfully. Assess risks by looking for pressures that could cause high and prolonged stress levels, then follow up with appropriate action to prevent pressures from becoming negative stressors.

Assign employees to roles that match their strengths. Assigned roles should be defined, and employees should be stimulated by providing opportunities where they can soar.

Allow employees to manage their roles themselves. Provide coaching and orientation programs for employees to scale up.

On a final note, Acknowledge and value the inputs, talents of individuals, create avenues for social relations amongst workers and make employee assistance courses available to them.

Healthy workplaces drive significant interactions, and keeping up this healthy work practice would help build a healthy and high-performance workforce. Whatever pressure you feel at your workplace as an individual can be appropriately managed to avoid reaching chronic stress levels that can damage job quality and performance.

Noah Oyedeji is the founder of Swiftwrite.com a company that creates quality and engaging content for web, business, and academic domains.