Work Stress: A Potential Killer and Its Impact on Employee Well-being

This essay reviews the impact of work stress on employee well-being and its potential to cause chronic ailments like cardiovascular diseases, blood pressure, diabetes, and hypertension. It discusses the Demand-Control Model and Effort-Reward Imbalance Model to explain the relationship between job stress and its impact on employee well-being.

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Work stress is a potential Killer- Discuss
Employees are spending long hours at work, thereby a lot of focus is being paid to work
stress along with psychosocial work environment (Kivimaki & Kawachi, 2015). Work stress
combined with other elements like finance, relationships, and change needs to be managed by
individuals. Combination of these factors makes today's life very stressful and comes at the
cost of physical and mental health (Cohen, 2001). Work-related stress has been increasing
significantly over time globally (Jian & Siegrist, 2016). Hoven and Siegrist (2013) suggested
that employment and work conditions play a critical role in promoting adverse health effects
on people. There has been an ongoing debate amongst the researchers on whether the work
stress poses a potential risk factor and is a cause of some chronic ailments like cardiovascular
diseases, blood pressure, diabetes and hypertension (Kivimaki et al., 2015). This essay aims
to review and study various findings regarding work stress and its effect on the life and health
of individuals. This essay will also discuss the Demand-Control Model and Effort-Reward
Imbalance Model to explain the relationship between job stress and its impact on employee
well-being.
Gilbert, Trudel, Brisson, Milot, and Vezina (2014), conducted a meta-analysis review based
on studies done linking Blood Pressure (BP) to work stress. To assess the effect that work-
related stress had on BP, Demand Control Support (DCS) and Effort-Reward Imbalance
(ERI) models were used (Gilbert et al., 2014). High blood pressure (BP) is a significant
threat to lives as it is the leading risk factor for causing cardiovascular diseases (CVD)
(Gilbert-Quimet et al., 2014). Cardiovascular diseases being the leading cause of death
worldwide. Demand control support (DCS) model states that working adults that experience
high psychological demands and have no autonomy over job are very likely to suffer stress-
related issues in health (Gilbert-Quimet et al., 2014). Also, the lack of peer support and the
ability to develop skills adds on to the psychological stress factors amongst the employees as
the DCS Model (Gilbert-Quimet et al., 2014). The ERI model determines the degree of
imbalance between effort and the corresponding rewards (Siegrist & Li, 2016). When
evaluating the ERI models for working individuals, an imbalance is an evidence showing that
the excessive efforts done by them aren't being rewarded adequately. This emotion leads to
negative emotions and stress, leading to ill-health in employees (Siegrist & Li, 2016).
Based on the review and findings of their studies, Gilbert-Quimet et al. (2014) suggested that
that psychosocial work factors lead to the elevation of BP. Constant exposure to high BP and
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hypertension due to work amplify over time, and that triggers cardiovascular events. The
elevation of BP can successively lead to hypertension, stroke and arterial stiffness (Gilbert-
Quimet et al., 2014). The adverse effects of psychosocial stressors occur due to the
cumulative impact of prolonged or multiple exposures. The sympathetic nervous system,
which is the primary mediator of the stress response is one of the pathways that activate the
renin-angiotensin system (Gilbert-Quimet et al., 2014). Therefore, stress can stimulate the
secretion of rennin as well as increased plasma levels of angiotensin II that has a vital effect
on blood vessel walls. This study establishes a link between work stress and elevated BP,
which in turn could lead to CVD (Gilbert-Quimet et al., 2014). Thereby the researchers
suggested that the psychosocial elements of work mentioned in the ERI and DCS models
contributed to the elevation in BP and could lead to CVD (Gilbert-Quimet et al., 2014).
According to Netterstorm (2013), in his research suggested that the fundamental cause for
high blood pressure could be the cause of work-related stress or working conditions.
Siegrist & Li (2016), suggested that people who were over-committed to their jobs also were
at high risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and other symptoms like BP, atherogenic
lipids, increase in glucose levels and fibrinogen also building up towards CVD. The reduction
in natural killer cells compromised the immune system. The need to overcommit was linked
to the ERI model of (Siegrist et al. 1990 & Siegrist 1996), wherein individuals
overcommitted and overworked to get approval and receive recognition. This study helped in
suggesting a connection between the ERI model, health and the intrinsic component of the
model. Individuals who are exposed to more extended working hours are exposed to stressful
working conditions, and that causes the emergence of health complications (Lancet, 2015).
Employees that perceive that they are not treated fairly by their employers are more prone to
stress-linked diseases (Elovaino et al., 2010).
Work-related stress is also able to increase the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD),
suggested in a study done by (Chandola, Britton, Brunner, Hemmingway, Malik, Kumari,
Badrick, Kivimaki & Marmot, 2007). Chandola et al. (2007) conducted a study in London
among civil servants with the aim of understanding the correlation between coronary heart
disease and work stress. The research established that work-related stress could be a
significant determinant of coronary heart disease (CHD), especially among working
populations. Today, strain in the workplace is related to increased heart complication risks
(Chandola et al., 2008). Further, Chandola et al. (2008) argue that work-related stress may
cause coronary heart disease via direct activation of responses in the neuroendocrine or
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indirectly through the unhealthy tendencies that may increase CHD risk. Additionally, it has
been established that work stress can cause alterations of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal
axis that is correlated with circadian rhythm alterations and the development of metabolic
syndrome (Chandola et al., 2008). Further, stress accumulation has related to a higher risk of
obesity and metabolic syndrome. Therefore, cumulative work stress is considered a risk
factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) as well as neuroendocrine stress responses as
suggested by Chandola et al. (2008).
Cardiovascular disease is one of the significant risk factors caused by work-related stress
(Fishta and Backe, 2015). Work-related mental pressure and stress are one of the critical
factors that can cause Cardiovascular issues (CVD), along with high blood pressure (BP)
(Chandola et al. 2008; Steptoe and Kivimaki, 2012). CVD is defined as disease that is caused
by work stress in combination with other factors (European Commission, 2013). Job stress
adds on to an increase in risk factors which could potentially lead to CVD by leading to bad
habits such as smoking, dietary fat intake, and inactivity or lack of exercise and this harms
overall long-term health (Hellerstedt and Jeffrey, 1997). Acute or short-term stress might
cause CV events, especially among individuals with advanced atherosclerosis (Steptoe and
Kivimaki, 2012). Additionally, Fishta and Backe (2015) argue that long-term stress in the
workplace increased the risk of recurrent CHD and predicted CV mortality and morbidity.
Many studies continue to link work-related stress short and long-term with heart
complications. A worker who is confronted with everyday stressors in the workplace is likely
to develop heart complications or risk a recurrence (Jian, Adrian, Hans & Peter, 2016).
CVDs especially CHD are considered one of the leading causes for early deaths globally as
per (WHO, 2011) reports. Fisthta et al. (2015), pointed out that CVD is considered as one of
the leading causes of loss in productivity amongst employees in all parts of the world. Jian et
al. (2016), argued that many employees did not return to their roles after an episode of CVD,
because of low job satisfaction and high work-related stress. A study done on four point nine
million individuals confirmed that individual that retire due to CVD related disabilities were
facing a higher risk of an increase in mortality rates (Jian et al. 2016). Therefore, Fishta and
Backe (2015) suggested that governments need to regulate the working conditions and
declare psychosocial stress as a hazardous entity that causes cardiovascular diseases.
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In a study done by Babu, Jotheeswaran, Mahapatra, Mahapatra, Kumar, Detels, and Pearce
(2013), they aimed at assessing the relationship between employment strain and hypertension
among adults in work environment settings. Babu et al. (2013) argued that globally there is
an increase in the rate of people suffering from hypertension. There is a projected increase of
500 million individuals being impacted by this disease by the year 2025 (Babu et al., 2013).
The pooled estimate from most of the studies was successful in showing a positive
relationship between job strain and hypertension. As per Babu et al. (2013), there is a strong
correlation between hypertension and Coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, transient
ischaemic attack and heart failures. The considerable size of the working population and the
relatively high impact that stress has on many adults today are more reasons for the need to
research work-related stress and evaluate its implications on employee health (Babu et. al.,
2013)
Work stress has become a potential killer in various social constructions. Today, employees
are confronted with several issues in the workplace that have negative implications for their
well-being. Environmental, psychological, social and potential biological contributors are
likely to impact the pathogenesis of hypertension. Similarly, psychosocial stress has been
determined as one of the causes of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Stressful work and
employment conditions and long working hours are some of the causes of stress. It is also
imperative to underscore that workers can suffer injuries and poor health as a result of the
stressors. Due to these stressors, workers develop health complications. As discussed above,
some of the health complications that workers develop due to stress include BP, CDV, CHD,
and hypertension. Decreasing work stress would cause an improvement in the health of
employee's worldwide (Kiwamaki et al., 2015).
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