Analytical Essay: Job Stress, Employee Wellbeing and Prevention

This analytical essay delves into the significant impact of job stress on employee wellbeing and job satisfaction, a critical concern in today's rapidly evolving work environments. The essay explores how intensified work cultures and increasing demands contribute to stress, impacting both physical and mental health, and subsequently affecting organizational productivity. It examines the interrelationship between employee wellbeing and job satisfaction, highlighting the negative consequences of uncontrolled stress, such as reduced productivity and potential health issues like cardiovascular diseases. Drawing on research, the essay identifies various types of stress and their manifestations in the workplace. It then proposes practical strategies for stress management, including fostering workplace wellness, revamping work habits, promoting flexible working hours, and encouraging social activities to create a supportive and healthy work environment. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of HR professionals in mitigating job stress through proactive measures that enhance employee engagement and overall organizational health, providing valuable insights into creating a positive and productive work environment. The essay includes an extensive list of references to support its arguments.

Running head: ANALYTICAL ESSAY
Analytical Essay
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Introduction
In the 19th century, rapid growth in the workplace has significantly impacted on the health
and wellbeing of the employees. Moen et al. (2016) opined that rapid changes in organizational
work culture as well as structural pattern, intensifying the work culture has become highly
challenging. It cannot be denied that employee is the vital component in every organization.
Excessive workload, as well as continuous challenge for enhancing the acceptability skills for
dealing with the changing business environment, has become highly challenging for the
employees, which is creating job stress.
On the other hand Bliese, Edwards and Sonnentag (2017) opined that, it is true that
intensified work culture is increasing stress as well as job dissatisfaction among the employees.
The purpose of this study is to critically analyze the impact of job stress and its negative impact
on employee wellbeing. By continuing this, an argument based on the interrelationship between
employee wellbeing and job satisfaction has been highlighted. In the end of this study,
recommendations have been provided that can significantly prevent such situations.
Discussion
In the new HR operations, increasing job stress has become an important concern for HR
professionals (Bakker and Demerouti 2018). Workplace stress can harmfully response to the
human psychology. In response to this, it can be said that initiatives towards controlling over the
increasing market demand are leading excessive workload on the employees, which is creating a
negative impact on maintaining the work-life balance of the employees. By supporting this
Bliese, Edwards and Sonnentag (2017) stated that workplace stress not only impacts on the
health of employees but also it negatively influence organizational productivity.

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A healthy job indicates the job role in which based on the abilities of individuals, the job
pressure is being given by the management. Dall’Ora et al. (2016) opined that it can be said that
the healthy work is about maintaining the balance between, mental, physical and wellbeing of the
employees. In the continuous assessment of health risk of the employees in the workplace, it has
been identified that work-related stress can be created based on the mental and physical pressure.
It is true that, due to the high demand for work as well as changing workplace culture, these
kinds of stress issues get influenced, which negatively impacts on the job satisfaction process in
an organization. Work circumstances in the organization can lead to the occurrence of stress that
promotes less support from the management towards its employees (LePine et al. 2016). As a
result, it is true that some of the cases, due to high job stress, bad management practices get
highlighted.
According to Bliese, Edwards and Sonnentag (2017), it is true that workplace pressure is
something, which cannot be avoided by the employees. Work-related stress can lead to poor
organizational performance as well as unsatisfactory work condition. In the contradictory Moen
et al. (2016) opined that stress can also negatively impact on the health and business
performances of the employees. In the most stressful working environment, employee health gets
damaged, which negatively impacts on the behavioral characteristics of them. In the analysis, it
has been identified that in some of the cases, the unmanageable workload on the employees,
influences ample numbers of leaves, which also indirectly affect productivity. Stress is being
considered as the body reaction in which heart rate, as well as berating rate, gets speed up
(Apa.org 2019). In some of the cases, due to continuous unmanaged stress in the workplace,
increasing uses of Alcohol and smoking can negatively impact on the health of employees.
American psychological association has classified stress into three types, such as episodic acute

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stress, chronic stress and acute stress (Psychologytoday.com 2019). Mostly in case of workplace,
acute stress is shown among the employees. According to LePine et al. (2016), in case of acute
stress, it the person gets stress due to essential deadlines as well as urgent calls and many more.
In this situation, blood pressure gets increased, and this trigger migraine as well as chest pain. It
is true that due to excessive workload, the uncertainty of the job creates pressure on the
employees' mind.
Some workplace pressures are normal, but some of those create the uncontrolled stress
that impacts on the physical strength of the employees. Uncontrolled stress in the workplace not
only influences the physical health of the employees, but also some of the cases mental stress
makes a person depressed, which makes the person more aggressive (Schultz et al. 2015). Social
as well as the family life of an employee also get affected due to overstress in the workplace.
Sleeping disturbance, stomach upset, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease are the
common impacts of job stress. On the other hand, Zheng et al. (2016) stated that in a recent
survey done by Everest college survey on American professionals, it has been identified that in
most of the cases poor work-life balance, low pay, lack of professional development
opportunities, too much workload and corrupt management practices, stress among the
employees gets influenced. Lack of job security among the labor also drags them towards
involving in overtime duties, which negatively impacts on their health. On the other hand LePine
et al. (2016) stated that analyzing the statistical impact of job stress, it has been identified that the
organizations have faced near about $300 billion loss in last year due to increased stress in the
workplace. In a recent survey, it has been identified that near about 83% of the total employment
in US are dealing with job stress.

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According to Schultz et al. (2015), analyzing the stress statistics in Australia, it has been
identified that in the last 12 months many complaint against the management has been
highlighted due to creating stressful and depressed working culture. Excessive stress in the
workplace has impacted on employee health (Tinypulse.com 2019). On the other hand, it is true
that lack of support from the management as well as mentally unhealthy environment sometimes
reduces the innovative as well as creative skills of the employees. By continuing this, it can also
be said that decreasing the mental health of the employees negatively impacting on the potential
capabilities of the employees.
Stress can be considered as the most daunting obstacles for ensuring the employee
engagement in the modern work environment (Bliese, Edwards and Sonnentag 2017). In
response to the above situation, it can be assumed that in order to cope with the stress, it is
crucial for the HR professionals to focus on identifying the primary cause of stress. After
identification of the stress key factors, proper stress management initiative needs to be adopted.
Through the encouragement of workplace wellness, healthy living can be introduced. By
continuing this, it can be said that Encouraging wellness can be used as the important weapon
that can improve the moods of the employees (Dall’Ora et al. 2016). Health environment can be
created by offering different benefits such as yoga, healthy snakes and fitness products from the
office. Secondly, revamping the habits can also play an important role in case of dealing with
the situation. Providing the health coffee, updating the colour scheme as well as adding new
silverware can help to mind off the stress of the employees. Thirdly, providing flexible working
hours, the company will be able to provide time to the employees in which they can be able to
maintain their work life balance (LePine et al. 2016). By continuing this, it can also be said that
this initiative can also play an effective role for timeliness and quality of work can be

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maintained. Fourthly, it can be suggested that through the encouragement towards the social
activities, comfortable working environment can be provided to the employees. According to
Schultz et al. (2015), in the workplace different social gathering, game shows can be introduced,
in which employee engagement can be ensured. It can also be beneficial in terms of developing a
fun environment in the workplace by improving internal communication.
Conclusion
In this study, it can be concluded that stress has become an essential barrier in the modern
workplace environment. Due to the impact of globalization, rapid improvements in the job
operations, high demand on the market has increased workload on the employees. Excessive
demand in the market not only influencing the bad management but also it is impacting on the
job satisfaction of the employees. In this situation, anxiety and stress among the employees are
creating harmful organizations culture, which is indirectly influencing the health and well-being
of the employees. The adverse employee health is impacting on the long term organizational
benefits. In this situation, dealing with the challenges, employee engagement has become
necessary through the improvement of positive work culture. It can be assumed that if the HR
professionals can be able to introduce proper employee benefits, it can help to reduce the job
stress in future.

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References
Apa.org 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/work-stress [Accessed on 14th
Sep, 2019]
Bakker, A.B. and Demerouti, E., 2018. Multiple levels in job demands-resources theory:
Implications for employee well-being and performance. Handbook of well-being.
Bliese, P.D., Edwards, J.R. and Sonnentag, S., 2017. Stress and well-being at work: A century of
empirical trends reflecting theoretical and societal influences. Journal of Applied
Psychology, 102(3), p.389.
Dall’Ora, C., Ball, J., Recio-Saucedo, A. and Griffiths, P., 2016. Characteristics of shift work
and their impact on employee performance and wellbeing: A literature review. International
journal of nursing studies, 57, pp.12-27.
LePine, M.A., Zhang, Y., Crawford, E.R. and Rich, B.L., 2016. Turning their pain to gain:
Charismatic leader influence on follower stress appraisal and job performance. Academy of
Management Journal, 59(3), pp.1036-1059.
Moen, P., Kelly, E.L., Fan, W., Lee, S.R., Almeida, D., Kossek, E.E. and Buxton, O.M., 2016.
Does a flexibility/support organizational initiative improve high-tech employees’ well-being?
Evidence from the work, family, and health network. American Sociological Review, 81(1),
pp.134-164.
Psychologytoday.com 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/open-
gently/201812/the-three-types-stress [Accessed on 14th Sep, 2019]
Schultz, P.P., Ryan, R.M., Niemiec, C.P., Legate, N. and Williams, G.C., 2015. Mindfulness,
work climate, and psychological need satisfaction in employee well-being. Mindfulness, 6(5),
pp.971-985.
Tinypulse.com 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.tinypulse.com/blog/stats-stress-in-the-
workplace-how-to-remedy-them [Accessed on 14th Sep, 2019]

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Zheng, C., Kashi, K., Fan, D., Molineux, J. and Ee, M.S., 2016. Impact of individual coping
strategies and organisational work–life balance programmes on Australian employee well-
being. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 27(5), pp.501-526.