Cognitive Effects of Occupational Stress To Your Employees

Cognitive Effects of Occupational Stress to Your Employees

‘Stress’ a most frequently used word in our everyday life affects employee morale and performance drastically. When the capabilities of an individual do not rise to the level of challenge posed by the situation, they feel “stressed.” Occupational stress is now becoming a critical cause of imparting health ailments in people.

What is Occupational Stress?

Since a better part of an individual’s life is spent at work, it is not a leap to presume that they go through a lot of challenges in their workplace. The level of challenge depends on where they are on the corporate chain. The higher they are in the chain, the more problems they face and irrevocably, more occupational stress. So, what are the factors affecting employees?

At a fundamental level, employees receive occupational stress due to long work hours, lack of breaks, and reduced physical activities, to name a few. Stunted growth potential, both in rank and salary, also acts as a significant cause. Additionally, work relationships and organizational culture hurt an employee’s mental health.

Diverse Studies About Occupational Stress

Over the years, diverse industry-specific studies have been conducted across the globe to determine the critical factors of stress. No surprise, everyone admitted having experienced occupational stress over one factor or another.

A study, conducted across 14 UK universities sampling both academic and non-academic staffs revealed that the most significant cause of stress was Job insecurity. In Korea, a nationwide study was conducted, consisting of a total of 8522 workers. It was found that inadequate social support and a strained work environment were the critical factors of stress. A study in an insurance company showed the significant causes of stress were stunted growth potential and job insecurity.

A study, conducted across 14 UK universities sampling both academic and non-academic staffs revealed that the most significant cause of stress was Job insecurity. In Korea, a nationwide study was conducted, consisting of a total of 8522 workers. It was found that inadequate social support and a strained work environment were the critical factors of stress. A study in an insurance company showed the significant causes of stress were stunted growth potential and job insecurity.

Cognitive Effects of Occupational Stress

Stress affects mental health, as a result of which, the physical health also deters. Psychosomatic disorder is common in a person significantly affected by stress. So how does it affect the brain?

Stress puts our body continuously in a flight or fight mode, impairing memory, and learning. It causes interference in our memory encoding process and declines our long-term memory retention. Prolonged stress breaks the brain’s resistance and causes sleep deprivation, fatigue, irritability, and concentration issues. Early onset of Dementia has now become an alarming possibility of long-term exposure to stressful environments. Finally, the body capitulates to the stress, and both the physical and mental defenses are broken down. Typically, this causes viral and bacterial infections, internal organ damage, and skin irritations.

According to the Labour Force Survey, 37% of health issues occurred as a result of immense work pressure, lack of managerial support, and overwhelming responsibility. 79% of European managers are concerned about stress-related illness in their workplace.

Occupational Stress Is Inevitable

Occupational stress is inevitable. It has and will be a part of our daily routine. The trick is in learning to handle it proficiently. When it comes to the workplace, diligence and discipline are critical factors in performing efficiently. Bring about punctuality, time management, and regularity in your day-to-day activities.

The workplace must encourage a positive, proactive environment and open-door policy, which would make the employees feel secured. Unhook your employees from occupational stress by implementing fun activities and tactics and create a rich learning platform where they feel supported and motivated.

About Neeuro Pte. Ltd.: Neeuro is a global Digital Mental Health platform that is backed by a portfolio of patented and clinically validated research with Singapore’s National Research Agency to empower digital therapeutics and brain fitness solutions.

Its core technology, NeeuroOS, empowers Digital Mental Health and Brain Fitness solution providers with an Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform to easily harness data from the brain and measure its different states such as attention, relaxation, fatigue, etc. Companies can then focus on their core offerings and go-to-market strategies.

The solutions include digital therapeutics for ADHD, anxiety, pain management, etc. It also powers brain fitness applications such as improving children’s, working adults’ and seniors’ cognition. For more information, please contact www.neeuro.com.