Have you ever come home from work feeling as though the stress you have experienced throughout the day is more than you can handle? Although it may seem trivial to some, work stress is a serious issue. While some industries are more stressful than others, you may find it difficult to perform your job when placed in an extremely stressful work environment. Over a period of time, stress can cause trauma, manifest into physical symptoms and even lead to chronic conditions. Stress may cause you to experience immediate symptoms, such as heart palpitations, chest pain, difficulty breathing, pain, nausea, tense muscles and headaches. Long-term conditions and ailments, include high blood pressure, irritable bowel syndrome, sleep disturbances, migraines, fatigue, ulcers, impaired immune function and psychological disorders. Stress can even lead to workplace injuries and suicide.
There are several factors that can cause stressful work situations, including the following:
- Bad relationships with co-workers and/or management
- Too many responsibilities or tasks to handle
- Poor management
- Fear of losing a job
- Disorganized or dangerous working conditions
In one case, a school teacher who was given an extremely difficult class filed for workers’ compensation. Her doctor explained that she could not return to work because her work environment had caused a series of health issues, including a heart murmur and vocal cord injury. It had also aggravated her heart murmur. The Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board granted her the workers’ compensation benefits after careful review of the case.
If you are experiencing serious stress at work, you may want to look at ways you can reduce your stress.
This information is intended to educate and should not be taken as legal advice.
