Modern working life often requires us to deal with stress. Factors such as time pressure, workload, the need to make quick decisions and a competitive environment are just some of the main sources of stress. However, managing stress is not only crucial for our mental health, but also for our productivity at work.

The long-term effects of stress can negatively impact both our physical and mental health. Physically, stress can lead to problems such as high blood pressure, sleep disorders, and weakened immune system. Mentally, it can lead to problems such as loss of motivation, depression and anxiety disorders. It can reduce performance in the workplace and weaken communication and cooperation skills among employees.

What are the Symptoms of Stress?

1- Physiological Symptoms

The first signs of stress in the human body are manifested by physical changes. Harmful effects can lead to differences in some systems and functioning of the organism. These differences can occour as different symptoms and problems at various stages. When these symptoms are analyzed, problems such as changes in blood pressure, increased pulse and heart rate, head and back pain, ulcers and heart disorders are observed.

2- Psychological Symptoms

Another symptom of stress is its psychological effects. Stress can have a profound impact on the human psyche. Psychological symptoms are critical in understanding the severity of stress. Stress, which can cause a sense of dissatisfaction in human life, can lead to job dissatisfaction, tension, anxiety, nervousness, irritability, frustration and procrastination. Stress has also been defined as experiencing a sense of emptiness in one’s job, harboring resentment, questioning the meaning of life, feeling guilty, losing direction, developing hostile feelings towards people and a tendency to commit crimes.

3- Behavioral Symptoms

He explained the behavioral symptoms that occur when people under stress cannot show a sufficiently effective struggle against stressors at the mental level as follows: Difficulties in decision-making, no matter how important the issue is; feeling worthless, inadequate, insecure or lonely; significant changes in daily habits; preference for safer options instead of taking risks; reactions such as anger, hostility or resentment in unexpected situations; increased use of cigarettes, alcohol and other addictive substances; constant reflection on mistakes and failures; intense daydreaming and absent-mindedness; inappropriate behavior in emotional and sexual life; feeling overconfident or distrustful of others; working more than usual; having difficulties with speaking and writing; ignoring important issues and focusing too much on trivial matters; excessive attention to health; disturbed sleep patterns; and excessive concentration on thoughts of death or suicide.

What are the Effects of Stress on Job Performance?

Excessive stress can lead to various physiological, psychological and behavioral negativities on individuals, as well as causing serious problems for organizations in business life. The impact of stress on organizations in the business world is usually manifested in situations such as low performance, increased employee turnover, increased work accidents, absenteeism, increased turnover rates and alienation due to the inability to perceive the processes in a holistic manner. The productivity of organizations in the business environment depends on the performance of their employees, and the performance of employees depends on their psychological state, i.e. the level of stress.

The negative effects of stress on people are often emphasized. However, stress should not always be considered as a negative situation. It can also be perceived in a positive way as an element that allows individuals to unlock their potential in certain moments of crisis. Stress has two aspects: constructive and destructive. Stress, which should not always be seen as a negative part of working life, actually represents a certain amount of pressure needed to achieve success. However, it is of great importance to eliminate sources of stress that create conflict in the workplace. Therefore, the common belief that stress is always a negative factor is not true.

From another perspective, stress is often defined as a condition that drains our mental, physical and emotional resources. This is often due to a lack of knowledge about stress. Stress that exceeds a certain threshold does not have positive effects on people and can lead to various physical and psychological disorders. However, controllable levels of positive stress should not be ignored. Positive levels of stress can help individuals to work more effectively by releasing their energy. Stress that is manageable and does not exceed the individual’s stress tolerance plays an important role in unlocking potential and improves performance. In Cüceloğlu’s words, the restlessness, unhappiness, tension and stress experienced by the individual is an important stimulus that tries to awaken the individual.

While moderate stress increases productivity, high levels of stress negatively affect the physical and mental health of employees. According to experts, about two-thirds of diseases are caused by stress. Health problems caused by stress account for 10% of social assistance costs in developed countries, resulting in a 10-15% loss of productivity.

Stress Management at Work

Stress in the workplace, when not managed properly, can lead to irrational behaviors in individuals and internal conflicts at the organizational level. Keeping stress at a controllable level can be defined as coping with stress or stress management. Stress management involves reducing or eliminating the emotional pressure caused by stressors or strengthening the behavioral and emotional responses of individuals to withstand this pressure. In other words, coping with stress aims to keep the stress level of employees at a level that can be useful.

Individual methods are of great importance in managing stress. The common point of these methods is to ensure that physical, psychological and behavioral processes as well as individual habits are taken under control. Individual methods such as physical activities, breathing exercises, participation in social and sportive activities, massage practices, time management can be effective in reducing stress. In addition, practices such as job expansion, job enrichment, clarifying roles in the organization, minimizing conflicts, making professional development plans and stress counseling are methods that can be used at the organizational level to control stress. Improving physical working conditions is also an important factor in reducing stress.

The Most Powerful Method to Reduce Stress: Motivation

One of the most frequently used concepts in business life is undoubtedly motivation. The expressions of motivating employees, subordinates or someone are frequently mentioned in the business world. Motivation is the process of enabling individuals to act and making them willing by creating a working environment that aims to meet the needs of individuals and organizations. Motivated employees are expected to do their jobs with more adoption and produce better quality results in this direction.

On the other hand, a high performance cannot be expected from an employee who is not motivated as a result of his/her efforts. It is among the responsibilities of managers to ensure that employees develop behaviors in line with organizational goals. It is very useful for managers to come together from time to time to get to know their employees better and to determine what will motivate them by taking their individual characteristics into account. The main purpose of motivation is to understand the priorities of the people to be influenced and to develop an approach that will meet their needs. It can be said that people’s motivation levels are directly affected by taking part in tasks that are suitable for their characters.

As the needs of individuals change, their behaviors also change. In these cases, it is of great importance that motivational tools are constantly reviewed and controlled. It is not surprising that an organization with highly motivated employees will increase its overall success thanks to the synergy it will achieve. In this way, there is a noticeable decrease in the stress rates of individuals.