Preventing Stress in the Workplace

At present, work-related stress is a very serious and much-discussed topic in various work settings. Stress creates many negative effects, including blood, digestive, physical, and psychological disorders, and ultimately low productivity. Given that each person spends very many hours daily at their workplace, controlling stress in the work environment is a very important and necessary matter for success in one's career. At present, in light of existing stress as well as the improvement of working conditions, there is an ever-increasing emphasis on practical measures to deal with stressful working conditions. A noteworthy point is that the process of preventing stress must be linked to risk assessment; because stress cannot be treated differently from other hazards, so the employer must carry out a risk assessment and continue all other changes based on this assessment. A workplace stress-prevention program is not a separate, standalone program, and this matter must be integrated with the institution's overall occupational safety and health policy. Here, a few constructive suggestions for preventing stress in the workplace are presented to you, dear readers: 1- Use a practical checklist with regard to the conditions of the work environment. A checklist that contains important and practical items can help people examine the existing conditions in a systematic and orderly manner. 2- It is recommended to use examples of the corrective measures implemented in other workplaces; in order to learn and create ideas suitable for carrying out corrections under those particular conditions. 3- Group discussion is always useful; because it helps people share their ideas about how to prioritize actions from different viewpoints, and it creates a balance between perspectives. 4- Creating short-term and long-term plans for corrective measures is always beneficial and useful. Ideas that meet immediate needs are first implemented in the short term. Because, when a small but constructive improvement comes about, it reassures people about the next step, which will require more scheduling and resources. It is very important that the experiences gained be linked with the suggestions and plans that were proposed for carrying out corrections. In order to access the points mentioned in this article and to gain more access to practical points and methods for achieving a healthy work environment, you can obtain the book "A Practical Program for Preventing Stress in the Workplace (Based on the International Labour Organization Protocol)" from the Hak Publications website. The purpose of writing this guidebook is to reflect the ever-growing need to address problems arising from stress. 50 key points are presented in this book, which are the result of the experience of specialists who have been active in studying stress-prevention practices in the workplace.