Work-based anxiety is a significant issue that can affect individuals and organisations. This document explores the causes, consequences, and potential solutions for work-related anxiety, providing a comprehensive guide for both employees and employers.
Understanding Work-Based Anxiety
- Definition: Anxiety is a feeling of worry, unease, or nervousness, often about an upcoming event or something with an uncertain outcome. In a work context, this can be triggered by various factors and can manifest in different ways.
- The Stress Response: Anxiety is the body’s way of responding to a perceived threat, causing a release of stress hormones. This response is useful in genuine danger but can become problematic when it occurs frequently or excessively.
Causes of Work-Based Anxiety
Work-related anxiety can stem from a multitude of factors, both internal and external:
- Workload and Pressure: Jobs that demand a lot of attention, long hours, or tight deadlines can cause significant stress and lead to anxiety.
- Performance Pressure: A fear of failure, not meeting expectations, or being judged can trigger anxiety.
- Workplace Dynamics: Unhealthy workplace environments can contribute to anxiety.
- Poor Management: Inadequate management, lack of support, or unacknowledged contributions can lead to increased stress.
- Interpersonal Issues: Conflicts with colleagues, bullying, or difficult relationships can be major anxiety triggers.
- Lack of job security: This can cause more health declines than actual job loss.
- Role and Responsibility: Uncertainty about role, responsibilities, or expectations can create anxiety.
- Social Interactions: For some, social anxiety may be a factor.
- Public Speaking: Many people experience anxiety around public speaking, which can include presentations, meetings, or even informal chats.
- Change and Uncertainty: Major life or job changes, such as promotions, new roles, or company restructuring can also trigger anxiety.
- Future Uncertainty: General uncertainty about the future can be a significant anxiety trigger.
- Personal Traits:
- Low self-esteem: Individuals with low self-esteem may be more prone to anxiety as they perceive the world as a threatening place.
- Poor coping skills: People who lack coping skills may struggle to handle workplace stressors.
- Family history: Anxiety and depression often run in families, with both genetic and learnt behaviours being possible reasons.
Consequences of Work-Based Anxiety
Work-based anxiety has significant consequences for both the individual and the organisation.
- For the Individual:
- Emotional Distress: The experience of anxiety can cause a state of inner turmoil, unpleasant feelings, and apprehension.
- Physical Symptoms: Anxiety can manifest physically through headaches, muscle tension, difficulty swallowing, chest pains, stomach cramps, blurred vision, ringing ears, nausea, dizziness, and shortness of breath. It can also include insomnia and changes in sleep patterns.
- Cognitive Issues: Anxiety can lead to difficulty concentrating, excessive worrying, and negative thought patterns.
- Behavioural Changes: Individuals may withdraw from social situations, avoid work-related tasks, and exhibit nervous habits. They may also experience emotional outbursts or overreactions.
- Reduced Performance: Anxiety can interfere with an individual’s ability to perform their job, resulting in lower productivity and less control over life.
- Burnout: Prolonged, unmanaged stress and anxiety can lead to emotional and physical exhaustion or burnout, which can seem like depression and anxiety.
- Impact on Relationships: Anxiety can strain relationships, both personally and professionally.
- Mental Health Problems: If left unmanaged, anxiety can contribute to the development of mental health conditions, including social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and depression.
- For the Organisation:
- Decreased Productivity: Anxious employees may struggle to focus, be less productive and have lower engagement.
- Increased Absenteeism: Anxiety-related issues may lead to more sick days and reduce overall workforce presence.
- Reduced morale: Workplace stress and anxiety will reduce team morale and have a negative impact on teamwork and innovation.
- High Turnover: Employees suffering from anxiety may be more likely to leave, leading to higher recruitment and training costs.
- Negative Reputation: A workplace known for high-stress levels and poor mental health support may struggle to attract and retain talent.
Identifying Work-Based Anxiety
It is important that both individuals and organisations can identify the signs of work-based anxiety.
- How Individuals Will Know:
- Physical Sensations: They may feel a racing heart, sweating, a knot in their stomach or chest, or other physical symptoms of anxiety.
- Emotional State: Experiencing excessive worry, nervousness, or fear can be key indicators. Some may feel that they are always on edge.
- Negative Thoughts: Recurring negative thoughts, self-doubt, and fears about performance or social interactions.
- Avoidance: They may find themselves avoiding work tasks, meetings, social events, or conversations.
- Changes in Behaviour: such as fidgeting, overreacting or being unable to express their feelings.
- Sleep disturbances: They may experience restless sleep or insomnia.
- Difficulty in concentration: They may find it hard to concentrate on tasks at hand.
- Over-preparation: Some people may over-prepare for events to reduce anxiety.
- Constant self-doubt: They may have constant self-doubt or negative self-talk.
- How Organisations Can Identify Staff:
- Performance Issues: Look for employees with declining productivity, missed deadlines, or frequent mistakes.
- Changes in Behaviour: Observe for signs of withdrawal, irritability, or avoidance of social interactions.
- Increased Absenteeism: Note a higher frequency of sick days or unexplained absences.
- Physical Complaints: Be aware of employees reporting frequent physical ailments like headaches or stomach problems.
- Feedback from Colleagues: Listen to concerns from other employees who may have noticed behavioural changes in their colleagues.
Strategies to Reduce Work-Based Anxiety
Both individuals and organisations can take action to mitigate the effects of work-based anxiety:
- What Individuals Can Do:
- Self-Awareness: Identify anxiety triggers and learn to recognize early warning signs.
- Self-Havening: Use Self-Havening techniques to manage anxiety in the moment.
- Havening Touch: Gently touch your arms, face or hands.
- Distraction: Engage in distractions while applying the touch, like humming or counting steps.
- Mindfulness: Practice mindfulness to observe thoughts and feelings without judgment.
- Acceptance: Accept anxiety as a natural part of being alive, rather than trying to control or avoid it.
- Self-Compassion: Treat yourself with kindness and understanding.
- Healthy Lifestyle:
- Physical Exercise: Engage in regular physical activity to regulate mood and reduce tension.
- Diet: Eat a balanced diet and limit caffeine and alcohol.
- Sleep: Ensure you get adequate sleep to improve emotional regulation.
- Relaxation Techniques: Practice relaxation techniques like breathing exercises or meditation.
- Task-Oriented Strategies: Break tasks into smaller steps, prioritize and focus on solutions rather than just the problems.
- Conscious Questioning: Use conscious questioning to organize anxious thoughts. Ask questions such as: “What are my strengths and resources?”, “Do I need more information?” and “What do I need to do to prepare?”.
- Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP): Use NLP techniques to reframe negative thoughts and create anchors for relaxation.
- “As If” technique: Use this NLP technique to act as if you already have the state of mind that you want, such as feeling calm and confident.
- Timeline Therapy: Use this NLP technique to change how you feel about past events.
- Setting Boundaries: Learn to say no and set boundaries to manage your workload and protect your mental health.
- Shift Your Focus: Instead of focusing on the negative, find things to be grateful for and focus on what you can control.
- Be Aware of your Reactions: Be aware of how you create anxiety and what triggers it.
- Create a calm anchor: Have something you can use to calm yourself in moments of anxiety.
- Comfort yourself: Find ways that you can comfort yourself.
- What Organisations Can Do:
- Promote Mental Health Awareness: Educate employees on mental health and wellbeing and reduce the stigma around anxiety and mental health issues.
- Provide Resources: Offer mental health resources such as Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs).
- Flexible Work Arrangements: Allow for flexible work hours or remote work options where feasible.
- Reasonable Adjustments: Support staff by making reasonable adjustments to their workload, schedule or work environment.
- Training and Development: Offer training in stress management, communication, and conflict resolution.
- Promote a Positive Culture: Create an empathic environment where employees feel safe to share their concerns.
- Encourage Open Communication: Foster a culture of open dialogue where employees feel comfortable discussing their mental health.
- Workload Management: Ensure workloads are manageable, and provide the resources needed to complete tasks.
- Performance feedback: Provide feedback and constructive criticism so staff have a clear understanding of expectations.
- Social Support: Promote team building activities and social interaction among colleagues.
- Clear expectations: Ensure staff know what is expected of them.
- Value contributions: Create a culture that recognises and values contributions of staff.
Useful Conversations
Organisations should engage in open and supportive conversations with employees who may be struggling with work-based anxiety. Some useful questions include:
- For the Individual:
- “What aspects of your work do you find most stressful?”
- “Can you identify specific situations or tasks that trigger your anxiety?”
- “What support or adjustments could make your work experience better?”
- “What things in your life do you wish to maintain, despite anxiety?”
- “What helps you keep anxiety/worries under control?”
- “How do you now/did you manage to sometimes feel safe and have control over your life?”
- “Who can comfort you, even if only a little bit?”
- For the Organisation:
- “How can we create a more supportive work environment?”
- “Are there any adjustments or resources that would help you manage your anxiety?”
- “How can I support you in managing your workload and responsibilities?”
- “How can we better support staff wellbeing and mental health?”
- “Are there any patterns or themes in workplace stressors that we need to address?”
These conversations should be held with empathy and a focus on creating solutions that benefit both the employee and the organisation.
Conclusion
Work-based anxiety is a complex issue, but it can be managed with awareness, proactive strategies, and open communication. By understanding the causes and consequences of anxiety, both individuals and organisations can implement effective measures to create a healthier, more productive work environment.