by Laurie. D Willis
Too much work, too little money and not enough growth opportunity are stressing us out at work, according to a new survey from the American Psychological Association.
The survey found one-third of employees experience chronic work-related stress and women report higher levels than men.
Fifty-four percent of the 1,501 employed adults surveyed say they’re paid too little for their contributions, and 61% said their jobs don’t offer adequate advancement opportunities.
Only half of those surveyed said they feel valued at work.
Thirty-two percent of the women said their employers don’t provide sufficient opportunities for internal advancement, compared with 30% of men. Women are more likely to feel tense at work and report more often that their employer doesn’t appreciate them.
The survey found the proportion of chronically stressed individuals has shrunk to 35% this year, compared with 41% in 2012. That suggests the improving economy and job market are making work lives easier for some. Even so, smaller percentages reported job satisfaction and a good work-life balance, compared with 2012.
Women’s stress is rising as families rely more on their earnings. While men are more likely to have a “fight or flight” reaction on jobs, women are more likely to “tend and befriend,” according to Shelley E. Taylor, health psychology professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and others.
The body responds to stress by secreting hormones into the bloodstream that spur accelerated heart rate, breathing and muscle tensing. People who feel frightened or threatened often have erratic heart rates and constricting blood vessels. Their blood pressure rises, their hands and feet may grow cold and they may become agitated, speak more loudly or experience judgment lapses. Too much stress is harmful to individuals and companies, says David Posen, a physician and author of “Is Work Killing You? A Doctor’s Prescription for Treating Workplace Stress.”
“Chronic stress reduces all of the things that help productivity— mental clarity, short-term memory, decision-making and moods,” he says.
Karen Herbison, 46, experienced chronic stress symptoms after management changes in her department, when her management style was criticized as too weak. Her bosses liked her, yet she was told something was missing.
She increased her workweek to 55 hours, but still “felt like I was doing everything wrong.”
Herbison experienced insomnia, irritability and heart palpitations. I was short-tempered and yelling at my kids,” she recalls. “I felt like I was losing my mind.” She saw a psychiatrist briefly and decided to quit. Her stress vanished as soon as she left her job to open a senior home-care company with her husband. Her reaction isn’t uncommon in healthy individuals who leave highly stressful situations. When harmful stress levels continue for too long, people may lose the ability to relax – a condition research links to numerous health problems.
Women tend to “internalize,” which contributes to their stress, says Lois Barth, a New York-based business and relationship coach. She said women hesitate to speak up for themselves or challenge unfair behavior and really need to give themselves a voice.
Sarah Broadbent Manago, 41, was used to meeting deadlines as an IT consultant but began doubting herself when she felt undermined by a manager. She now works as a senior IT project manager for another company and says the experience left her believing women, in particular, “feel stressed when they’re challenged or devalued by their managers.” Female managers in male-dominated fields sometimes find the stress of juggling family responsibilities intolerable.
Interior designer Kay Keaney, 40, rose quickly at a California medical group. But with 60-hour workweeks, early-morning and late-night meetings and a 3-hour roundtrip commute, she seldom had time for her two young children. She hesitated to complain because, “there was too much work to be done, and playing the ‘Mommy card’ was bad form.”
Whether stuck in traffic on her way to day care, or torn between her children and urgent work emails, Keaney was overwhelmed. She experienced panicked feelings, headaches and a racing heart. When her 2-year-old hurled her BlackBerry angrily across the kitchen; that was her wakeup call.
The Keaneys moved to Media, Pa., where she now works as a consumer-experience specialist for a homeopathic products company. She’s home with her children after school, has shed 20 pounds, her stress level is near zero and her kids are much happier. High-paying jobs seem to require “selling your soul,” Keaney says. “We decided the rat race wasn’t really worth it.”
