If Current Methods of Managing Stress in the Workplace Are Appropriate for Current NHS Organizations - Literature review Example

Individuals and groups such as those at work should be aware of these situations in order to endure and keep themselves physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually healthy, especially in difficult times.

In the past several decades, work-related stress has become a major issue. The alarming rate of stress-related or work-related ill-health often resulted in absenteeism of staff which in turn reduced their output, performance level, and low productivity. Furthermore, work-related stress (WRS) is also accounted as the number one factor that increases the cost of a company or organization for ill health care. As such, UK is spending about $64.8 – 66.1 billion for employees’ medical costs caused by WRS (Nixon, et al, 2011). Accordingly, WRS is also accounted as the second highest cause of work-related illness absence in the country which posed up to 30% loss of time (NHS, 2005). From 2007 to 2008, it was accounted that 13.5 million working days were lost in the UK due to stress that occurred in the workplace (HSE, 2009).

It is therefore important to manage stress at the workplace in order to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the employees as well as contribute to their performance. In addition, it will help prevent or reduce accidents, errors, poor performance, low morale, image, and/or reputation (NHS, 2005). In like manner, stress management is really necessary to large organizations such as NHS which is composed of thousands of employees ranging from doctors, nurses, and other health support personnel. These health care professionals are most likely involved in demanding jobs that require many levels of energy or pressure (See Figure 1). Therefore, stress management strategies are used to arrest the arising/occurrence of stress as well as combat their possible negative effects such as physical effects like backache, headache, tiredness, dizziness, among others (Nixon, et al, 2011, Wan Hussin, 2008, Murray, 2005, & Weightman, 2011); and psychological effects like poor concentration, anxiety, irritability, aggression, etc (Wan Hussin, 2008). Since this organization performs important roles in providing medical/ health care services to the general public in the entire UK, it is only then appropriate that they are stress-free in order to deliver effectively and properly their duties and responsibilities to their patients/customers (Murray, 2005).

Accordingly, the response to WRS is significantly influenced by one’s personality, experience, motivation as well as the level of support provided by the organization’s management. It is therefore the purpose of this chapter to look at the current methods of managing stress in the workplace which is appropriate for NHS organizations. This would be done by undertaking evidence-based practice through a systematic review of current published literature on the subject matter. Aside from providing a better understanding and techniques in stress management, this chapter will also identify and discuss the causes of work-related stressors.