Westminster Business School
Module code and title: BBUS401.1 Perspectives On Organizations
Essay on “What is stress at work? Set out the main causes of stress at work and explain why it can have serious effects on individuals and organizations.”
Student Name: Bozhidar Hristov Student ID number: w1484659
Seminar leader name: Beverley Marsland
Word Count: 1636/ 1800 (+/- 10%)
Date: 17.12.2014
To begin with, Hans Selye was first to define the term stress, “as a non specific response of the body to any demand made upon it”(cited in Jones, 2011, p. 90). According to Health and Safety Executive (HSE) stress is defined as an “as a harmful reaction that people have to undue pressures and demands placed on them at work”. The origin of stress can be split into two parts: physical and behavioral manifestations (Ricardo et.al, 2013). Sickness, tiredness, cerebral pains, muscle pressure, noise, night shifts and monotonous tasks these are all part of the physical side effects. The behavioral symptoms are nervousness, emotions of disappointment, negative thoughts, time pressure, poor decision-making, steady changes of the mood, and separation from the world and individuals (BMJ, 1996). Since 2001/02 new instances of sick wellbeing have dropped, reaching a low of 452 000 in 2011/12 (Health and Safety statistics, 2014). In 2012/13 no ill information was gathered however in 2013/14 the quantity of new cases expanded to 535 000, a comparative level to that in 2009/10 (Health and Safety statistics, 2014). The surveyed number of new examples of tension, unhappiness or anxiety has remained extensively level for more than every decade, with an examination of 244 000 in the latest year (Health and Safety statistics, 2014). For musculoskeletal issue, the assessed number of new cases tumbled from 216 000 in 2001/02 to 141 000 in 2011/12, yet extended to 184 000 in 2013/14 (no data was accumulated in 2012/13 (Health and Safety statistics,