Matrix Age Management Blog

  • Live Well
  • Age Well
  • Eat Well

Don’t Stress It: The Impact of Stress on Work Performance

The modern American workplace is a constant swirl of stress and time constraints. Many employers stress the importance of finding employees who thrive under pressure.

While some may be able to temporarily thrive in stressful situations, the long-term effects of high stress can be detrimental to the employee and consequently the business. Here are 3 ways that stress can negatively impact work performance.

Stress Creates Tired Employees

shutterstock_670428910In a perfect world, employees would be able to give 100% effort under stressful demands for an 8-hour day, go home, get refreshed, and then do it again the next day. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way.

Employees who have a lot of stress often do not get the relaxation they need at home. Many employees have families, children, and other obligations outside of work that bring their own levels of stress. Others have trouble turning that motor off at the end of the day and will continue to worry about work-related issues well into the evening. Regardless of the circumstance, many employees do not leave the workplace and go to a stress-free environment.

As a result, the constant stress will begin to impact an employee’s ability to get a restful night’s sleep. Over time, the body’s inability to recharge itself with a good night’s sleep results in mentally and physically exhausted employees. This lack of sleep eventually leads to impaired judgments, frustration, and poor work performance.

Stress Creates Employee Conflict

The best workplaces are collaborative environments where creative people share ideas and make the impossible possible. When stress begins to rear its ugly head in the workplace, these collaborative working sessions often become confrontational.

The constant pressure of deadlines and the pursuit of profitability can create enormous amounts of stress on employees. As a result, emotional response and angry outbursts replace the professional discourse that leads to productive business operations. Organizations find that they spend more time managing the various personalities of stressed employees in an attempt to keep the peace rather than cultivating the emotional intelligence of vibrant and creative employees.

This environment results in decisions that are not always what’s best for the business. Instead of finding collaborative solutions to business problems, organizations end up spending precious time and money trying to placate angry and stressed employees.

Stress Leads To Unhealthy Employees

shutterstock_709355347The worst part of a stressful work environment is the negative health impacts it has on employees. Stress is linked to an increase in sickness among America’s workforce. As a result, more employees are calling in sick due to poor health. An increase in sick time will result in lower productivity for an employee – which has a direct impact on the company’s bottom line.

In addition to an increase in sick time, stress has also been linked to many life-threatening ailments such as high blood pressure and heart disease. Some outstanding employees never get to enjoy the relaxing retirement that they have worked so long for.

There Is A Better Way To Age

Matrix Age Management believes that there is a better way to age and enjoy a long, healthy life. One of the first steps in their comprehensive process is to help men and women manage stress. This approach leads to better sleep and improved physical well-being. Contact Matrix Age Management today to learn how to stop the downward spiral of aging.

Tags: Overall Health, Stress

Recent Posts

Newsletter Subscribe