The Most Stressful Jobs in America

Stress in the American Workplace

Charlotte Kuchinsky, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Nov 27, 2006 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

Stress: We all feel it at one time or another. Many of us deal with stress every single day. Some scientists will tell you that stress is a fairly new phenomenon caused by today's hectic lifestyles. Others believe that stress has always been there in one varying degree or another. However, no one can discredit the fact that the American workplace has drastically changed over the course of the last few decades. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that course is likely to slow down anytime soon. Every year, more work with shorter and tighter deadlines is piled on top of already over worked and under paid employees. To further complicate the matter, the typical business staff is expected to increase accuracy while working with less assistance and often times, insufficient resources.

The one thing on which numerous stress studies conducted in the past 15 years can agree is that stress can -- and does -- occur in every occupation. The amount and type of stress that might be experienced by workers within that occupation will be dependent upon many factors. These include performance demands, interpersonal demands, and physical demands.

Jobs that require employees to hide their true feelings and emotions are considered to be the most stressful. These would include jobs in:

- medicine,
- teaching,
- social services,
- customer service,
- fire rescue and
- law enforcement.

Occupations that typically deal with customer complaints on a daily basis are also very high in stress. These include occupations in:

- information technology,
- engineering
- sales and marketing,
- finance,
- human resources,
- operations,
- production, and
- clerical.

A Gallup Poll conducted in 2000 entitled "Attitudes in the American Workplace" found that 80% of the workers surveyed felt stress on the job with nearly half of those saying they needed help in learning how to manage stress. A total of 14% of the respondents had felt like striking a coworker in the past year while 25% had felt like screaming or shouting because of job stress. Just over 9% of those surveyed also reported that they were aware of an assault or violent act in their workplace with another 18% having experienced some sort of threat or verbal intimidation in the past year.

A corresponding 2000 Integra Survey also reported that 42% of the workers surveyed reported that yelling or verbal abuse was common where they worked, with 14% saying that workplace machinery and equipment had been damaged because of worker rage. More than 19% reported they had quit previous jobs because of job stress; and over half of all workers spent 12-hour days on work related duties and the same amount reported skipping lunch because of the stress of job demands.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor between 3,500 and 5,000 cases of occupational stress related illnesses are reported yearly. The average time off associated with these illnesses was 23 days. Of course the signs of job stress vary from person to person and depend on the particular job situation as well as how long the employee has been subjected to stress and the intensity of the stress itself. However, typical symptoms of job stress include:

- feeling worn out, run down, or burnt out;
- insomnia;
- loss of energy to total exhaustion;
- loss of mental concentration;
- being forgetful and/or making more mistakes;
- extreme anger and frustration;
- anxiety, anxiousness, feelings of helplessness and/or fear;
- apathy and hopelessness to total depression;
- changes in appetite (leading to weight gain or loss);
- disinterest in personal appearance;
- absenteeism;
- substance abuse;
- physical illnesses such as asthma, heart disease, diabetes, headaches and migraines, stomach problems or digestive issues, and muscular tension leading to back and neck problems.

It is even believed that prolonged stress can cause suppression of the body's immune system which can increase a person's susceptibility to colds and other infections, cause skin rashes, and even effect sex drive. Some employees will exhibit additional severe emotional and behavioral changes like:

- wanting to cry much of the time;
- an inability to cope;
- feelings of having achieved nothing at the end of the day;
- getting less work done;
- poor relationships with coworkers and/or customers;
- total withdrawal of contact with others;
- loss of self esteem;
- suicidal or homicidal thinking;
- frequent accidents, and even
- paranoia.

It is estimated that stress-related claims cost U.S. companies nearly 10% of their annual earnings; representing in excess of a startling $26 billion. Realistically, however, that number is likely to be higher since the adverse effects of stress often disguise themselves in a number of illnesses and behavior patterns that are not always associated directly with stress. Additionally, industrial accidents caused by on the job stress accounts for 75% of all accidents, costing American business $32 billion annually. It is estimated that over two million workers suffer disabling injuries and 15,000 lose their lives due to work-related stress.

In another article, we will examine what American business is doing to deal with on the job stress as well as what individuals are doing to help alleviate their daily stress issues. We will also take a look at 10 occupations that are considered to be America's "Ten Healthiest Jobs."

Published by Charlotte Kuchinsky

I'm an author, columnist and poet. I have done extensive business, creative and technical writing and written curriclum for high schools, colleges and universities. I am currently the principal writer for a... View profile

The Most Stressful Jobs in America

Stress in the American Workplace

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