Ethical Issues Inherent With Workplace Stress

Researchers identify workplace stress as a growing cause of occupational ill health, resulting in excessive loss of working days and revenues across all parts of the world. Various job related pressures such as the job demands, control over the work load, extent and nature of support at workplace, inter-personnel relationships, and conflict over job roles are responsible for inducing stress in workers.

The symptoms associated with work place stress may vary from person to person, depending on the intensity of the stress, and the period for which he has been subjected to the stressors. Typical symptoms include loss of confidence, depression, anxiety, excessive anger and frustration, insomnia, inability to concentrate, increased absenteeism, substance abuse, increased instances of family conflict and a persistent feeling of fear. It may also manifest itself in the form of migraine, headaches, stomach problems, or even something as serious as heart diseases.

Some of the most obvious causes of workplace stress are job insecurity, highly demanding job with unrealistic expectations, inability to adapt to the expanding technology, inability to adjust and adapt to the workplace culture, problems in personal life, gender inequality, and sexual harassment at workplace and most importantly a hostile work environment due to offensive or intimidating behavior in the workplace.

Increased job demands and unrealistic expectations will put unnecessary pressure on the employees and force them to resort to unethical ways of making themselves and their work look good. In order to cope with these work place pressures, people will look for more opportunities with scope for unethical means of survival such as dishonesty, plagiarism, cheating and forgery. Irrespective of what career you are in, you must learn to develop your own code of ethics and stick to them instead of surrendering to workplace stress and resorting to unethical means for survival and growth.