ASK HR: Help! I don’t want to work in a stressful environment...

Work is usually associated with elements that could kindle stress, such as risk, competing priorities and the requirement to manage changing stakeholder expectations. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • It is a state of mental or emotional strain resulting from the gap between situational demands and an individual’s ability to effectively address them.
  • Causes of stress could include, among others, sudden life or organisational changes, work overload, role ambiguity and interpersonal conflicts.

Q. Two weeks ago, I interviewed for a designing job. I liked most of the questions but there’s one that has been stuck on my mind since. One of the interviewers said, “This is a place with lots of pressure. Can you handle stress? Although I responded yes, I am worried because I don’t desire to work in a stressful environment. Should that be a warning sign that this job is not good for me?

 

Work is usually associated with elements that could kindle stress, such as risk, competing priorities and the requirement to manage changing stakeholder expectations. Stress is however not an inherent component of any job, workplace or life, rather, a reaction to certain circumstances.

It is a state of mental or emotional strain resulting from the gap between situational demands and an individual’s ability to effectively address them.

Causes of stress could include, among others, sudden life or organisational changes, work overload, role ambiguity and interpersonal conflicts.

Devoid of any challenge, work could become a severely tedious experience.

The opportunity to exert one’s faculties productively at work is an important factor in the value of a job. Although it may vary from one individual to another, some people believe that the right level of stress at work gives them a ‘kick’, a factor they consider an essential mental tonic. Unbearable stress, however, not only undermines well-being, but could also predispose individuals to health disorders.

Do you feel confident that you can effectively perform the job you interviewed for? What causes of stress are you most apprehensive about and to what extent, based on your homework, are they manifest in this organisation?

While you should avoid negative stimuli, bear in mind that no working environment is a walk in the park. In fact, there is often a correlation between one’s ability to effectively handle stress and the level of responsibility one may be assigned in their career.

Stress is therefore not a dragon you could slay, but one you should leash and tame, as it is not possible to adjust to your favour every situation that introduces frustration in your life. In the words of American philosopher and psychologist William James, ‘The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another’.