Working professionals speak about their worst triggers at workplace

The unending working hours, increased workload without due incentives and denial of leaves has led to insomnia, backaches, restlessness, stress and anxiety among working professionals

It is often said that having a job in many ways improves an individual’s health and overall attitude towards life. However, the significant stress faced by many people at the workplace outweighs any possible benefits and even poses a threat to an individual’s physical and mental health.

Numerous studies and surveys show that job stress is the major source of stress and is associated with increased rates of heart attack, hypertension and other disorders.

With lockdown imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the work stress has increased as many feel that the work is more “stressful and lethargic” than working from office.

The unending working hours, increased workload without due incentives and denial of leaves have led to insomnia, backaches, restlessness, stress and anxiety among working professionals.

Here are accounts of some professionals about their worst triggers at workplace

‘Stress is extremely contagious’

If you're a working professional trying to make it through your initial years of employment finding your footing, you will relate to what I say - work triggers are real and they impact the quality of the work you put in. In my recent conversations with people older to me too, I have found that work triggers exist regardless of your experience.

One of my biggest triggers in work is the lack of efforts from a team towards fulfilling specific outcomes. It all becomes even more triggering when this lack of effort is visible on the part of your manager. When your manager is unable to work efficiently towards goals, you are left directionless.

Another trigger that impacts my productivity is when people around me stress over smaller issues - it's visible in their body language and the way they communicate timelines. This eventually leads to me feeling extremely frazzled and anxious. Stress is extremely contagious and it is neither going to help them or you at work. – Aarushi Sharma, development sector

Unending working hours

Work from home, which seemed fun in the beginning, has turned into nightmare. I log in at 9 am and the work continues till 9 pm. From sending a mid-week reports to making final drafts, from sourcing candidates to coordinating with panellists for interviews – the work seems to be unending. The constant pop-up of messages from the office on various messaging apps adds to this stress.

The worst trigger is that our daily targets have been increased during work from home and if those targets are not met, then a day’s pay is deducted. It is frustrating because to meet the increased targets we end up working for extra hours, which is physically and mentally draining. However, the fear of losing the job has left me with no choice. – Steffy D'Souza, HR consultant

Little or no attention to mental health

A newsroom is almost always bustling with activity, which sets it up to be full of triggers, be it the environment of the workplace or the nature of work. The word trigger indicates that your brain can no longer handle that particular stress or situation.

Despite all the awareness, mental health is given very little attention at workplaces. You are considered weak and incapable if you bring it up. The nature of the work is such, with crazy deadlines, that it is very easy for the workplace to get toxic. For instance - incompetent seniors yelling at you for not doing what they imagined in their mind and expected you to understand through vague instructions. Immediate deadlines with high work pressure make for a perfect concoction that set off anyone's triggers. – Aakanksha S, journalist

Groupism plagues workplaces

Politics and favouritism are my biggest triggers at the workplace. I have seen people being isolated because they once said the wrong thing at the wrong time. Perception building and groupism plagues many workplaces. It’s important to talk to your colleagues, ask what they did over the weekend and inquire about their family or spouses. Bosses and management should spot if any of their subordinate has suddenly become too quiet. They should be wary of what they say to their juniors in speech or over text because an overthinking teammate might misconstrue something, which can trigger anxiety. Fellow colleagues should always have each other’s back and not indulge in shoving off responsibility when crisis strikes, just for some extra brownie points. – Aryan Srivastav, IT professional

Tight deadlines

The one thing I have understood from my years of experience is that one can never really be adept at handling work stress. No matter how professional or disciplined you are, there will be days or even weeks when you will be completely overwhelmed and debilitated. But when that keeps happening frequently, then it has truly affected you.

There was a phase in my professional life when I couldn't bear one deadline. The thought of working on a tight timeline as if you are walking on a tight rope balancing multiple tasks, developed in me crippling anxiety which invariably led to low productivity. This anxiety kept snowballing and later, every little work-related detail started haunting me. From getting worked up by office messages to thinking about work even at night - my entire life got surrounded by work stress.

This pushed me to a point where I had to consult a therapist, who said, "Triggers don't stop being triggers.” So today, if I have to share one trigger, it would be tight deadlines. I still have that muffled fear in me that not being able to perform on time could inevitably become bigger and all the emotional and mental stress that I had left behind will come crashing down on me again – Meera Bhatia, fashion industry

'Figure it out'

Media industry is by nature one of the most stressful jobs out there. Tight deadlines, unending cascade of inputs and the unrelenting pressure to break stories without delay, all the while being creative, error-free and accurate are part and parcel of the job, and it has its own impact on the mental health of those involved. As someone who has been working across mediums (print, online and TV), there are many triggers that I constantly have to keep in check.

Our bosses always have ambitious ideas. While that's what makes them bosses, one also expects them to give solutions and comprehend practical difficulties in getting the work done. It seldom helps when you are stuck, without any leads on how to go around a problem, only to be told by your bosses the three most annoying words- 'figure it out'.

While bosses who have a 'figure it out' attitude are bad, let's not forget the micromanagers are equally bad. While they may not see it, micro-managers expect you to play by their rule book, word to word and that can be very stressful. It completely leaves out any scope of originality or creative thinking.

When you haven't finished one task, and even without asking the status of your current worry, more work is piled on your head. And when you say no, they respond with a 'you have to learn to multitask.'

Between all this, people forget to respect boundaries. While workplace boundaries are essentially laid down by you, some don't take it seriously. Trying to get too friendly, pushing you to swap shifts or exchange offs, or pushover their work on to you- these are some of the regular things that happen.

From barbs to being sidelined, women, people from marginalised communities and queer folks have a lot to deal with in workplaces. – Pankaj Menon, media professional

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