Stress at the workplace is on the rise in economies especially in these times of economic hardships. Some of the stress people and organizations experience is part of a normal life. But excessive stress may affect productivity in the workplace and it may affect the health of an individual emotionally and physically. When the demands of the job are not matching with the abilities, needs and resources of the worker, he or she is likely to experience stress because the worker is not comfortable. The levels of stress in different countries vary depending on the causes of stress. The table below shows the causes of stress to the workers and their percentage levels in six countries. They are from a survey carried out among the US worker by The Regus group.                                              UK (%)  France (%)  Germany (%)  USA (%)  Belgium (%)  Canada (%) Increased focus on productivity              39      39.7        34.8         39.1     37.3         33.1       Increased focus on quarterly sales revenues  19.1    35.2        29.9         20       37.3         23.4       Poor administrative support                  25.4    17.1        26.4         24.4     22.5         24         Competition                                  7.8     8.6         12.9         10.1     3.5          7.8        Unemployment risks                           43.7    21.2        16.4         38.1     12           25.3       Pressure from customers                      32.4    29.4        33.3         25.8     29.6         27.3       Loss of good staff                           64.8    6.4         14.9         12.4     4.2          11.7        Table 1: Source: The Regus Group, 2009 Employees in these countries have been experiencing a rise in stress levels during the period of the financial crisis. This has caused a lot of challenges to many countries because the management of the company has been impaired. Also, professionalism may be undermined by employee conflicts and the motivation of the workers could also be damaged. When these problems arise, the company may start experiencing declines in financial and commercial performance and it will be a problem to regain significant growth (Regus Group par. 3-4). It is evident that the sources of stress in different countries although the percentage levels are varying. The focus on productivity is the major cause of stress in most countries. This could be a result of the global recession. Stress levels in the larger companies are high with a percentage of 71% of the workers. In the medium and small firms, 54% 0f the workers had a high level of stress. Different countries have different causes of stress and what worries one country is not a major worry in another one. Like in Malaysia, financial factors are the major source of stress among its residents. The financial status of its residents affects the decision-making of most people and to them, this is what they care about most. In other countries like Russia and France, personal factors are the leading cause of worry among their residents. They are more concerned about their families than their financial status. Occupational factors are however the major concern among the residents in the UK. Most people are wor