Beaton explains that while there are certainly elements of stress in being a police officer, doctor, or teacher, those workers also enjoy greater degrees of flexibility and creativity in their work. Teachers, for example, function within the framework of their school, but they also have the freedom to create their own lesson plans, and to adapt those plans to meet the changing needs of the classroom. Instead of being able to change and adapt their work, office workers are often stuck in rut. Beaton compares it to being trapped in a cage. The impact of occupational stress is beginning to be felt in the American health care system, but Beaton points out that very little is really known about it.
Some workplace stress can be the result of physical discomforts.
Beaton says some ergonomic changes in your work area, along with a good, comfortable chair, can eliminate much of the physical stress. If you spend a lot of time at your desk, Beaton recommends you take a 'micro' break at least every 15 minutes. Other stress problems can be organizational, like having a boss who simply doesn't recognize how stressful your job can be. Beaton says stress management seminars aren't the answer. Stress won't go away just because the company holds a two-hour stress management seminar, or offers aerobics at lunch time.