OCCUPATIONAL STRESS SOURCES AND WAYS TO COPE WITH ITS CONSEQUENCES

Abstract

One of the most significant contemporary problems is that of occupational stress. It is studied as a multiform phenomenon finding manifestation in employee’s mental and physical responses that occur upon sufficiently prolonged intensive influence of emotionally negative and extreme factors directly related to the performance of one’s job. Occupational stress is a possible response of the body when employees face requirements that could not be met by the level of their knowledge and skills. It may be due not only to structural-organisational peculiarities but also to the employees’ nature of work, personal relations and their interaction. The main objective of this article is to provide an overview of the types of occupational stress, to demonstrate the main stressors, their weight regarding various groups of employees and their consequences; to propose methods, mechanisms and strategies for coping with the occupational stress. The main research methods used herein are inquiry, interview, content-analysis, comparison methods and intuitive and systematic approach.