Workplace stress

Workplace stress

Discuss the following questions

1 When you hear the word stress, what comes to mind?

2 What do you think is the #1 cause of stress in modern workplaces?

3 How do you notice when you’re feeling stressed?
4 On a scale of 1-10, how stressful is your current job?

5 What's the most stressful part of your workday?

6 How do you typically unwind after a difficult day at work?

Look at the vocabulary below. Give a definition for each word

workload
deadline
multitasking
burnout
time constraints
work-life balance
micromanagement
job security

WORKLOAD (N) = the amount of work to be done

heavy/light workload

manage your workload

reduce/increase workload

cope with the workload

reasonable/unreasonable workload

distribute the workload

I've been struggling with a heavy workload since two people left our team.

DEADLINE (N) = a time or day by which smth must be done

meet a deadline
tight deadline
miss a deadline
looming deadline
extend a deadline
under deadline pressure

We’re under pressure to meet several tight deadlines this week.

MULTITASKING (N,U) = an ability to do more than one thing at a time

good at multitasking
multitasking skills
constant multitasking

Constant multitasking makes it difficult to focus on important tasks.

BURNOUT (N, U) = extreme tiredness caused by working too hard

suffer from burnout

experience burnout

avoid/prevent burnout

recover from burnout

lead to burnout
risk of burnout

After months of overtime, he began to show signs of burnout.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE (N)

achieve/maintain work-life balance

healthy work-life balance

struggle with work-life balance

improve your work-life balance

lack of work-life balance

Since I started working from home, it's been harder to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

MICROMANAGEMENT (N, U) = the act of controlling every part of a situation, including small details

constant micromanagement
avoid micromanagement
style of micromanagement.

The team's productivity dropped due to the CEO's constant micromanagement; it felt like he didn't trust them.

JOB SECURITY (N, U) = a permanent job

lack of job security

provide job security

offer job security

threaten job security

greater/less job security

Freelancers often earn more but have less job security than permanent employees.

Multiple Choice

After two colleagues left the team, my __________ doubled and I had to stay late every day.

• deadline

• workload

• micromanagement

• burnout

Multiple Choice

We’re all working under pressure because the project __________ is in just three days.

• deadline

• micromanagement

• burnout

• workload

Multiple Choice

Constant __________ makes it difficult to concentrate, especially when you switch between tasks every few minutes.

• job security

• multitasking
  

• work-life balance

• micromanagement

Multiple Choice

She took a month off because she was suffering from severe __________ after years of overtime.

• burnout

• deadline

• micromanagement

• job security

Multiple Choice

Many people struggle to maintain a healthy __________ when they work from home and can’t switch off.

• job security

• workload
  

• work-life balance

• multitasking

Multiple Choice

Employees often feel stressed when their manager controls every small detail; this kind of __________ reduces trust and independence.

• micromanagement
  

• multitasking
  

• burnout

• workload

Multiple Choice

In unstable industries, many workers worry about their __________ and whether their position is safe in the long term.

• deadline
  

• job security
  

• workload

• multitasking

COPE WITH = to deal successfully with a difficult situation or a person in a difficult situation

cope with stress
cope with pressure
cope with demands
struggle to cope
difficult to cope with
learn to cope

Regular exercise is a healthy coping mechanism that helps me cope with the pressure of sales targets.

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TAKE ON = to accept a particular job or responsiblity

take on extra work
take on new responsibilities
take on more than you can handle
(tendency to) take on too much

Don't take on extra work if you're already struggling with your current projects.

FEEL OVERWHELMED = having too much to manage

feel completely overwhelmed
easily overwhelmed
overwhelmed by work/tasks/responsibilities
feel stressed and overwhelmed

When I look at my to-do list, I feel completely overwhelmed.

JUGGLE (responsibilities) = to try to do two or more jobs or activities at the same time

juggle multiple tasks/projects
juggle work and family
juggle competing demands
difficult to juggle
constantly juggling

She is juggling three major projects at the moment, so she is extremely busy.

TAKE A TOLL = to cause harm or suffering

take a heavy toll
take its toll on health/family
stress takes a toll


The constant night shifts began to take a heavy toll on her physical and mental health.

You are going to watch a video about stress management.
Discuss the following questions before watching the video

1 What do you think “stress and anxiety in the workplace” means?

2 What factors at work can cause stress or anxiety - especially in an office or remote-work setting?

3 What kind of advice or solutions do you expect the video to give?

While you are watching the video, listen to what are the causes of stress, its effects on people and any suggested ways of managing stress.

CAUSE - EFFECT - SOLUTION/COPING

Answer the following questions

1 What causes of workplace stress or anxiety did the video mention?

2 What negative effects of stress or anxiety were discussed (on personal well-being, performance, relationships)?

3 What coping strategies or solutions did the video suggest?

4 Which suggestions seemed most realistic or useful to you - and why?