BUSINESS NEWS
How can employers encourage ‘good stress’ and limit ‘bad stress’? By Phoebe Armstrong Not all stress is created equal. By understanding the distinctions between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ stress, employers can strike a balance between keeping employees motivated and protecting their wellbeing. Despite its laid-back reputation, Australia is currently one of the most stressed-out countries in the world. According to a recent report by global analytics firm Gallup, 48 per cent of Australians reported high levels of stress at work in 2022, making them the second most stressed workers globally (alongside New Zealand). A concrete strategy to tackle workplace stress is no longer a nice-to-have. Following the introduction of a new Code of Practice for managing workplace psychosocial hazards earlier this year, employers now have a positive duty to address the risk of stress and other mental health issues at work. Stress is not only one of the most significant risks to employee mental health, but also one of the most costly to employers. According to Safe Work Australia, mental stress is the most common reason for serious workplace injury claims related to mental health, resulting in over 11,000 claims from 2020-21 alone.
‘Good stress’, or eustress, is a positive form of short-term stress that we experience when we feel motivated and enthusiastic about something. This type of stress is not only useful but critical in helping us deal with challenging situations, says Dr Michelle McQuaid, Founder of the Wellbeing Lab and speaker at AHRI’s National Convention and Exhibition held in August. “Without good stress, we don’t learn and we don’t grow,” she says. “Good stress is our body’s way of letting us know that something that matters to us is on the line, and it needs a bit more of our attention and energy and effort to get the outcome that we want. It makes us feel uncomfortable and anxious so we pay attention to what is happening.” By understanding the causes and effects of good and bad stress, employers can effectively manage risks to wellbeing without compromising motivation and productivity.
When considering the best strategy to manage workplace stress, it’s important to remember that not all stress is created equal. Research shows that there are both healthy and unhealthy forms of stress.
Good versus bad stress
‘Bad stress’, or distress, is what most of us picture when we think about feeling stressed. It tends to occur when we are in overwhelming or anxiety-inducing situations that feel out of our control. Bad stress tends to be a long-term issue, and can be severely detrimental to energy levels, engagement and overall wellbeing.
“The cortisol hormone [associated with the ‘fight-or-flight’ response] gets aroused with stress,” she says. “When stress is unhealthy, it tends to be the accumulation of too much cortisol over too long a period of time, and too much cortisol impairs our memory and tends to cause us to want to isolate ourselves from others.
To determine whether the stress we are experiencing is healthy or unhealthy, it’s important to understand how our bodies naturally respond to stressors, says McQuaid.
“But cortisol is not the only hormone that gets triggered when we have a stress response. There’s a whole cocktail of hormones, and some of them are very healthy.” One of these positive hormones is adrenaline, she explains. When our adrenaline levels go up, our heart rate increases and we feel more alert and energised. This can help us approach work in a more productive and detail-oriented way.
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Good stress is our body’s way of letting us know that something that matters to us is on the line.
– Dr Michelle McQuaid, Founder, The Wellbeing Lab
Another hormone triggered as part of our stress response is dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which McQuaid describes as ‘like Miracle Gro for our wellbeing’. Studies have shown that
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GROUNDSWELL DECEMBER 2023
