Work and Your Health

Work is important on many levels to most of us. It is very important doing a job we find satisfying and we enjoy because it can provide a meaningful focus for our lives, as well as bringing in an income. On the money we make, hinges our standard of living, while employment often contributes to our self-esteem and self-image.

Work-related problems can affect our emotional, physical and mental health. Common issues include bullying and discrimination, job dissatisfaction, stress, violence, workplace injury, retirement or accidental death. Unexpected loss of income, job loss or retrenchment can also cause hardship and distress. Family Kickstart Georgia (FKSG) offers a wide range of programs that helps you to go through this problems.

Job dissatisfaction

Not everyone has the opportunity to work in a challenging and rewarding job. Previous choices or life circumstances can limit a person’s ability to change their employment, some people experience job dissatisfaction because they are unsafe or unhappy at work. In their jobs may have problems such as:

• Conflict with bosses or workmates, poor pay
• Bullying, discrimination or harassment
• Boredom, no promotion prospects
• Overwork, stress or safety issues

Stress at work

Common causes of work-related stress include job insecurity, long hours, heavy workload and conflicts with bosses or co-workers. On a strictly business level, workplace conflict leads to increases in absenteeism and downturns in productivity.

Burnout can occur when a person neglecting everything else while strives too hard in one area of life. Paying attention to your ‘work–life balance’ can help you manage work-related stress. For example, workaholics put all their energies into their career, which can put their personal interest, social and family life out of balance.

Discrimination in the workplace

Unlawful discrimination occurs when someone is treated less favourably than another person because of:

• Race, colour, religion, national or ethnic origin
• Sex, age
• Disability
• Pregnancy status, marital status
• Sexual preference
• Trade union activity.

Workplace discrimination can occur when:

• Selecting and recruiting staff
• Offering conditions, terms and benefits of employment
• Deciding what sort of training is offered and who receives it
• Selecting staff for promotion, retrenchment, transfer or dismissal.

Workplace bullying and violence

Workplace violence is conflict escalated to the point of emotional, physical or psychological attack. It includes facial abuse, threats, sexual harassment, insults or physical contact such as punching or pushing. The attack may come from anybody in the workplace, including an co-worker, employer, customer or service user.

Bullying is a form of violence that can occur in the workplace. Bullying includes any behaviour that offends, intimidates, degrades or humiliates another person.

Retirement

On the reason for leaving the workforce, depends responses to retirement. For example, a person who planned for their retirement is more likely to feel positive about it, while a person forced into early retirement due to illness or redundancy may find it harder to cope.

Unemployment or retrenchment

Retrenchment, unexpected unemployment or job loss can cause distress and hardship that may lead to health problems. It is normal to experience a range of reactions, which may include anger, guilt, shock and a sense of powerlessness. Over time, the build-up of financial pressures, being undervalued or feelings of failure and the emotional exhaustion of prolonged job hunting can lead to anxiety, depression, stress and fatigue.