Flip Side to Working Under Pressure

We often hear about the benefits of working under pressure. Extra work, more output, excellent quality, creative output, etc. But, we rarely hear about the flip side of working under pressure i.e. work pressure.

Work pressure is a negative effect created by working under stress. Although it is the side effect of working under pressure, but it is not entirely a negative effect. Work pressure can also lead to positive outcomes better than those created when you don’t have any stress in your life (or not much stress).

However, we should have an upper limit to the amount of work pressure we should get exposed to. It’s ideal if we keep our work pressure at a minimum or as far as possible below that minimal limit. We should strive for variety in our work and avoid monotony and routine. This will help us in avoiding work pressure.

Downside to working under pressure 

It has been estimated that close to 85% of the workforce experiences work pressure. The symptoms can be nausea, sweaty palms, racing heartbeat, shortness of breath, chest pain and headaches. Over long periods of time it can exacerbate existing medical conditions and create stress related illnesses including depression and heart disease.

There are a number of serious health effects of working under pressure. High blood pressure is often cited as an obvious risk factor, but there is now evidence that work-related stress can be just as damaging over long periods of time as smoking or obesity.

The World Health Organisation estimates that stress-related illnesses cost the UK economy over £10 billion annually in lost productivity, absence, health treatments and legal claims. This is not just about the effect on the individual worker but on the organisations for which they work. There are serious implications for product design, customer experience and retention, performance and culture.

The solution to this problem can be relatively simple. You can either work under pressure or work smart.

Everyone underlines the role of pressure and stress in their working routine. Being responsible for someone's life is not child's play. People working in such professions as firefighters, doctors, and the police should always stay calm, collected, and focused. That's the main rule they have to follow. Pressure can play a positive role, but only when it doesn't go overboard and becomes a major problem.

They say that pressure makes diamonds. But, it can also make people go mad. You can easily lose your head, get depressed for a long time, and even get physically ill.

I work under pressure, a lot of it probably. The advantages of working under pressure are that there is always a solution to each problem, and you are forced to come up with a quick solution for every problem and it helps in identifying the loopholes in your business as well as keeping you updated with the current trends.

Life without pressure is very boring and depressing. However, working under pressure has many disadvantages as well. Working under pressure often leads to a catastrophic decision making and sometimes the employee might make wrong decisions which lead to losses. There is no time to make discussions with everyone in the office and hence they might not be aware of the plan or what is going on in the company.

Life without pressure also has its difficulties as well, as there is no such thing as spark or motivation without stress or pressure. Hence, employees have to work harder to finish off their work without timely pressure and work accordingly.

The following are some the disadvantages of working under pressure.

• You are likely to make mistakes

• Your brain works slower because it's working under stress. When you are under pressure, your body releases hormones that put your body into "fight or flight" mode. When in fight or flight mode, your brain focuses on survival and not on creativity.

• There is a strong possibility that you make a mistake. When you are under pressure, your mind is preoccupied with what is going on and it is very hard to make accurate decisions.

• You don't think clearly

• Your energy level drops

• You have a higher risk of getting sick because your immune system weakens. The stress hormone, cortisol, causes the immune system to weaken and leaves the body susceptible to disease.

• You have a higher risk of heart attack and stroke because of the adrenaline released in the body.

Let's face it, working under pressure does have its advantages. However, it also has its drawbacks and it's only fair to prepare yourself for what lies ahead.

some of the other downsides to working under pressure includes 

• You will work more hours: Working under pressure means you need to work overtime more often than not.

• You may resent your job: If you don't get the job done on time, you will hate yourself for not performing when you are expected to.

• It can be very stressful: We all know stress is not good for us; so many people get stressed out if they don't get things done on time or in a rush.

• You can lose focus: When things are tight and we need to do them quickly we can make silly mistakes or forget vital information.

• You start seeing less meaning in your work: If it's not your passion, then working under pressure is not good for you.

Thanks for reading. I have exhausted my drafts for now. I’ll see what I can come up with for my next article.

…….Till then