FOCUS : Precaution should be exercised to avoid ubnormal stress levels

Have you ever wondered why bank tellers count money twice or thrice before they are satisfied they are paying the correct amount? Do you also wonder why mortuary attendants are always moody to the extreme of being rude? Wonder no more. The two categories of employees have one thing in common, they work under stressful environments. Much has been written about the mental pressure called stress.What you have possibly not been told is that your job could be categorised among the key stressors, which could lead to mental illness, including death. Before you apply for that enviable job that promises a six to seven digit salary and a raft of other luxurious perks, first think about your stress tolerance level. Some of the jobs categorised as key stressors include: Media: All those working in the media industry especially the newspapers, television and radio stations operate under intense mental pressure occasioned by strict deadlines and short response times. Banking: Tellers suffer more stress to ensure accounts balance, hence the need to take care and avoid paying customers more money. Nursing: Unless one has high stress tolerance levels, the mental pressure and trauma could end up leaving heavy health strains on nurses and doctors. Military and police: They work in environments of extreme stress because the work exposes them to physical and mental strain. Teaching: The industry looks like less stressful but the knowledge that the outcomes of the job is before the public domain leaves individuals extremely stressed. Diplomacy: This is one industry envied by many job seekers. But the truth soon dawns on the individuals that posting to a foreign country means significant periods away from home and family. Flying: Pilots will confess that nothing is as stressful like that moment of take-off or trying to land an aircraft. This is the moment of heavy adrenalin and many accidents are known to occur during take-off and landing. Although a little pressure at the workplace is considered healthy as a driver to productivity, heavy doses of stress ignite a string of both emotional and mental illnesses. When stress is poorly handled or managed unprofessionally, it could leave the individual both jobless and hospitalised. It is important for every employer to read signs of stressed employees and take the necessary counselling pre-cautions before the problem turns into a costly and destructive. dedantos2002@yahoo.com