New stressors, new remedies

This paper looks at the stressors prominent in the workplace at the end of the 20th century--increases in workload, falls in social support, uncertainty and violence. It considers some of the pressures that have created these stressors and some of the interventions used to combat them; for example, better teamworking, different management style, an emphasis on quality, a more accurate analysis of the burgeoning costs of stress to organizations, and an increasing appreciation that parental stress affects children negatively and so makes our future society more at risk. It considers the rising emphasis on the individual role in stress, and on the increase in counselling services. It concludes that occupational health services have a very important role to play not only in providing secondary interventions but also in influencing preventive measures.