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WHAT ARE THE MAIN TRIGGERS OF WORKPLACE ANXIETY AND HOW CAN WE ADDRESS THEM?

Experts from the University of Toronto Scarborough say the most prominent causes of workplace anxiety include jobs that require constant expression or suppression of emotion - think 'service with a smile' - as well as jobs with constant looming deadlines or frequent organisational change.

Office politics and control over work are other important factors. Employee characteristics including age, gender and job tenure can also affect the experience of workplace anxiety.

'Managing anxiety can be done by recognising and addressing triggers of workplace anxiety, but also being aware of how to leverage it in order to drive performance,' says Lead author Bonnie Hayden Cheng .

She says there are many strategies organisations can use to help employees. 

Some of these include training to help boost self-confidence, offering tools and resources to perform tasks at work, and equipping employees with strategies to recognise, use, and manage feelings of anxiety through emotional intelligence development.

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