Workplace Stress

3 Pages 738 Words

Workplace Stress
With the rise in technological advances and the use of email comes the rise of workplace stress. With the rise in technology, the vast majority of organizations have turned to email as a way in which to keep up the pace. Email may bring the information to an individual quickly however; it also tends to bring the stress along with it. “Although heralded as one of the most valuable business tools, the research suggests that email may be the largest cause of stress in the workplace” (iafrica .com editor, 2002). Not only does the technological advance of email show a rise in stress it also brings up a vast amount of ethical issues.
Many issues have been brought to light with the rise in the use of email as a means of communication. It is a faster way to supply information from one organization to another, as well as internally. “Due to the pervasive use of information technology and its dual potential to be used for good or bad, we need to consider the specific issues that arise when people work with information systems” (2002, UMSL.edu) Many people do not even think of the reasons why the email system can cause them so much stress.
Email brings a great deal of stress because it can cause information overload. Most people receive more email then they can read in a lifetime and spend countless hours just trying to sort through the useful email versus the non-useful email. When a person has this much information coming in on a daily basis, it can cause information overload, which in turn can cause a great deal of stress. It is often difficult to prioritize which emails are urgent and which are not. Therefore, one must spend the time sorting through countless emails in order to prioritize which emails must be addressed immediately and which ones can wait.
Many emails contain either time sensitive or confidential information that needs to be copied or moved to a safer location. Email also not only brin...