What is true: harassment at work is…?

From the book – Chapter 29: Workplace and Academic Stress

The right answer

A rights problem as well as a mood problem

Common work-related problems

Overload and burnout

Burnout is exhaustion from long-term stress without recovery. At work, prevention includes realistic goals, regular breaks, taking leave, saying no, and honest conversations with managers.

Bullying and harassment

Repeated unfair treatment, humiliation, exclusion, or abuse at work is harmful. Keep a record (dates, what happened, witnesses), speak to a trusted person, use your organisation’s complaints process, and seek advice from a union, HR, or legal service. You deserve a safe workplace.

Job loss and insecurity

Redundancy or dismissal can feel like a bereavement, involving shock, anger, fear, and shame. Give yourself time to adjust. Keep a routine, reach out to your network, plan your finances, and treat job hunting as a daily task with breaks. Consider counselling if low mood or anxiety continues.

Working from home

Remote work gives flexibility but can bring isolation and blurred boundaries. Helpful habits:

Have a dedicated workspace and fixed start and finish times
Dress for work and take real breaks away from the screen
Schedule social contact with colleagues
Move your body during the day
Switch off at the end of the day

Shift work and night work

Irregular hours disturb the body clock and raise the risk of sleep problems, depression, and other illness. Keep sleep as regular as possible, use dark curtains and eye masks, manage caffeine, and eat light meals during night shifts.

Perfectionism and imposter feelings

Some high achievers feel like frauds who will be “found out.” Signs include discounting success, overworking, and fear of mistakes. Remind yourself of the evidence of your achievements, talk about the feeling with trusted colleagues (many share it), and set “good enough” standards for low-stakes tasks.

Read the full chapter – Chapter 29: Workplace and Academic Stress

Stories from real life

The Night Before the Board Exam – Ishaan, sixteen, in Kota, had been studying fourteen hours a day for months. His parents had sold a plot of land for his coaching fees. A…
The Inbox That Never Ends – Anjali, thirty-six, a team lead at a Chennai company, took on every request. She worked late, answered messages at dawn and skipped leave for two years.…
The Boss Who Humiliated – Ravi, twenty-eight, a junior analyst in Mumbai, was shouted at in meetings by his senior, who mocked his accent and left him out of emails. It…
The Day the Letter Came – Hassan, forty-five, worked at a firm in Birmingham after moving from Syria. He lost his job in a restructuring. He felt shock, then anger, then shame.…

More on this topic: Stress – causes, symptoms and how to reduce stress at work and in exams