The impact of chronic stress on employee cognitive functioning

The growing hustle and bustle of the corporate world has increased employee stress. Due to this, there has been a growing number of cases of chronic stress. This can be extremely harmful to mental wellbeing and lesser discussed but equally impacted, physical wellbeing. Cognitive function in the workplace drastically decreases as well due to chronic stress.

These effects can interfere with daily life functioning and work performance. HR and managers must collaborate to reduce workplace stress to maintain mental and physical wellbeing, specifically to avoid harmful effects on cognitive functioning. Focusing on mitigating chronic stress and its harmful effects can greatly improve employee wellbeing, workplace productivity, and organizational success.

Let us take a closer look at how chronic stress affects cognitive functioning in the workplace and strategies to avoid such harmful effects.

The science behind chronic stress and cognitive abilities

Chronic stress can manifest in various ways. While many emphasize the mental wellbeing effects, many fail to neglect its impact on the physiological level. Chronic stress can cause temporary and permanent changes in the brain and its functioning. This includes hormonal changes, specifically in cortisol. 

This change in cortisol levels can hinder memory performance and concentration and interfere with decision-making. Memory, concentration, and decision-making are extremely vital functions required to function daily. One can see that chronic stress can directly affect basic cognitive functioning. It can decrease cognitive functioning in the workplace and heavily impact performance. This can cause a massive dip in workplace productivity.

There have been several studies conducted to investigate the relationship between chronic stress and cognitive functioning. One such study claimed that people experiencing elevated stress levels for elongated periods are 37% more likely to have reduced cognitive functioning among other health issues like cardiovascular risks and drive people to unhealthy coping mechanisms.

Chronic stress greatly contributes to cognitive functioning. Maintaining healthy physiological levels and cognitive functioning is important to avoid situations of chronic stress. HR leaders, managers, and CEOs should work together with the team to ensure a stress-free workplace.

Signs of cognitive impairment due to stress in the workplace

Closely working with employees will allow you to observe snippets of their cognitive functioning. It is important to be able to identify signs of cognitive impairment due to chronic stress. Only after identifying someone struggling can appropriate help be delivered. Let us take a look at some of the signs to look out for in employees:

• Increased forgetfulness: Employees that struggle to keep track of their deadlines or manage their personal belongings can be a crucial sign. This can be a manifestation of the chronic stress they are experiencing in the workplace.
• Decreased concentration: Employees tend to be dedicated to contributing high-quality work to their managers. If an employee is struggling with concentrating on meetings and tasks HR should investigate whether they are under stressful conditions.
• Poor decision-making: An indicator of cognitive functioning ability is the decision-making skill. Poor decision-making skills often manifest from experiencing high levels of stress. This causes anxiety disabling employees to optimize the use of their cognitive abilities leading to more errors in judgment for themselves and the company.
• Dip in creativity: Chronic stress can make employees anxious to suggest bold creative solutions and ideas for the company. Gradually, it limits the energy and inspiration for creativity and innovative thinking too. Managers and HRs should take note of such disengaged behavior in employees and check up on them.

Strategies for mitigating the effects of chronic stress on cognitive function

Thankfully, one does not need to feel dejected when they find out their employees have been operating in stressful situations. With a few simple yet effective strategies, team leaders can reduce the stress level of their employees within the workplace. Here are a list of strategies one can choose from:

• Promote a healthy work-life balance: Implementing flexible schedules for employees is one of the easiest yet effective ways to reduce stress in the workplace. Offering flexible options for remote work locations and hours can allow employees to decide on suitable conditions for them to dedicate maximum efficiency to their work.
• Create a supportive work environment: A supportive workplace is greatly beneficial for the employees of the company. A supportive work environment should have space to unwind during breaks, promote open communication, and offer mental health resources and services. Promoting the use of fun zones in the office can ensure employees take much-needed breaks during their hectic workday. Further, having channels to communicate grievances anonymously against managers, HRs, and colleagues can help identify stressors and work on fixing them. This will show company support for employees and alleviate the stress of the task force.
• Stress-reduction programs: Chronic stress in the workplace has significantly increased in recent years. Often, even with strategies that promote a relaxed workplace, employees can get stressed due to external factors that companies cannot control. Offering stress management or reduction programs can guide employees in redirecting and managing stress levels.

Cognitive functioning is a specific mental skill set that is essential for daily tasks. Simple yet crucial mental skills such as learning, thinking, reasoning, decision-making, attention span, and more fall under cognitive functioning. Chronic stress can greatly affect the systems that work together for smooth cognitive functioning which can dampen the performance of daily tasks, and workplace tasks.

Addressing the high levels of stress employees experience early on can prevent crises from arising. Organizations should work to prioritize mental health initiatives to maintain a task force with healthy lifestyles that work to combat the stress in their life and boost overall wellbeing.

FAQs

How does chronic stress affect cognitive function?  

Chronic stress impairs memory, concentration, decision-making, and overall cognitive performance due to prolonged exposure to stress hormones like cortisol.

What are the signs of stress-related cognitive decline in employees?  

Employees may show signs like forgetfulness, decreased concentration, errors in work, and poor decision-making when under chronic stress.

How can organizations help mitigate the cognitive effects of chronic stress?  

Organizations can offer stress management programs, promote work-life balance, and provide a supportive work environment with mental health resources.

Why is it important to address chronic stress in the workplace?  

Addressing stress is crucial for maintaining employee cognitive performance, mental health, and overall workplace productivity.