Work-Related Stress in the Banking Sector: A Review of Incidence, Correlated Factors, and Major Consequences

For a number of years now, banks have been going through enormous changes in organization and structure. New technology and new ways of structuring the operation have left their mark on the working conditions and daily lives of employees. Deregulation of labor markets, emerging technologies and new types of jobs have significantly reshaping working lives by continuous changes on employment and working conditions. Such a scenario has a relevant impact not only on companies' organization but also on working population's health. The banking sector is particularly well-deserved of a specific and thorough analysis, in view of the recent increase in psycho-social disorders of employees. This may be related to the major organizational changes affecting this sector and, in particular, to the restructuring processes resulting from the global economic crisis. Our aim is to assess the scale of the phenomenon and how far it relates specifically to the processes of bank organization. With this in mind, through a review of the literature, we selected the main studies dealing with work-related stress in banking, so that we could reach a better understanding of the phenomenon as it relates specifically to this set of workers. The search took place on the MEDLINE® database; in total 20 articles were chosen. There was uniform agreement among the studies that stress in the banking workplace is now at critical levels, and that it can have deleterious psychological effects on workers, and on their physical health, and that organizations, too, are affected. Most studies showed that mental health problems had increased in the banking sector, and that they were stress-related. Examples began with anxiety and depression, carried on through maladaptive behaviors, and ended in job burnout. The reviewed studies' limitations were then discussed, and possible ways forward considered

The Well-Being of Primary School Teachers during COVID-19

This study examines the self-rated health and well-being of Icelandic teachers just before and over a year after COVID-19 first appeared. We ask, what was the stress level in 2021 compared to 2019 and the impact of mental and physical health and health symptoms on perceived stress? Were there any changes in self-assessed mental and physical health? Were there any changes in self-assessed mental and physical health symptoms? The study is based on an online survey conducted in 2019 and 2021. A total of 920 primary school teachers answered the questionnaire in part or in full, after three reminders. The main findings show increased stress, worsening mental and physical health, and increasing mental and physical symptoms in 2021 compared to 2019. The results also show a higher percentage of women than men reporting high stress, with women scoring higher on the PSS scale, but the gender patterns for mental and physical health are less clear. The results show that the COVID-19 pandemic had negative consequences on the health and well-being of the teachers. The study demonstrates the importance of school authorities keeping an exceptionally watchful eye on the welfare and well-being of teachers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic

Work organization, well-being and health in geriatric care

Abstract. The objective of the present study was to explore the connection between the organization of work in geriatric care and factors which have been connected to job stress and burnout, i.e. exhaustion, mental workload, job satisfaction and communication. We also analyzed how these factors were related to employee visits to doctors during the previous 12 months due to various medical conditions. The study was a cross-sectional questionnaire distributed to all employees within nursing homes and geriatric hospital wards with 10 employees or more throughout Iceland. The total response rate was 80%. The majority of respondents, or 96%, were women (n = 1432), and the results are based on their answers. Our data show that there is a high correlation between mental exhaustion and the unsatisfactory organization of work. Mental exhaustion upon completing work shifts was more closely connected to the health outcomes studied than were the other workrelated factors studied. This is especially true for chronic fatigue, depression and sleeping disorders. It is important that employers and managers notice the mismatches between work and workers that this study manifests. Employers and managers must also consider the organizational factors that are influential