The survey participants indicated that their mental health was impacted by their work life, particularly when the individual felt a high level of stress due to her job. The participants suggested that they had more difficulty coping with high-stress work environments as they aged, and for this reason recognizing emotional and mental health needs was considered an instrumental need because it became a more explicit concern for the participants as they aged in the workplace. The women suggested that when their mental wellbeing was not supported at work, the stress of the work environment caused them anxiety and thus they began to consider the effects of this stress on their overall health, as
one participant said, “My workplace is not conducive to mental wellbeing as there is a total lack of privacy… The noise, other people standing around talking on top of their voices, contributes to the constant stress in the work space.” Many of the survey participants identified job-related stress as a factor that detracts from their overall wellbeing and they identified an inability to manage stress as effectively as when they were younger as a major contributor. They also expressed concern regarding the long- term effects of their work on mental health. Some participants identified this concern as a reason that they had left former workplaces or changed jobs, as one participant said, “health is most important, both mental and physical. [I] just recently changed jobs for that very reason.”
5.3.2.1.
Accepting and managing job stress
Some of the survey participants identified stress in the workplace as a contributing factor to mental health concerns due to increased anxiety and responsibilities at work or
difficulty managing stress levels. Two survey participants discussed increased workloads resulting in higher stress levels, as one said, “Increased demands required longer work days and the stress level was difficult to manage” and another provided a job-specific example saying, “often experienced nurses get extra tasks added to their workload [because they are] seen as leaders and always asked to be training new recruits [which can be] stressful.”
Other survey participants indicated that as they aged they had more difficulty managing their stress levels at work. As management of these issues, some participants had changed jobs to reduce their stress levels, as one participant said, “with the present employment, the stress factor is greatly reduced.” Still others expressed concern regarding the effects of stress on their overall health, recognizing that extended periods of high-stress at work can take a physical and mental toll, as exemplified by one participant’s concern, “[I have] thought about the people who were sick due to job stress.” These perspectives suggest that older women workers prefer to avoid high-stress work environments by preventing or leaving stressful situations, in order to maintain their health and wellbeing. As well, they are cognizant not only of the effects that job stress has on their own wellbeing, but also were empathetic towards others who may have similarly stressful work experiences.
5.3.2.2.
Being aware of the importance of work and health
Some survey participants recognized the long-term effects that high-pressure positions had on their health. Specifically, they connected job stress to mental health; however, some participants also referred to the physical effects, such as one participant who said, “I did have concerns about the stress of the job and long hours and what impact they would have on my health” while another said, “I worry about the day to day stress of the job on my long term health.”
One survey participant expressed a loss of motivation at work as she neared retirement saying, “As one gets closer to retirement, the frustrations of the job increase tenfold thus increasing the pressure of the job. There was a loss of the drive to win in the job setting.” This comment suggests that not only had the participant experienced increased stress at work as she neared retirement, but also she may have mentally checked out of the job near the end of her career. Another participant expressed concern regarding job security and the stress that a tenuous employment situation may have on mental health because employees may “constantly be worried about being fired [because of] other undermining workers.”
These concerns surrounding job security and motivation at work reflect the difficulty that some women experienced as they aged at work and emphasized the importance of feeling comfortable and at-ease in one’s employment position. The survey participants did not address how they managed the stress that they experienced at work, other than some participants indicating that they had left the stressful environment. In addition, when the survey participants expressed feeling stressed or mentally or emotionally uneasy, they recognized that this may negatively impact their physical health and thus, their physical ability to remain at work may have been affected. It is in these ways that the survey participants recognized the effects that long-term stressful work environment had on their physical and mental wellbeing.