Workplace stress: what should you do when the pressure becomes too much?
03 June 2026 · 5 min reading time
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Workplace stress can creep in quietly. At first, it may simply feel like a busy period: fatigue, irritability, lighter sleep, a knot in the stomach before a meeting or difficulty switching off at the end of the day. But when this tension becomes regular, spills over into personal life or prevents recovery, it should no longer be ignored.
Understanding work-related stress helps employees take action earlier. It is not only about learning to “manage” emotions better, but also about identifying what, within the organisation of work, creates excessive pressure: an excessive workload, unclear objectives, lack of resources, relationship tensions or lack of support.
What is workplace stress?
Workplace stress occurs when an employee feels there is an imbalance between what is expected of them and the resources they have to cope with it. These resources may include time, tools, skills, autonomy, manager support or clear priorities.
Occasional stress may occur before an important deadline, a presentation, an interview or a particularly busy day. It becomes more concerning when it settles in over time. The INRS distinguishes between acute stress, linked to a one-off situation, and chronic stress, which lasts and can have greater effects on health.
Chronic stress is often recognised by the feeling that the pressure never really drops. The employee thinks about work in the evening, anticipates the difficulties of the next day, checks messages outside working hours or feels on alert even during rest periods. It is this repetition that should raise concern.
What are the signs of workplace stress?
Work-related stress does not affect everyone in the same way. Some people first experience physical symptoms. Others mainly notice mood changes, loss of concentration or changes in their behaviour at work.
Physically, the most common symptoms of workplace stress include persistent fatigue, sleep disorders, headaches, muscle tension, digestive pain, chest tightness or the feeling of never fully recovering. These symptoms can have other causes, but when they appear or clearly worsen in connection with work, they should be taken seriously.
Stress also affects emotions at work. A usually calm person may become more nervous, more sensitive to comments or more irritable. Some people feel constant anxiety, cry more easily or feel as though they are close to breaking down. A change compared with one’s usual state is often the best indicator.
Finally, stress can change behaviour at work. The employee may make more mistakes, forget information, take longer to make decisions or postpone certain tasks. They may also isolate themselves, avoid interactions, compulsively check messages or compensate with more coffee, tobacco, food or alcohol. One isolated sign is not necessarily alarming; it is the accumulation, duration and impact on daily life that should be a warning sign.
What causes workplace stress?
Workplace stress is sometimes presented as an individual problem. Yet it often comes from a mismatch between the demands of the job and the resources actually available to meet them.
Work overload is one of the most common causes. It may come from overly ambitious objectives, unrealistic deadlines, constant emergencies, understaffing or an accumulation of tasks without clear prioritisation. In this context, even a competent employee can end up feeling overwhelmed.
A lack of autonomy can also create strong pressure. Not being able to organise one’s work, having to get every decision approved, dealing with contradictory instructions or not knowing which priorities to follow can create the feeling of losing control over one’s role.
Professional relationships also play an important role. Conflict with a manager, lack of support, humiliating remarks, a tense atmosphere or a feeling of injustice can become very burdensome. This may be compounded by lack of recognition, fear of losing one’s job, difficult working hours or loss of meaning at work.
The real question is therefore not only: “How can I manage my stress?” It is also: “What is it in my work that is putting me in this state?” This distinction is important, because an individual solution is not always enough when the problem comes from the organisation itself.
When does stress become worrying?
A busy period can be uncomfortable without becoming dangerous. What should raise concern is the duration, intensity and inability to recover. If stress returns every day, disrupts sleep several nights a week or continues during days off, it is no longer just temporary tension.
Stress also becomes worrying when it spills over into personal life. The employee no longer has the energy to see loved ones, becomes irritable at home, cancels activities or loses the desire to do the things that usually helped them recover. Some people continue to work normally on the surface, but at the cost of an increasingly heavy internal effort.
It is also important to pay attention to anxiety before starting the working day, fear of opening messages, frequent crying, anxiety attacks or the feeling of no longer being able to cope. In these situations, consulting a doctor or contacting occupational health services is not a sign of weakness. It is a way to prevent stress from becoming more deeply rooted.
What can be the consequences of chronic stress?
Long-term stress can have effects on physical, mental and social health. It can contribute to persistent fatigue, sleep disorders, pain, digestive issues, anxiety or loss of motivation. It can also lead to a loss of confidence, a feeling of failure or the impression of no longer being able to do one’s job properly.
There are also consequences within the company. Stress can lead to more mistakes, tension within teams, lower engagement, absenteeism or employee turnover. An employee under long-term stress is not simply less productive: they are operating with less recovery, less mental availability and less psychological safety.
When the situation lasts and nothing changes, the risk is progression towards professional exhaustion. Burn-out corresponds to a state of exhaustion linked to prolonged exposure to chronic work-related stress. It is not simply intense tiredness after a difficult week, but a deeper form of exhaustion, often associated with a loss of energy, emotional distance from work and a reduced sense of effectiveness.
What should you do in case of workplace stress?
The first step is to make the situation more objective. For a few days, it may be useful to note the moments when stress increases: overload at the end of the day, a specific meeting, contradictory instructions, conflict, lack of information, constant interruptions or an impossible deadline. This helps move away from a general feeling of discomfort and identify concrete triggers.
When stress comes from an excessive workload, unclear priorities or lack of resources, a discussion with the manager may make it possible to request prioritisation. At this stage, the aim is mainly to identify what can be adjusted: workload, deadlines, priorities, resources or organisation.
If the situation involves conflict, inappropriate behaviour, a feeling of insecurity or suffering that is becoming established, other contacts may be approached: human resources, the employee representative body, an internal contact person where one exists, or occupational health services. Occupational health services can be contacted even without sick leave. Their role is preventive: they can assess the impact of work on health and suggest possible adjustments if necessary.
If the symptoms become significant, the employee should consult a GP. Only a doctor can assess the state of health, suggest appropriate care or prescribe sick leave if the situation justifies it. Sick leave may be necessary to recover, but it should, as far as possible, be accompanied by reflection on the professional causes of the stress. Returning to the same conditions without any change often exposes the employee to the same problem again.
How can you talk about stress with your manager?
Bringing up the subject with a manager can be difficult, especially when the employee fears being perceived as fragile or insufficiently committed. For the discussion to be useful, it is better to prepare specific examples rather than remain with a general statement such as “I am stressed”.
The employee can explain what is blocking them concretely: a workload incompatible with deadlines, priorities that change without arbitration, too many interruptions, contradictory objectives, lack of resources or insufficient information to move forward. The clearer the facts, the easier it becomes to look for a solution.
The discussion can then focus on realistic adjustments: clarifying priorities, postponing certain tasks, redistributing the workload, scheduling regular check-ins or obtaining additional resources. If the stress comes directly from management or if the discussion does not lead anywhere, it may be preferable to turn to human resources, the employee representative body or occupational health services.
What are the employer’s obligations regarding workplace stress?
Workplace stress is not solely the individual responsibility of the employee. The employer has an obligation to protect the physical and mental health of workers. Article L4121-1 of the French Labour Code states that the employer must take the necessary measures to ensure their safety and protect their health.
This obligation includes prevention, information and training actions, but also appropriate organisation and resources. In concrete terms, the company must assess occupational risks, including psychosocial risks, and act on the identified causes: overload, lack of resources, tensions, lack of autonomy, lack of support or poor organisation.
Preventing stress therefore does not simply mean offering a relaxation session or a meditation app. These tools may help some employees, but they do not replace action on the reality of work. If objectives are unrealistic, if priorities are never clarified or if employees have no space to talk about their difficulties, prevention remains superficial.
How can workplace stress be prevented in a company?
Effective workplace stress prevention begins with listening to what is happening on the ground. Employees often know very well where the difficulties are, but they need a framework that allows them to speak without fear and turns this feedback into concrete action.
The company can then act on several levers: clarifying priorities, adjusting workload, increasing autonomy, training managers, recognising work and dealing quickly with conflicts. Prevention must therefore be collective. Everyone can learn to identify their limits, but if the organisation pushes employees to operate under constant pressure, individual advice will not be enough.
The goal is to create sustainable working conditions: clear expectations, appropriate resources, possible dialogue and a workload compatible with available resources. This is often where actions are most effective.
Stress, anxiety, overwork, burn-out: what are the differences?
Workplace stress is a reaction to professional constraints perceived as exceeding the resources available. It can be occasional or become chronic.
Anxiety is a more diffuse form of worry, which may exist even outside a specific situation. It can be worsened by work, but it is not always limited to the professional context.
Overwork refers to a state of fatigue linked to an excessive accumulation of demands, often with insufficient recovery. It can be physical, mental or emotional.
Burn-out refers to professional exhaustion linked to prolonged exposure to chronic stress. It differs from temporary fatigue because of its depth, duration and consequences on the ability to continue working normally.
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