anxiety, stress, job satisfaction, work environment
Anxiety, in the first phase, is a mental disorder that is extremely widespread in modern societies [1]. At times, anxiety has been associated with other concepts that describe a person’s mental state, so many definitions are presented to clarify the term. Anxiety is one of the most important phenomena in Psychology. The term anxiety comes from the verb ἄγχω, which in the ancient Greek language means to squeeze or suffocate. Many researchers understand the concept of stress differently, as there is no generally accepted theoretical background, so to date there is no accepted definition. Anxiety was first described in 1844 by the Danish existentialist Soren Kierkegaard as “a vague, pervasive uneasiness other than fear, pervading without escape.” It is a feeling of fear that we feel when we cannot manage a situation. It is a normal reaction to demanding situations, but if not dealt with, it can cause physical problems as well as have an effect on the immune system. Some symptoms of anxiety are constant worry, rapid heartbeat, difficulty concentrating, intense sadness, memory, and concentration problems. Chronic stress disrupts the individual’s balance between personal space and work. Many professions have proven to be particularly stressful.
Difficult and continuous working hours, lack of staff, and poor cooperation between employees are some incidents that can easily create panic in the employee. Work stress in recent years has increased rapidly as after the economic crisis and the peak of unemployment, jobs and the prospects of staying in them are a difficult and demanding part of the individual’s psyche. 25% of workers in Europe suffer from work-related stress. However, a definition proposed to describe the characteristics of the term states that anxiety “is a state of mind, which develops depending on the prevailing environmental conditions, which the person treats as dangerous and threatening, which brings about unpleasant consequences” [2]. As a general rule, anxiety is intertwined with other emotions, which cause discomfort to the person. The enhanced feeling of fear and anxiety is typically mentioned, which, as a whole, are responsible for the general behavior of the individual in times of stress. Experiencing stress, the individual feels the need for protection from possible danger, the presence of which is fueled by strong levels of fear [3]. The presence of stress in a person’s life causes problems in their functionality and in their ability to cope with everyday issues. Anxiety tends to limit the quality of a person’s daily life, creating a series of other problems concerning the person himself, his relationships with his relatives, and further activities both at a social and professional level [4].
We are talking about professional satisfaction, which is essentially connected to the positive feelings that arise in the individual in the field of work. More specifically, giving a definition, job satisfaction is “the internal state expressed by a degree of pleasure or displeasure from the work experience” [5]. As a concept, job satisfaction is related to a set of further factors, for example, the remuneration of employees, working conditions, and responsiveness to their rights and needs. Professional satisfaction and its assurance in the workplace and consequently in employees bring a series of positive characteristics that are important to present. According to the findings of research conducted studying job satisfaction, they showed that satisfied employees make fewer work errors and are responsible for fewer accidents in the workplace, compared to less satisfied employees. Another factor that thrives through job satisfaction is production. Professionally satisfied staff perform better, more efficiently, and qualitatively compared to unsatisfied staff [4].
Resignation is considered the voluntary removal of a person from his work enterprise [6]. Resignation intention is defined as the attitude of an employee to leave voluntarily and permanently from the organization in which he works. A richer definition adds to this definition of the employee’s hopes, tendencies, and plans related to his desire to leave the organization [6].
Having analyzed two key concepts related to the main topic with which this paper deals, the third chapter focuses on the literature review. Of course, the bibliographic review is related to the field of bibliographic research and its results, as they have emerged in the context of implementation in the work environment. Research carried out in 2022 showed, based on a sample of the working population, that work stress is responsible for a series of negative effects both for the employees and the company itself. In particular, it was found that work stress is intertwined with unfavorable working conditions, low quality- or non-existent- learning, and reduced levels of work support [7]. When measuring stress as a risk factor for workers and businesses, roughly the same results were observed in a 2016 survey. In this research, the interest was focused on a comparative method that concerned both the private and the public sectors of work [8]. The research that has been carried out and incorporated in the literature review focused not only on the factors of stress in the context of the work environment but also shifted the issue to the intention to quit. Research conducted focused on finding the link between stress levels and intention to quit work. The sample of participants totaled 26,945 healthcare workers, and the sample was based on the relationship of measures of stress with levels of job resignation. According to the findings of the research, an accumulation of tasks was observed for the employees, which led to enhanced levels of stress and ultimately the desire to resign from the workplace. In fact, only 55% of respondents – workers in the health sector, stated their intention or desire to resign from their jobs [9].
Last but not least, at the individual-organizational level, it is essential to clarify roles, to seek the promotion of support from superiors and colleagues, and to match individual opportunities and employment requirements. These prospects are expected to lead to an improvement in the quality of care provided.
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