Time Pressure as a Stress Factor

Abstract

Time pressure, increasing, pace of work, stress and “burnout” are the most apparent changes to have taken place in working conditions in Finland in recent years. The situation poses questions like: Should claims about stress and time pressure be taken seriously and should more research be directed to these problems? One of the reasons why time pressure has not been researched properly is that the Scandinavian tradition in stress research, emphasising the organisational and management impacts on stressful time pressure, is losing influence. Researchers study how individuals could adapt to ever increasing time pressure: they do not ask what causes the pressure and how it could be avoided.The Finnish Quality of Work Life Surveys, carried out in 1977, 1984, 1990 and 1997, have shown clear connection between growing demand for productivity, shortages of personnel, and increased time pressure. Psycho-social consequences are clear: social conflicts in workplaces and stress symptoms among employees. Both the results from the surveys, and qualitative interviews show that women and men relate differently to time pressure, stress, and work in general. This difference should be taken into account when researching links between work orientation, management strategies, and the stressfulness of work.