THE STRESS

The professional stress is characterized by an imbalance between the constraints imposed by his professional activity (reduced time, conflicts with the hierarchy or the colleagues, overwork of work …) and the resources which a person has to work in such an environment. And this is quite subjective since these two characteristics are measured according to the perception of this person.

There are two kinds of stress:

• acute stress: the person has to deal with one-off stress
  
• chronic stress: the person is facing repeated stress situations that can accumulate.
  

Stressors at work are considered all the more “toxic” if they are lasting and are suffered by the worker. The accumulation of so-called “antagonistic” stresses is also a source of illness among employees. This is the principle of Karasek’s job strain when the worker is required to be highly productive but has little room for maneuver or in the Siegrist model which combines a high productivity requirement with low profits from this work.