Stress is an emotion that everyone experiences from time to time. It’s something that, when experienced in excess, can affect our physical health, outlook on life and our mental state. This is why it is important to monitor stress and to pinpoint the cause.
For many people, stress is caused due to their working environment. This could be because of an emotionally abusive manager, a high workload or unrealistic deadlines. Many workers can suffer from chronic stress if they are put under a severe amount of pressure when working.
Nursing personnel and caregivers in nursing homes are a particularly at-risk workforce when it comes to stress-related work injuries. There are different reasons why this is the case and these reasons will be explored in this blog.
If you are a caretaker in a nursing home, it is important that you recognize the symptoms of work-related stress so that you can stand up for your right to workers’ compensation when appropriate.
Why do nursing home caretakers suffer from so much stress?
Studies have shown that nursing home caretakers frequently suffer from fatigue due to working conditions, which, in turn, leads to stress. This is often related to a shift-work environment, where staff could be working night shifts and suffering from disrupted sleep.
In addition, there is an epidemic of under-staffing in nursing home facilities. Staff who are employed have to undertake the workload that should be placed on two or more workers instead of one.
What rights do I have to gain back damages from the stress I have suffered?
If you have needed to take time off work in order to deal with job-related stress, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation. Any lost wages that you suffered and medical services that you were required to pay for could be compensated by the insurance program if you can prove that your injury was directly caused by your job.
It is important that you recognize work-related stress as a work injury just like any other. By doing so you, can stand up for your right to workers’ compensation in the state of New Jersey.