Research: Work Stress Isn't Always About Workload
Gargi Sawhney and Mallory McCord write up their meta-analysis of 60 years of role-stressor research: 515 studies covering 787,959 workers. Unclear expectations (role ambiguity) proved the most damaging stressor overall, eroding job satisfaction and performance; clashing demands (role conflict) were the main driver of burnout and quitting; and sheer overload mostly produced emotional and physical symptoms. The usual fixes, such as moving tasks around or time-management training, only address overload.
When work starts to feel crushing, work out which of the three it is before you ask for help. If the real problem is unclear expectations, ask your manager to say plainly what "done" and "good" look like — that will likely do more for your performance than getting a task taken off your plate.
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