Prof Afzal Javed/Khalid Mufti
WORKPLACE stress has evolved into a pervasive public-health concern in Pakistan, yet it remains insufficiently recognised as a structural and societal challenge.
Each week brings new accounts of rising anxiety, burnout and emotional fatigue among workers across sectors. Chronic stress is more than momentary pressure; it inflicts measurable harm on the body by elevating blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart disease, disrupting sleep and weakening immunity.
Psychologically, workplace stress fuels depression, anxiety, irritability and poor concentration. These effects erode emotional stability and undermine employees’ ability to perform even routine tasks effectively. These impacts rarely remain confined to the individual. Families absorb the emotional fallout, workplaces experience declining productivity and higher turnover and the national economy bears the cumulative cost through lost efficiency and escalating healthcare needs. Treating workplace stress as a private burden has allowed the problem to deepen—what is urgently required is recognition that this is a shared societal responsibility.
A good workplace should foster dignity, purpose and the opportunity to grow. In reality, many employees face excessive workloads, long hours, job insecurity, discrimination, harassment and limited career progression. These pressures accumulate, creating an environment where stress becomes not the exception but the norm. For younger workers, the situation is made worse by the relentless pressure of social media, where curated images of success intensify feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. A stressed generation enters an already stressed workplace, compounding the psychological burden.
Pakistan’s mental-health system is already stretched far beyond capacity. With barely 600 psychiatrists serving a population of 240 million, and more than 80 million people estimated to be living with mental illness, widespread workplace stress adds a dangerous layer to an existing crisis. Stigma and silence keep many from seeking help, allowing manageable problems to escalate into medical emergencies, family conflicts or workplace breakdowns. Employers often notice falling productivity or absenteeism, but overlook the underlying human distress. Addressing workplace stress must now be treated as a collective responsibility. Governments need to enforce healthy work standards and ensure protections against harassment, unsafe workloads and exploitative conditions. Employers must shift from a culture of blame to a culture of prevention by investing in counselling services, stress-reduction programmes and supportive supervision. Education systems should help young adults understand mental health long before they enter the workforce, while communities and peer networks can provide safe, stigma-free support to those struggling.
Workplace stress is not an abstract debate. It is visible in the exhausted nurse at the end of a night shift, the teacher battling burnout, the call-centre employee suffocated by unrealistic targets and the young professional silently comparing their life to filtered perfection online. If Pakistan hopes to build a resilient workforce and a stable society, protecting mental well-being at work is not optional—it is essential. The time for polite concern has passed. What is required now is urgent, decisive action that acknowledges stress as a national priority and commits to creating workplaces where people can thrive mentally, emotionally.
—The writers occasionally contribute to the national press.
