Final answer:
Excessive stress at the workplace leads to increased physical exhaustion, lowered job satisfaction, and personal problems, but not to higher performance. Chronic stress, which leads to distress, has a detrimental effect on performance, contradicting the notion that stress could enhance it.
Step-by-step explanation:
Excessive stress at the workplace leads to a variety of adverse effects, but it does not lead to higher performance. Stress increases performance only up to a point, known as the optimal stress level; beyond this point, which is characterized by eustress, excessive and chronic stress, or distress, diminishes an individual's performance. Excessive stress can lead to physical exhaustion, reduced job satisfaction, and personal problems, but it does not enhance performance; instead, it is likely to lower it. Research has shown that a greater sense of vulnerability to stress, more stress experienced, and a greater amount of perceived risk consistently predicted lower worker job satisfaction. Moreover, as stress becomes excessive, it can contribute to job burnout, characterized by emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and a decreased sense of personal accomplishment. Chronic occupational stress that combines high job demands with low control can lead to significantly higher risks of physical and psychological issues, contrary to increasing performance.