Do you have staff members who are always envisioning worst-case scenarios, getting irritated constantly or misplacing things all the time? If so, you probably have stressed-out employees, reports Dennis McCafferty at CIOInsight. McCafferty presents six tell-tale signs of IT worker anxiety and five things you can do to help reduce the pressure.

Envisioning a horrible catastrophe resulting from some small error is a classic symptom of too much anxiety, according to a report from CPP Inc., titled "Indicators of Stress for Top Professions." Getting angry or crying are also fairly obvious signs, but there are less obvious indicators as well. Acquiring things impulsively, losing things and getting sloppy may also be indications that an IT employee is feeling too much pressure.  

Undue workplace anxiety isn't solely a problem for those feeling it directly, the report cautions. Organizations can suffer if worker stress is not managed. "In light of our current economic upheaval, and the stress epidemic it has engendered in the U.S. workplace, we shouldn't be surprised to see loss of productivity, increased conflict, poor performance and other issues," the report predicts.

Here are five things you can do to help stressed-out employees: 

• Divide large projects into smaller components and have them concentrate on the smaller tasks. 
• Convince them to spend part of the day focused on tasks they really enjoy.
• Suggest that they set aside a small period free of distractions each day.
• Encourage them to collaborate with colleagues to solve problems that generate anxiety.
• Offer suggestions on how to prioritize their duties.

For more:
- see Dennis McCafferty's slideshow at CIOInsight

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