What are the most common 1 of stress at work? AB Well, usually it’s a 2 of things, er, rather than one cause. Some combinations are worse than others. Er, for example, a very bad combination is where someone is under a lot of 3 , but they also feel that they have no control and they feel 4 . That combination can cause severe stress and 5 . People in that situation often feel helpless – that nothing they can do will make any difference, and that’s a very bad feeling.