Managing Stress and the WorkLife Balance

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• Managing Stress and the Work-Life Balance

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Stress Defined
Stress is a persons adaptive response to a
stimulus that places excessive psychological or
physical demands on that person.
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The General Adaptation Syndrome

• The General Adaptation Syndrome, or GAS,
  describes three stages of the stress process
• Stage 1 Alarm
• Stage 2 Resistance
• Stage 3 Exhaustion

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Distress and Eustress

• Eustress
• The pleasurable stress that accompanies positive
  events. For example, a person may receive a
  5,000 bonus and experience stress deciding how
  to spend the money.
• Distress
• The unpleasant stress that accompanies negative
  events.

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Individual Differences and Stress
Stress can affect different people in different
ways. The most fully developed individual
difference relating specifically to stress is the
distinction between Type A and Type B personality
profiles.
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Type A and Type B Personality Profiles
Type B
Type A
The Type A individual is extremely competitive,
very devoted to work, and has a strong sense of
time urgency.
The Type B person is less competitive, is less
devoted to work, and has a weaker sense of time
urgency.
vs.
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Hardiness

• Hardiness
• A persons ability to cope with stress.
• People with hardy personalities have an internal
  locus of control, are strongly committed to the
  activities in their lives, and view change as an
  opportunity for advancement and growth.

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Optimism

• Optimism
• The extent to which a person sees life in
  relatively positive or negative ways.
• Is the glass half empty or half full?
• In general, optimistic people tend to handle
  stress better than pessimistic people.

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Common Causes of Stress
Two broad categories of stressors are
organizational stressors and life stressors.
Three categories of stress consequences are
individual consequences, organizational
consequences, and burnout.
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Causes of Stress Organizational Stressors
Task Demands - Occupation - Security - Overload
Role Demands - Ambiguity - Conflict
Physical Demands - Temperature - Office Design
Interpersonal Demands - Group Pressures -
Leadership Style - Personalities
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Life Stressors
Life Change
Life Trauma
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Consequences of Stress Individual Consequences
Behavioral - Alcohol Abuse - Drug Abuse -
Violence
Psychological - Sleep Disturbances - Depression
Medical - Heart Disease - Headaches
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Organizational Consequences
Decline in Performance
Absenteeism and Turnover
Decreased Motivation and Satisfaction
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Consequences of Stress Burnout
Burnout is the general feeling of exhaustion that
develops when an individual simultaneously
experiences too much pressure and has too few
sources of satisfaction.
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Managing Stress in the Workplace
Individual Coping Strategies
Exercise
Relaxation
Time Management
Role Management
Support Groups
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Managing Stress in the Workplace
Organizational Coping Strategies
Institutional Programs
Collateral Programs
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Work-Life Linkages
Work-life relationships include relationships
between dimensions of the persons work life and
the persons personal life. Balancing work-life
linkages is, of course, no easy thing to do.