Stress in the Workplace

1
Stress in the Workplace

• 46 of workers find job to be extremely stressful
• Cost of stress related disorders is estimated to
  be 150 billion a year
• Stress related disorders comprise 14 of workers
  compensation cases

2
Stress What is it?

• Stress physiological and psychological
  responses to events in the environment
• Eustress good stress
• Distress bad stress
• Physiological Effects
• Alarm preparation of body for fight or flight
• Resistance maintain state of elevated
  preparation
• Exhaustion when demands exceed bodys
  capabilities

3
Stress More Background

• Where does stress come from?
• Major life events?
• Daily hassles frequency, intensity, duration
• Job satisfaction and stress those who enjoy
  work suffer less impact from stressful events

4
Individual Differences in Coping

• Social Support
• Job Skill the more skilled at job, the less
  stress
• Physical Health good health leads to reduced
  impact of stress
• Type A/Type B Personality Type A personality
  reflected by competitiveness, inflated sense of
  time urgency, hostility

5
Type A Personality

• Hostility component of Type A personality is
  linked to heart disease
• Type A individuals, in essence, create more
  stress for themselves
• Type B individuals rarely have heart attacks
  before the age of 70

6
More Individual Differences

• Job Complexity increased complexity leads to
  heart disease in Type A individuals. But,
  complexity also is linked to job satisfaction!!
• Locus of Control internal locus of control is
  linked to reduced impact of stress
• Negative Affectivity linked to neuroticism from
  the Big 5. A tendency to focus on the negative
  aspects of life. Linked to high levels of stress

7
Individual Differences Hardiness

• Reflects a resistance to stress elements include
  
• Sense of commitment to family and work
• A perceived sense of control
• A view of change as normal and challenging

8
Even More Individual Differences

• Organization-based Self Esteem our assessment
  of our adequacy and worth with regard to our
  place in the employing organization (job specific
  self esteem)
• Gender Differences female managers face more
  stressors than do male managers (e.g., role
  conflict, discrimination, harassment)

9
Stress and Type of Occupation

• Clerical and blue collar workers suffer the most
  stress due to a relative lack of control
• Most stressful professions include laborer,
  secretary, clinical lab. technician, nurse,
  first-line supervisor, restaurant server, machine
  operator, farm worker, miner
• One of the least stressful professions is college
  professor yeah!!

10
Work-Family Conflicts

• Greater role conflict for women primary
  responsibility for family life falls on woman
• Family with 3 kids, average work week for females
  is 90 hours, for males it is 70 hours
• Bad work days tend to carry over into family life
  tendency is stronger for women.
• Sadly, positive states do not carry over

11
Work-Family Conflict, Continued

• Workers report that jobs interfere with family
  life more than vice versa
• Companies can help reduce stress with flexible
  schedules and supportive supervisors more
  helpful than child care facilities
• Despite these problems, women with paying jobs
  are psychological and physically healthier than
  full-time homemakers

12
Causes of Stress in the Workplace

• Work overload
• Quantitative too much to do in too short a time
• Qualitative work that is too difficult
• Quantitative has increased in recent years due to
  downsizing
• Work underload work that is too simple or
  insufficient to fill ones time
• Both of these impact stress and health, appears
  that a moderate amount of stress is optimal

13
Causes of Stress - Continued

• Organizational Change if not hardy, change
  causes stress in individuals. Can be reduced by
  including employees in planning
• Role Ambiguity unstructured or poorly defined
  job responsibilities (expected standards,
  methods, schedules)
• Role Conflict conflict between job demands and
  employees personal standards

14
Procrastination

• Delay action for no good reason
• Suggestions for controlling
• Calculate the cost of procrastination e.g.,
  reduce chance of promotion
• Worst in, first out principle tackle worst task
  first
• Break task into manageable chunks
• Make a commitment to other people Ill give it
  to you on Friday/by lunch
• Remove mind clutter eliminate trivial items from
  to do list
• Fill your schedule provides stimulation you had
  been receiving by working up to deadlines

15
Effects of Stress in the Workplace

• Mass psychogenic illness also known as assembly
  line hysteria. Isolation and suggestibility
• Burn out results from overwork. Includes,
• Emotional Exhaustion
• Depersonalization
• Reduced sense of personal accomplishment
• Quantity of work may stay the same, but the
  quality declines, depression, apathy,
  irritability, and boredom may occur

16
Workaholism

• Addiction to work because of anxiety and
  insecurity or because of a genuine liking for the
  job
• Healthy, work enthusiasts usually have jobs
  with autonomy and variety, appropriate skills for
  job, and supportive families
• Unhealthy, workaholics Compulsive, driven to
  perform job tasks. Often negatively impact
  co-workers

17
Treating Stress in the Workplace

• Organizational Techniques
• Provide sufficient support for change
• Provide sense of control through participation
• Clearly define employee roles
• Eliminate work over and under load
• EAPs for stress reduction (teach coping
  strategies)
• Provide opportunity for social support (formal or
  informal)

18
Individual Techniques for Stress Reduction

• Exercise
• Relaxation Training
• Biofeedback
• Behavior Modification