Comprehensive Stress Management Chapter 15

What Is Job Stress? personal characteristics factors intrinsic to job extra-organizational stressors

Occupational Stress Is Costly health costs to the individual to the business costs in job satisfaction / employee turnover costs in employer liability (worker’s compensation laws)

Occupational Stress and Physiological Effects hypertension increased serum cholesterol, glucose, & lipids coronary heart disease diabetes peptic ulcers

Occupational Stress and Psychological Effects low self-esteem increased job tension decreased job satisfaction poor job performance increased absenteeism

Occupational Stressors lack of participation role problems role overload role insufficiency role ambiguity role conflict job dissatisfaction motivation factors work environment

Machlowitz’s Characteristics of a Workaholic intense and energetic sleeplessness difficulty taking vacations spends most of the time working frequently eats while working prefers work over play works hard at making the most of their time blurs the distinction between work and play works anywhere and everywhere

Burnout . . . the physical and emotional exhaustion due to too much work or frequent frustration at work.

Symptoms of Burnout diminished sense of humor skipping rest and food breaks increased overtime and no vacations increased physical complaints social withdrawal changed job performance self-medication internal changes

Women Working Outside the Home Women earn less income than men in almost all job categories. Minority women earn less money than white women. Women with outside employment also work inside the home. child-rearing housework

Median Weekly Earnings of Full-time Wage and Salary Workers, 1991

Sexual harassment at work can come in many forms sexual advances made by someone of power or authority direct threats of firing, lack of promotion, or other sanctions implied or interpreted threats or sanctions jokes or sexual innuendos that make a worker feel uncomfortable perform on the job less well suffer in career development

Some effects of sexual harassment include feelings of guilt feelings of helplessness and fear loss of self-esteem headaches, backaches, & neck pains gastrointestinal illness chronic depression

Domestic engineering has stressors too! role overload role insufficiency role ambiguity role conflict role denigration

Life Situation Interventions life situations perceived stressful emotional arousal physiological consequences quit the job request a change in job responsibility don’t take work home take a full lunch break don’t do work during lunch discuss your feelings perceive stressors and challenges roadblock

Perception Interventions look for humor in stressful situations see things for what they are (reality) distinguish between need and desire separate your self-worth from the task employ the appropriate coping style problem-focused vs. emotion-focused life situations perceived stressful emotional arousal physiological consequences roadblock

Emotional and Physiologic Arousal Interventions life situations perceived stressful emotional arousal physiological consequences relaxation techniques exercise roadblock roadblock