Chapter 15

Multi-faceted Look at Occupational Stress 1.Sociocultural -racism, sexism 2.Organizational- hiring policies, layoffs 3.Work setting- tasks, supervision 4.Interpersonal- relationships 5.Psychological- self image, coping skills 6.Biological- disease, disability 7.Physical/ Environmental- poor air, climate, noise Occupational Stress Evaluation Grid (Page 320) recognizes that occupational stress occurs in seven different contexts:

Occupational Stress Model

Why Is Occupational Stress of Concern? Cost to businesses was about $300 billion/year Employees “always on call” concept Leads to increased sick days, drug or alcohol abuse, and early death Can promote high turnover rates of employees Liability (i.e., workers’ compensation, disability, or litigation)

Did You Know? Absences attributed to stress tripled between 1995 and 2004 More than 62% of the time when workers called in “sick,” they were not really “sick” (Entitlement Mentality) Most heart attacks occur on Monday’s and least occurred on Friday’s

© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Gender and Occupational Stress Stressors that particularly affect women include: Career blocks Sexual harassment Male-dominated climate Performance pressure Gender stereotyping Isolation Lack of role models

© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Control/Demands Interaction HighLow High High job satisfaction Most pathogenic Low Least pathogenic Second most pathogenic Psychological Demands Control

The Workaholic Immersing oneself excessively in work at the expense of non-work activities Identifying oneself more with the role of a worker rather than as an individual Are you a person who happens to be a student, or are you a student who happens to be a person? © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

The Workaholic (cont.) Two factors for classifying workaholics (Naughton, 1987) – Career commitment (CC) – Obsession-compulsion (OC) Naughton believed there were three types of workaholics: 1. Job-involved workaholics (high CC, low OC) 2. Compulsive workaholics (high CC, high OC) 3. Non workaholics (low CC, low OC) © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

The Workaholic (cont.) Scott, Moore, Micelli classified workaholics as: – Compulsive-dependent – Perfectionist – Achievement-oriented Spence & Robbins (1992) proposed a workaholic triad: – Work involvement, drivenness, and work enjoyment © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

Ways to Combat Workaholism Focus on the work you most like doing, work that you wouldn’t mind “doing for free” Use your time; don’t let it use you Build friendships at work Schedule open time into your work life Learn to say no sometimes Create a work environment that pleases you Look for the positives in your job © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

Burnout Adverse stress reaction to work with psychological, psychophysiological, and behavioral components Symptoms include: Diminished sense of humor Skipping rest and meals Increased overtime/no vacation Increased physical complaints Social withdrawal Changed job performance Self-medication Internal changes

Five Stages of Burnout Stage 1: The honeymoon- satisfied with job Stage 2: Fuel shortage- fatigue sets in Stage 3: Chronic symptoms- exhaustion/disease/anger Stage 4: Crisis- illness, absenteeism, relationship issues Stage 5: Hitting the wall- physical/psychological, can be life threatening.

Women and Work Outside the Home Women are clearly disadvantaged in the world of work: – They make less money than their male counterparts – Women are subjected to more sexual harassment – Minority women earn less than non-minority women © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

Women and Work Outside the Home (cont.) 59% of women work outside the home Still employed in traditionally women’s roles Secretaries Receptionists Nurses Bookkeepers Nursing aids Elementary school teachers © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

University College, London Study Just thinking about work may trigger stress, says Dr. Andrew Steptoe Study of 75 men and women Showed steeper increases in the hormone ‘cortisol’ on workday mornings than on days off Occurred within 30 minutes of work, showing anticipation of work may trigger job-related stress

Job Stressors Money Health and safety hazards Work environment Insufficient training Job security Family adjustments or partner’s career Violence

The only job security in the world is to be more talented tomorrow than you are today.