Julie Brempelis Nancy Trinh

S TRESS D EFINED Stress: a feeling of tension that occurs when a person perceives that a situation is about to exceed his/her ability to cope and consequently could endanger his/her well-being. Passive Active (EUSTRESS) High Strain (DYSTRESS) Low Strain Job Demands Job Control High Low HighLow

S TRESS IN THE W ORKPLACE : A C OSTLY E PIDEMIC By: Rebecca Maxon 3 out of every 4 American workers describe their work as stressful “In fact, occupational stress has been defined as a “global epidemic” by the United Nations’ International Labor Organization” -What types of things or situations cause you stress? -In the workplace? In everyday life?

S OME F ACTS : Workplace stress costs U.S. employers an estimated $200 billion per yr in: Absenteeism Lower productivity Staff turnover Workers’ compensation Medical insurance Other stress-related expenses Most stressful events in the workplace: Firings Business readjustment Changes in financial status Altered responsibilities Switching to a different line of work Trouble with the boss Variations in work hours or conditions Retirement and vacations

T RACING THE R OOTS OF S TRESS Professor Robert Ostermann states that there are three dimensions of occupational stress which are life situations, work and self. Occupational stress is not only related to what happens at work but also conflicts that between the demands of one’s personal life and the demand of the workforce On an international scale: “there is less stress in developing countries than developed countries” In developed nations it is often based on what is possessed or how much money is earned In developing countries the value of family and nation is much stronger than in the U.S. Employees are working more today than they did 25 years ago The greatest reported cause of stress is workload.

Technology are eliminating many jobs for employees. Which then causes stress with the fear of being replaced by a machine. Another cause of stress is violence or aggression in the workplace; an estimation by the U.S. Justice Department that each yr more than millions of people are victims of violence at work which accounts for 15% of all victim crime in the country. This causes half a million workers to miss time on the job at the rate of 1,751,000 work days be year and costing $55 million is lost wages

A H EAVY P RICE “The stress produced by aggression in the workplace has "been associated with physical and psychological distress, resulting in decreased productivity, commitment and loyalty," says Harmon. 60% of lost workdays each year can attributed to stress % of visit to healthcare providers are due to stress- related conditions which is costly to employers in increase in their healthcare costs Employees under stress may make more mistakes, have trouble concentrating, become disorganized, become angry or stop caring about their work. The Wall Street journal reported that 1/3 of people surveyed that they considered quitting their job due to stress and 14% actually did quit.

C OPING C OPING WITH S TRESS Some organization provides health clubs where employees can work out and keep fit and cafeteria where workers can choose from a healthy range of meals. According to Alice Mills, “the first step is to analyze the situation to determine what is causing the stress and what techniques might best suit the individual..” Also there are many relaxation skills such as use of music, meditation, breathing exercise, aerobic, muscle relaxation and imagery. Some people bring stress with them to the workplace by telling themselves that they’re going to fail or expecting negative reactions from other people, may create their own stress. Another way to combat stress is to sharpen one’s communication skills by learning how to speak about one’s needs and wants and how to give positive and negative feedback to others.

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