Workplace emotions, attitudes and stress Chapter 4 Workplace emotions, attitudes and stress

Learning Objectives 4.1 Explain how emotions and cognition (logical thinking) influence attitudes and behaviour 4.2 Discuss the dynamics of emotional labour and the role of emotional intelligence in the workplace 4.3 Summarise the consequences of job dissatisfaction, as well as strategies to increase organisational (affective) commitment 4.4 Describe the stress experience and review three major stressors 4.5 Identify five ways to manage workplace stress

Positive Attitudes at Rio Tinto Rio Tinto values the health and wellbeing of its staff and the communities in which they work and live. Human resources are the company’s most important asset, and Rio Tinto invests significantly in initiatives that help its staff to achieve and maintain a high quality of life

Emotions Defined Psychological, behavioural and physiological episodes experienced toward an object, person or event that create a state of readiness Emotions are experiences. They represent changes in our physiological state, psychological state and behaviour Emotions put us in a state of readiness Video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvLeOEulq-c. Points for discussion: How did it make them feel? Discuss their emotions towards the child, his mother, smoking, the people behind this commercial etc.

Types of Emotions

Attitudes: From Beliefs to Behaviour Points for discussion: If your boss called an urgent meeting with you in your office, how would you feel about it? It will depend on your beliefs (do you believe you may be dismissed?), feelings (do you like this boss?) and behavioural intentions (of yourself and others) as well as on your past experiences.

Emotions, Attitudes and Behaviour Attitudes represent the cluster of beliefs, assessed feelings and behavioural intentions towards a person, object or event (called an attitude object): Beliefs are established perceptions about the attitude object Feelings represent positive or negative evaluations of the attitude object Behavioural intentions represent motivation to engage in a particular behaviour regarding the attitude object

Positive Emotions at ING Direct Australia To attract and keep talented employees, companies are finding creative ways to generate positive emotions in the workplace. Employees at ING have plenty of fun with the annual WOW day (see photo)

Generating Positive Emotions at Work The emotions– attitudes–behaviour model illustrates that attitudes are shaped by ongoing emotional experiences Thus, successful companies actively create more positive than negative emotional episodes

Cognitive Dissonance A state of anxiety that occurs when an individual’s beliefs, feelings and behaviours are inconsistent with one another Most common when behaviour is: Known to others Done voluntarily Cannot be undone

Emotions and Personality Emotions are also partly determined by a person’s personality, not just workplace experiences Some people, especially extroverts, experience positive emotions as a natural trait Positive and negative emotional traits affect a person’s attendance, turnover and long-term work attitudes

Emotional Labour Defined Effort, planning and control needed to express organisationally desired emotions during interpersonal transactions Emotional labour is higher when the job requires: Frequent and long duration display of emotions Displaying a variety of emotions Displaying more intense emotions Points for discussion: Ask students about an experience of having to hide their ‘real’ emotions in the workplace. What happened? How did that make them feel?

Emotional Display Norms Across Cultures Displaying or hiding emotions varies across cultures: Minimal emotional expression and monotonic voice in Korea, Japan, Austria Emotional expression encouraged in Kuwait, Egypt, Spain, Russia Points for discussion: If you have international students in your classroom ask what happens in their culture when they feel angry at the workplace.

Emotional Dissonance It is difficult to display expected emotions accurately, and to hide true emotions Emotional dissonance Conflict between true and required emotions Potentially stressful with surface acting Less stress through deep acting

Emotional Intelligence (EI) A set of abilities to perceive and express emotion, assimilate emotion in thought, understand and reason with emotion, and regulate emotion in oneself and others Video clip: Daniel Goldman discusses EI at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJhfKYzKc0s.

Emotional Intelligence Competencies

Model of Emotional Intelligence Relationship management Managing other people’s emotions Highest Social awareness Perceiving and understanding the meaning of others’ emotions Self-management Managing our own emotions Self-awareness Perceiving and understanding the meaning of your own emotions Lowest

Improving Emotional Intelligence EI is associated with some personality traits, as well as with parental EI EI now becomes a selection criteria Can be learned, especially through coaching EI increases with age and maturity

Job Satisfaction A person's evaluation of his or her job and work context A collection of attitudes about specific facets of the job Teaching note: We may be satisfied with some facets of the job but not with others. Herzberg explained which factors can lead to job satisfaction and which factors can lead to job dissatisfaction. The most important factors in creating job satisfaction are not the pay or the corner office, but the work itself (is it meaningful?) and the relationship with peers.

EVLN: Responses to Dissatisfaction Exit • Leaving the situation • Quitting, transferring Voice • Changing the situation • Problem solving, complaining Loyalty • Patiently waiting for the situation to improve Teaching note: Job satisfaction or lack of it can have a strong impact on the organisation and the employees and result in these actions (exit, voice, loyalty, neglect). Assuring the wellbeing of employees is the right thing to do and is also important for the financial bottom line. Neglect • Reducing work effort/quality • Increasing absenteeism

Job Satisfaction and Performance Happy workers are somewhat more productive workers, however: General attitude is a poor predictor of specific behaviours Job performance affects satisfaction only when rewarded Effect on performance is strongest in complex jobs because of greater employee influence on job performance (e.g. limited in assembly lines)

Employees First, Customers Second at Clydesdale Bank NAB’s Clydesdale Bank treats employees well so that they treat customers well. They listen to and act on employee concerns, spruce up the work environment, introduce career development programs, provide better coaching and give staff more freedom to decide how to serve clients

Job Satisfaction and Customers Job satisfaction increases customer satisfaction and profitability because: Job satisfaction affects mood, leading to positive behaviours toward customers Job satisfaction reduces employee turnover, resulting in more consistent and familiar service

Job Satisfaction and Customers Service profit chain model is a theory explaining how employees’ job satisfaction influences company profitability indirectly through service quality, customer loyalty and related factors

Job Satisfaction and Business Ethics Job satisfaction is also an ethical issue that influences the organisation’s reputation in the community Societies now expect companies to provide work environments that are safe and enjoyable

Organisational Commitment Affective commitment Emotional attachment to, identification with and involvement in an organisation Continuance commitment Calculative attachment: stay because too costly to quit Pre-lesson activity: Exercise 4.4. University commitment scale: http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.au/mcshane/selfassess.html.

Consequences of Affective and Continuance Commitment Organisational (affective) commitment can affect retention, motivation, organisational citizenship and job performance as well as customer satisfaction. However, can lead to conformity and less creativity Continuance commitment can be dysfunctional and lead to lower performance and less organisational citizenship behaviours

Building (Affective) Commitment Shared values • Values congruence Justice/ support • Apply humanitarian values • Support employee wellbeing Employee involvement • Employees feel part of company • Involvement demonstrates trust Organisational comprehension • Know firm’s past/present/future • Open and rapid communication Trust • Employees trust org leaders • Job security supports trust

What is Stress? An adaptive response to a situation that is perceived as challenging or threatening to the person’s wellbeing A physiological and psychological condition that prepares us to adapt to hostile or noxious environmental conditions Eustress versus distress Exercise: You can ask a student to solve a puzzle in under one minute, and keep pressuring them to demonstrate performance under stress. Discuss with the class the relation between stress and performance.

General Adaptation Syndrome

Consequences of Distress Physiological Cardiovascular disease, hypertension, headaches Behavioural Work performance, accidents, absenteeism, aggression, poor decisions Pre-lesson activity: Exercise 4.7 Perceived stress scale. Psychological Dissatisfaction, moodiness, depression, emotional fatigue, burnout

Job Burnout Process Interpersonal and role-related stressors Emotional Cynicism Reduced personal accomplishment Physiological, psychological and behavioural consequences Emotional exhaustion Interpersonal and role-related stressors

What are Stressors? Stressors are the causes of stress—any environmental condition that places a physical or emotional demand on the person Some common workplace stressors include: Harassment and incivility Work overload Low task control

Psychological Harassment Repeated and hostile or unwanted conduct, verbal comments, actions or gestures that affect an employee’s dignity or psychological or physical integrity and that result in a harmful work environment for the employee

Sexual Harassment Unwelcome conduct—detrimental effect on work environment or job performance Quid pro quo Employment or job performance is conditional on unwanted sexual relations Hostile work environment An intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment For further information: http://www.hreoc.gov.au/sexualharassment/index.html. Ask students: Why is this related to stress?

Work Overload and Task Control Stressors Work overload stressor Working more hours, more intensely than one can cope with Affected by globalisation, consumerism, ideal worker norm Task control stressor Due to lack of control over how and when tasks are performed Stress increases with responsibility

Individual Differences in Stress Different threshold levels of resistance to stressor Use different stress coping strategies Resilience to stress Due to personality and coping strategies Workaholism Highly involved in work Inner pressure to work Low enjoyment of work

Work-Life Balance at Pumpkin Patch At Pumpkin Patch, the children’s-wear store, employees get to spend time with their children Pumpkin Patch rewards loyalty and long service, and families with young children are supported with in-house crèche facilities or childcare subsidies Change Image

Managing Work-Related Stress Remove the stressor Minimise or remove stressors Withdraw from the stressor Vacation, rest breaks Change stress perceptions Positive self-concept, humour Control stress consequences Healthy lifestyle, fitness, wellness Receive social support

Summary Emotions and cognition influence attitudes and behaviour Emotional labour and emotional intelligence have an important role in the workplace Managers need to strategically increase job satisfaction and organisational commitment Stress can be harmful to the employee and the organisation and needs to be managed by both

Workplace emotions, attitudes and stress Chapter 4 Workplace emotions, attitudes and stress