Module 17W Stress and the Management of Stress

What is Stress? Hans Selye defines stress as “the nonspecific response of the body to any demand made upon it.” * The Flight of Fight Syndrome The General Adaptation System - 3 stages: 1. Alarm stage 2. Resistance stage (homeostasis) 3. State of exhaustion * Hans Selye, …Need citation here

Consequences of Stress Figure 19-1 Distress / Eustress Physical outcomes Burnout Performance relationship * Hans Selye, …Need citation here

Sources of Job Stress Individual characteristics (personality, perception) Career Development (over/under promotion) Work/job design (repetitive work, job clarity) Working conditions (physical work environment) Interpersonal relationships (relationships with boss, peers and subordinates; trust) Organizational characteristics (policies, structure, processes Job Stress Figure 18-1

Workplace Stress: A company Audit Form Insert figure 17-3

Targets of Stress Management Intervention Situational stressors (1) Cognitive appraisal of stressors (2) Coping strategies (3) Types of interventions Individual Meditation Exercise Relaxation techniques Cognitive approaches Goal-setting Time management Organizational Organizational structure Job design Selection and placement programs Working conditions Training and development Individual/organizational interface Job demands-person style fit Participation Preferences-practices Autonomy Preferences-practices Co-worker relationships Outcomes Individual Blood pressure, hear rate, catecholamines Quality of life Anxiety, depression, etc. Psychosomatic complaints Organizational Productivity Quantity and quality Turnover Absenteeism Health care costs Accidents Individual / organizational interface Job performance Job satisfaction Burnout Health care utilization Source: Adapted from J.M. Ivanevich, M.T. Matteson, S.M. Freedman, and J.S. Phillips, “Workside Stress Management Interventions,” American Psychologist 45, no. 2, p 254, with permission.

A Sustainable Work System (1) At the most basic level, a sustainable work system is viewed as a system that: –regenerate and develop human system; –promote a balance between quality of working life and competitive performance; –sustain change processes, renewal and learning, and; –foster long term employability for its employees.

A Sustainable Work System (2) Organizations may be more sustainable, effective in reducing stress and, better at coping with stress by utilizing any one or any relevant combination of the following strategies: –(1) those aimed at changing organizational structures and processes (for example, decentralization of authority, flexible design), –(2) those aimed at changing role characteristics or conditions (for example, role activities, reduce role overload, redefine the focal person’s role), –(3) those aimed at changing job/task characteristics (for example, redesign the job, redefine task characteristics), and –(4) those aimed at the “wellness” or “balance” and physical fitness of organizational members.

Employee Fitness and Wellness Programs (1) The number and variety of employee fitness and wellness programs has been increasing exponentially over the past 15 years. Fitness and wellness programs can be implemented at four levels: –level 1 consists of awareness programs that include newsletters, health fairs, screening sessions, educational classes; –level II programs involve lifestyle modification by providing specific programs that are available to individuals on a regular basis (such as self–administered fitness program, membership at a local fitness program, classes related to proper performance of physically demanding work tasks); and –level III programs have as their goal the creation of an environment that assists individuals in sustaining their healthy lifestyle and behaviors. –level IV relates among other things to vacations.

Employee Fitness and Wellness Programs (2) –Recently it was suggested that vacation planning be considered part of stress management. –A study that investigated the impact of vacation on job stress and burnout supported this recommendation. –The researchers had 76 clerical employees complete measures of perceived job stressors and burnout twice before a two–week companywide vacation, once during the vacation, and twice after the vacation. They detected substantial declines in burnout during the vacation and a return to pre-vacation levels of burnout by the time of the second post-vacation measure, three weeks after returning to work. However, the return to work showed gradual fade–out, as burnout returned part way toward its pre- vacation level by three days after the vacation and all the way by three weeks after the vacation. Women and those who were satisfied with their vacations experienced the greatest relief; however, both of these sub-samples also experienced the quickest fade–out.