Emotions and Stress on the Job Chapter 4

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 2 Learning Objectives 1. Distinguish between emotions and moods. 2. Describe the effects of emotions and moods on behavior in organizations. 3. Describe ways that people manage their emotions in organizations. 4. Identify the major causes and consequences of stress. 5. Identify various organizational resources for managing stress. 6. Identify various ways that we can manage our own stress as individuals.

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 3 Emotions and Moods  Emotions  Emotions: Overt reactions that express feelings about events. –Emotions always have an object. –There are six major categories of emotions. –Expression of major emotions is universal. –Culture determines how and when people express emotions.  Display Rules  Display Rules: Cultural norms about the appropriate ways to express emotions.  Mood  Mood: An unfocused, relatively mild feeling that exists as background to our daily experiences. 

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 4 Categories of Emotion

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 5 Emotions, Moods, and Job Performance People in highly emotional states have lower job performance. Especially true in the case of negative emotions. People showing high positive affectivity make better decisions than those showing high negative affectivity. Being in a positive mood helps people recall positive things and being in a negative mood helps people recall negative things. People report greater satisfaction with their jobs while they are in a good mood. Being in a good mood leads people to judge the work of others more positively. People who are in a good mood also tend to be more generous and are inclined to help their fellow workers. People who are in a good mood are inclined to work more carefully with others to resolve conflicts.

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 6 Managing Emotions in Organizations Emotional Dissonance Emotional Dissonance: Inconsistencies between the emotions we feel and the emotions we express. Emotional Labor: Emotional Labor: The psychological effort involved in holding back one’s true emotions. Organizational Compassion Organizational Compassion: Steps taken by organizational officials to alleviate the suffering of its employees or others.

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 7 Organizational Compassion

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 8 Stress  Stressor  Stressor: Any demand, either physical or psychological in nature, encountered during the course of living.  Stress  Stress: The pattern of emotional states and physiological reactions occurring in response to demands from within or outside an organization.  Cognitive Appraisal  Cognitive Appraisal: A judgment about the stressfulness of a situation, based on the extent to which someone perceives a stressor as threatening and capable of coping with its demands.  Strain  Strain: Deviations from normal states of human functioning resulting from prolonged exposure to stressful events.

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 9 Stress

10 Causes of Stress 1. Occupational demands 2. Conflict between work and nonwork 3. Stress from uncertainty 4. Overload and underload 5. Responsibility for others 6. Lack of social support 7. Sexual harassment

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 11 Occupational Demands  Making decisions  Constantly monitoring devices or materials  Repeatedly exchanging information with others  Working in unpleasant physical conditions  Performing unstructured rather than structured tasks

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 12 Work vs. Nonwork  Role Conflict  Role Conflict: Incompatibilities between the various sets of obligations people face.  Rule Juggling  Rule Juggling: The need to switch back and forth between the demands of work and family.

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 13 Stress from Uncertainty Role Ambiguity Uncertainty about what one is expected to do on a job.

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 14 Overload and Underload Quantitative Overload Qualitative Overload Information Anxiety Quantitative Underload Qualitative Underload

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 15 Overload Quantitative Overload Quantitative Overload: The belief that one is required to do more work than possibly can be completed in a specific period. Qualitative Overload Qualitative Overload: The belief that one lacks the required skills or abilities to perform a given job.

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 16 Information Anxiety Pressure to store and process a great deal of information in our heads and to keep up constantly with gathering it.

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 17 Underload Quantitative Underload Quantitative Underload : The boredom that results when employees have so little to do that they find themselves sitting around doing nothing much of the time. Qualitative Underload Qualitative Underload : The lack of mental stimulation that accompanies many routine, repetitive jobs.

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 18 Responsibility for Others

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 19 Social Support The friendship and support of others, which help minimize reactions to stress. Sources: –Cultural norms –Social institutions –Friends and family Benefits: –Boosting self esteem –Sharing information –Providing diversion –Giving needed resources

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 20 Sexual Harassment Unwanted contact or communication of a sexual nature, usually against women

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 21 Statistics about Stress

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 22 Stress Effects  Task Performance  Task Performance:  Some individuals perform at higher levels in times of high stress.  For most people, however, higher levels of stress lead to lower levels of job performance.  Desk Rage  Desk Rage: Lashing out at others in response to stressful encounters on the job.

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 23 Burnout A syndrome of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion coupled with feelings of low self-esteem or low self-efficacy, resulting from prolonged exposure to intense stress, and the strain reactions following from them.

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 24 Characteristics of Burnout Physical Exhaustion Physical Exhaustion: Includes low energy levels and feeling tired much of the time, as well as symptoms of physical strain such as frequent headaches, nausea, poor sleep, and changes in eating habits. Emotional Exhaustion Emotional Exhaustion: Depression, feelings of helplessness, and feelings of being trapped. Depersonalization Depersonalization: A pattern of behavior marked by becoming cynical toward others, treating others as objects, and holding negative attitudes toward others. Feelings of Low Personal Accomplishment Feelings of Low Personal Accomplishment, both in the past and in the future.

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 25 Components of Burnout

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 26 Stress and Health

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 27 Organizational Resources  Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)  Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs): Plans that provide employees with assistance for various personal problems (e.g., substance abuse, career planning, and financial and legal problems).  Wellness Programs  Wellness Programs: Company-wide programs in which employees receive training regarding things they can do to promote healthy lifestyles.  Absence Control Programs  Absence Control Programs: Procedures that give employees flexibility with respect to when they can take time off work.  Stress Management Programs  Stress Management Programs: Systematic efforts to train employees in a variety of techniques that they can use to become less adversely affected by stress.

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 28 Managing Stress  Manage your time  Eat a healthy diet and be physically fit  Relax and meditate  Get a good night’s sleep  Avoid inappropriate self- talk  Control your reactions  Take a time out

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 29 Time Management  The practice of taking control over how you spend time.  Effective practices: –Prioritize your activities –Prioritize your activities: Distinguish between tasks that are urgent and important. –Allocate your time realistically –Allocate your time realistically: Accurately assess how much time needs to be spent on each task. –Take control of your time –Take control of your time: Make a “to do” list and carefully keep track of what you have to accomplish. Unless something urgent comes up, don’t let yourself be distracted.

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 30 Assigning Priorities

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 31 The Good Sleep Habit Schedule your sleep Don’t go to bed after strenuous activity Avoid stimulants before bedtime Don’t eat or work in bed Clear your mind

© Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall 32 Stress Prevention Approaches