1. Managing Stress and the Work-Life Balance
Chapter 7
Managing Stress and the Work-Life Balance

2. Chapter Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter you should be able to:
Define and describe the nature of stress.
Identify basic individual differences related to stress.
Identify and describe common causes of stress.
Discuss the central consequences of stress.
Describe various ways that stress can be managed.
Discuss work-life linkages and their relation to stress.
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3. The Nature of Stress Stress Defined The Stress Process (Hans Selye)
A person’s adaptive response to a stimulus that places excessive psychological or physical demands on that person
The Stress Process (Hans Selye)
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
Identifies three stages of response to a stressor: alarm, resistance, exhaustion
Sources of stress
Eustress: pleasurable stress accompanying positive events
Distress: unpleasant stress accompanying negative events
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4. 7.1 The General Adaptation Syndrome
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5. Individual Differences and Stress
Type A Personality Profile
Extremely competitive, highly committed to work, have a strong sense of time urgency
Type B Personality Profile
Less competitive, less committed to work, have a weaker sense of time urgency
Hardiness
A person’s ability to cope with stress
Optimism
The extent to which a person sees life in relatively positive or negative terms
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6. Causes and Consequences of Stress
Most Common Causes of Stress
Organizational stressors
Life stressors
Most Common Consequences of Stress
Individual consequences
Organizational consequences
Burnout
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7. 7.2 Causes and Consequences of Stress
Reference: Adapted from James C. Quick and Jonathan D. Quick, Organizational Stress and Preventive Management (McGraw-Hill, 1984) pp. 19, 44, and 76.
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8. Organizational Stressors
Workplace Stress Factors
Task Demands
Associated with the specific job a person performs
Physical Demands
Associated with the job’s physical setting and requirements
Role Demands
Associated with the expected behaviors of a particular position in a group or organization
Interpersonal Demands
Group pressures, leadership, personality conflicts
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9. Organizational Stressors: Role Demands
A set of expected behaviors associated with a particular position in a group or organization.
Role Stress
Role ambiguity due to unclear roles
Role conflict due to:
Interrole conflict
Intrarole conflict
Intersender conflict
Role overload due to role expectations exceeding an individual’s capabilities
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10. 7.1 Most and Least Stressful Jobs
Top Most Stressful Jobs
Top Least Stressful Jobs
1. Surgeon
1. Actuary
2. Commercial Airline Pilot
2. Dietitian
3. Photojournalist
3. Computer Systems Analyst
4. Advertising Account Executive
4. Statistician
5. Real Estate Agent
5. Astronomer
6. Physician (General Practice)
6. Mathematician
7. Reporter (Newspaper)
7. Historian
8. Physician Assistant
8. Software Engineer
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11. 7.3 Workload, Stress, and Performance
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12. External Causes of Stress
Life Stressors
Events that take place outside the organization
Life change
Any meaningful change in a person’s personal or work situation
Life trauma
Any upheaval in an individual’s life that alters his or her attitudes, emotions or behaviors
© 2012 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

13. 7.2 Life Changes and Life Change Units
The amount of life stress that a person has experiences in a given period of time, say one year, is measured by the total number of life change units (LCUs). These units result from the addition of the values (shown in the right hand column) associated with events that the person has experienced during the target time period.
Reprinted from JOURNAL OF PSYCHOSOMATIC RESEARCH, V11, Thomas H. Holmes and Richard H. Rahe: "The Social Adjustment Rating Scale," Copyright © 1967, with permission from Elsevier.
© 2012 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

14. Consequences of Stress
Individual Consequences
Behavioral
Psychological
Medical
Organizational Consequences
Performance
Withdrawal
Attitudes
Burnout
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15. 7.4 Individual and Organizational Coping Strategies
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16. Managing Stress in the Workplace: Individual Coping Strategies
Exercise
Time Management
Role Management
Support Groups
Relaxation
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17. Managing Stress in the Workplace (cont’d)
Organizational Coping Strategies
Institutional Programs
Design of jobs and work schedules
Fostering a healthy work culture
Supervision
Collateral Programs
Organizational programs specifically created to help employees deal with stress
Stress management, health promotion, employee fitness programs, career development
© 2012 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

18. Work-Life Linkages Fundamental Work-Life Relationships
Interrelationships between a person’s work life and personal life
Balancing Work-Life Linkages
Importance of long-term versus short-term perspectives
Significance of evaluating tradeoffs between values
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19. Organizational Behavior in Action
After reading the chapter:
Which stressors are typical of college students?
Which of these sources of stress are bad for students? Which are beneficial?
Are student personality profiles different from nonstudents? More Type A’s or Type B’s?
What could your school do to help scholastically weak students develop the hardiness to stay in school?
© 2012 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning