1. Chapter 16
Occupational Stress

2. What is Occupational Stress?
Sources of stress at work
Involves individual characteristics
Related to the employee’s role within the organization
See Figure 16.2 “Occupational Stress Model”

3. Occupational Stress Evaluation Grid
(Singer et al., 1977)
Recognizes that occupational stress occurs in 7 different contexts
Sociocultural
Organizational
Work setting
Interpersonal
Psychological
Biological
Physical/ environmental

4. Why is Occupational Stress of Concern?
Cost to businesses is >$200 billion/year (Swoboda, 1992)
Employees “always on call” concept
Leads to increased sick days, drug or alcohol abuse, and early death
Can promote high turnover rates of employees
Liability (i.e., workers’ compensation, disability, or litigation)

5. Occupational Stress and Disease
Physiological effects
Elevated serum cholesterol
Elevated blood pressure
Increased left ventricular mass
Increased catecholamines
High plasma fibrinogen concentrations

6. Occupational Stress and Disease, cont’d
Disease states
Coronary artery disease
Obesity
Psychosomatic symptoms
Diabetes
Hypertension
Peptic ulcers

7. Occupational Stress and Disease, cont’d
Psychological effects
Low self esteem
Increased job tension
Low job satisfaction

8. Occupational Stressors
Workers feel more stress when work objectives are unclear leading into:
Lack of participation
Role problems
role overload
role insufficiency
role ambiguity
role conflict

9. Occupational Stressors, cont’d
Workers feel more stress when work objectives are unclear leading into: (cont’d)
Job dissatisfaction
Motivational factors affect job satisfaction
See Figure 16.5
Work environment

10. The Workaholic
Immersing oneself excessively in work at the expense of non-work activities
Two classifications of workaholics (Naughton, 1987)
Career commitment
Obsession-compulsion

11. The Workaholic, cont’d Scott, et al. (1997) classified workaholics as:
Compulsive-dependent
Perfectionist
Spence & Robbins (1992) proposed a workaholic triad:
Work involvement, driveness, and work enjoyment

12. Burnout
Adverse stress reaction to work with psychological, psychophysiological, and behavioral components
Symptoms include:
Diminished sense of humor
Increased overtime/no vacation
Social withdrawal
Self medication
Skipping rest and meals
Increased physical complaints
Changed job performance
Internal changes

13. Progressive 5-Stage Approach of Burnout
Stage 1: the honeymoon
Stage 2: fuel shortage
Stage 3: chronic symptoms
Stage 4: crisis
Stage 5: hitting the wall

14. How to Combat Burnout Identify the value and meaning of your job
List all activities you like and rank them in order of importance
Create a support group
Start a physical self care program
Start a psychological self care program
Do something silly every day

15. Women and Work Characteristics
Women are clearly disadvantaged in the world of work
They make less money than their male counterparts
Exposure to sexual harassment could exist
Minorities earn less than non-minorities
Most of primary caretakers of children

16. Sexual Harassment at Work
Unwelcomed sexually related actions that interfere with work performance
The Equal Employment Opportunities Commission describes 3 forms of sexual harassment:
Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or conduct of a sexual nature
Submission to, or rejection of, any conduct by an individual using such acts as the basis for employment
Conduct that interferes with the individual’s work performance by creating a hostile or offensive work atmosphere

17. Interventions Life-situation interventions Perception interventions
Emotional arousal interventions
Physiological arousal interventions

18. Chapter 16
Occupational Stress