Chapter 18.

Managing Stress at work

Structure

•Stress management
intervention

•Employee assistance
programmes & stress
management training
Stress Management Intervention

 The stress intervention can focus on the

individual, the organization and individual-
organizational interface.
 Three levels of intervention:
Primary: Reducing the sources of organizational stress
Secondary: Stress management training
Tertiary: Health promotion or workplace counseling

DeFrank and Cooper(1987), Murphy(1988)

Health Promotion:
Modify behavioral risk
factors
EAP:
•The provision of keep
fit facilities on site
•Dietary control
•Cardiovascular fitness
programmes
•Relaxation and
exercise classes
•Stress management
training or
psychological
counseling
•Or some combination
of these package
 Yoga

Massage
Psychotherapy
EAP

 A programmatic intervention at the workplace, using

behaviourial science knowledge and methods for the
control of certain work related problems (notably
alcoholism, drug abuse and mental health) that
adversely affect job performance, with the objective
of enabling the individual to return to making her or
his full contribution and to attaining full functioning in
personal life.

Berridge and Cooper(1993)

In short

 A program controls the relative

problems at workplace, making
employee have effective
performance and achieve the
full contribution in the life.
Reasons for popular

 Cost-benefit
 Professional “interventionists”
 Considered easier and
less disruptive
 A high-profile mean
Feature of stress management

 Stress management training: short-term

effects & little impact on improving job
satisfaction
 Health promotion activities: impact on
lifestyle and health habits but it may not
necessarily be sustained