Job Stress

JOB STRESS
I. Job Stress A. Meaning of Stress usually thought of in negative terms B. Background of Stress concern about the impact on stress on people C. Causes of Stress life changes II. Effects of Job Stress A. Physical Problems high blood pressure B. Psychological Problems mental health C. Behavioral sleeplessness and increased smoking and drinking III. Coping Strategies A. Individual decision-making B. Organizational supportive organizational climate IV. Summary

Job Stress Job Stress: How it affects our daily lives Stress is usually thought of in negative terms. Stress is thought to be caused by something bad. This is a form of distress. But there is also a positive, pleasant side of stress

caused by good things. This is a form of eustress. This latter term was coined by the pioneers of stress research from the Greek eu, which means good. In other words, stress can be viewed in a number of different ways and has been described as the most imprecise word in the scientific dictionary. The word stress has also been compared with the word sin: Both are short, emotionally charged words used to refer to something that otherwise would take many words to say. The background of stress is associated with the GAS model, which remains a vital dimension of modern stress research and stress management, attention is also being given to the psychological and the behavioral dimensions of stress. All three dimensions (physiological, psychological and behavioral) are important to the understanding of job stress and coping strategies in modern organizations. The causes of stress could be life changes. Lifes changes may be slow (getting older) or sudden (the death of a spouse). These changes have been portrayed in novels and movies as having a dramatic effect on people. This could somehow influence job performance. Stress is not automatically bad for individual employees or his or her organizational performance. It is generally recognized that at least low levels of stress can even enhance job performance. People in certain jobs, such as in sales or creative fields would seem to benefit from a mild level of stress. People in other jobs, such as police officers or physicians, may not benefit from constant mild stress.

Job Stress There could be physical, psychological and behavioral problems due to stress. A highlevel of stress is accompanied by high blood pressure and high-levels of cholesterol and may even result in heart disease, ulcers, and arthritis. There may even be a possible link between

stress and cancer. It may be accompanied by anger, anxiety, depression, nervousness, irritability, tension, and boredom. The effects of this on individual employees are changes in mood and other emotional states and, especially relevant to job performance, lowered self-esteem, resentment of supervision, inability to concentrate and make decision, and job dissatisfaction. Behavior that may accompany high-levels of stress include under eating or overeating, sleeplessness, increased smoking and drinking, and drug abuse. When it is realized that 6% of the populations are alcoholics, that another estimated 10% are problem drinkers, and that 6 billion doses of amphetamines and barbiturates are consumed annually, the potential problems for employee behavior caused by alcohol and drug abuse become dramatically clear. There are two major approaches to dealing with job stress. First, are the individual strategies, which tend to be more reactive in nature. Some individual strategies, such as physical exercise, can be both reactive and proactive, but most are geared toward helping the person who is already suffering from stress. The second general approach is to develop a more proactive set of strategies at the organization level. The idea behind these organizational strategies is to remove existing or potential stressors and thus, like preventive medicine, prevent the onset of stress for individual jobholders. When self-help remedies, do-it-yourself approaches, weight-loss clinics and diets, health foods, and physical exercise are being given so much attention in the mass media and when people are taking responsibility, or know they should be taking responsibility, for their own wellness, individual coping strategies for dealing with stress make sense. In other words, most

Job Stress people do not have to be convinced of the value of taking charge and making a change in their lives. Organizational coping strategies are designed by management to eliminate or control organizational-level stressors in order to prevent or reduce job stress for individual employees. More generalized strategies might include the following: (1) Create a supportive organization climate, (2) Enrich the design of tasks, (3) Reduce conflict and clarify organizational roles and (4) Plan and develop career paths and provide counseling. At some point, a decision has to be made when it comes to health. Stress is still one of

the most important and serious problems facing the field of organizational behavior. The causes of stress can be categorized into extra organizational, organizational, and group stressors and individual stressors and dispositions. In combination or singly, they represent a tremendous amount of potential stress impinging upon todays jobholder at every level and in every type of organization. Taking a more proactive approach, management of organizations could create a more supportive climate, enrich tasks, reduce conflict and clarify roles. Whether on an individual or an organizational level, steps need to be taken to prevent or reduce job stress.

Job Stress Hans Selye, (1974). Stress without Distress, Lippincott, Philadelphia James C. Quick and Jonathan D. Quick, (1984). Organizational Stress and Preventative Management, New York: McGraw-Hill Ivancevich and Matteson, Stress and Work, p.212.