Marjorie V.

Ballesteros
PhD 720

DISTRESS AT DES: A CASE STUDY

BACKGROUND: Diane works as a child protective service worker for the Department of

Economic Security (DES). Diane has contacted you for stress management advice

because you have known her personally and professionally for several years. She told

you that she admires the way you seem to deal with stress in your own job at the

Department of Motor Vehicles, and she wants your advice and guidance on how to reduce

stress where possible while coping with the rest. You've decided to set out an afternoon

to talk to Diane because you're such a fantastic friend. You start by simply asking her to

discuss the sources of stress in her life. She says to you that she adores her job and

believes she is positively impacting the lives of children and their families, “It’s not that it

isn’t frustrating—it is. Sometimes the system just won’t let me do what I think is best. I do

care about my work and want to stay in the job, but I guess the stress is getting to me. I

can’t figure out what the problem is.” She’s worked here for three years. She is in bad

shape; she can't sleep, she’s worried, her stomach hurts, and her blood pressure is high.

When things get tight, she even gets this itchy rash on the back of her neck. She’s been

assigned a new boss and is a big part of what's driving her insane. Diane is a social

worker, based on her education and what she has learned, she is expected to do

everything she can to assist families and children. By law, her top objective is to keep

families together, which means she sometimes have to make difficult choices between

protecting the children and keeping the family together. According to the new boss, they

are only supposed to investigate, not undertake social work, “we don’t have time to
babysit or be neighborhood do-gooders,” she says, adding that this will free us up to triple

our workload. Her husband has been supportive but has returned to school. That means

Diane needs to be at the day care at 6:00 p.m. sharp. every day per week. Morgan, their

4-year-old, is still suffering from ear infections. Surgery has been proposed by the doctor

and she is not sure when they'll be able to squeeze that in, but eventually they'll have to

do it. During work, she spends half of her day in the car, driving from case to case. she

can't tell how many times she had insufficient information - sometimes a misplaced

address, but the main issue is that she has no idea what she’s going into. They don't

exchange information with the cops on a regular basis and it's not uncommon for her to

stroll into perilous circumstances; other times, it's just a bothersome call from a crazy

neighbor. She has no way of knowing what will happen. She even had an enraged father

threatened her three weeks ago and it wouldn't have troubled her as much if she hadn't

been feeling vulnerable lately. When she returns to her office, she has a mountain of

paperwork to deal with, and the phone is continuously ringing. She used to have lunch

with some of the other workers every now and then to talk about cases and let off steam,

but she has been too pressed to do so in recent months and she needs to get caught up

on her papers. She has been doing this work for quite some time now. She is not sure

why I'm so stressed right now and questions, “What’s wrong with me? What should I do?”

CASE EVALUATION: Based on the circumstances Diane has laid out, I would tell her

that she has already identified the factors causing her stress without her realizing it. On

the subject of her not being able to do her job as a social worker and instead she just

does investigative work, I'd ask Diane about the department's stated policies and if she

follows them and if her boss differs from said policies. I would also inquire on her
department’s procedures of gathering accurate information for the cases she would

handle. Finally, I would inquire if there is an existing grievance committee to address her

grievance towards her job direction.

During this time of distress, I would reassure Diane that what she is feeling is valid

and what she is going through is a common response for people going thru stress.

However, she must not let herself be succumbed to it for a long period. Stress is an

unavoidable element of today's workplace, especially in public and nonprofit

organizations. According to a study, leaders and followers have different perspectives on

what causes workplace stress. This gap can jeopardize the success of any programs

aimed at improving workplace well-being. Being under a lot of pressure to finish her

workload, facing huge changes like having a new boss, worrying about something such

as not having accurate information on the cases she handles, not having much or any

influence over the outcome of a situation, having obligations that you're finding

burdensome namely her daughter’s pick-up schedule and surgery, activity or change in

your life, and times of uncertainty are all things that causes Diane to feel stress. Also,

child care and the responsibilities of everyday life can put a burden on workers. As people

try to balance work-life commitments and expectations, conflicts arise between being a

good worker and being a good parent. In a study of local government managers

conducted by Roy Green and B. J. Reed, it was discovered that family-related difficulties,

contribute to stress. A major percentage of this stress is caused by interpersonal conflicts,

whether with a boss or a coworker. Discord can emerge for a variety of reasons, including

differences about how duties should be completed Conflicts can also be organizational or

intra-individual in nature (this form of conflict can arise when employees' values clash with
their job needs), and role conflicts can also arise. Workplace interpersonal interactions

can also cause stress, such as when employees are under pressure from their bosses

and have differing perspectives from their coworkers. Employees may feel slighted and

mistrusted as a result of conflicts with their supervisor. According to studies, public and

nonprofit personnel are often motivated to conduct the type of work of being of service for

the public good. While this passion and motivation is often viewed positively, it can also

lead to individuals taking on greater workloads and stress in order to be of service to their

organization's mission and constituents. Furthermore, many in public or nonprofit service

engage with people in distress on a daily basis, address major social issues, and try to

achieve high missions with difficult-to-measure goals and outcomes. Work that is unclear

or has conflicting duties and boundaries, as well as having responsibility for others, can

induce stress. Stress is created by managers who are critical, demanding, unsupportive,

or bullying. Working long hours and not getting enough sleep, which weakens the

immune system, leads to disease and family strife. Working lengthy hours is inefficient.

Even if their workplace does not support or encourage it, Diane needs to take care

of herself and have a self-care strategy. Exercise can help the body deal more effectively

with the physical aspects of stress. Individually, regular exercise can be a significant and

effective strategy. To maintain a balance between work and life, she must assess and

make necessary modifications. Diane needs to better organize her workdays, balancing

road work, paperwork, and lunch breaks. She should also make her off-work schedule a

priority to ensure that she is providing for her family's requirements. People who feel bad

about family issues are more likely to feel pressured at work. She shouldn't feel bad for

scheduling her daughter's surgery. It's perfectly acceptable to have a life outside of work,
and it's perfectly acceptable to admit it. Diane could be more assertive and voice her

concerns to her boss in a transparent and courteous manner. If she doesn't express

herself, resentment will grow and stress will rise. However, she must be willing to

compromise regardless of the conversation's outcome. She should change herself if she

can't change the stressor. She may change her expectations and attitude to adapt to

stressful events and regain control. She should strive to see the bright side of stressful

events and consider the wider picture. She should hold herself and others to realistic

standards. Diane should have a strong social support system from her family, friends or

co-workers to help her get through difficult times. She will be able to handle stressful or

life-changing events if she has social support. She will also be able to see stressful

situations as more controllable, prevent her from negatively reacting to a stressor by

redefining it as non-stressful, increase her ability to proactively and reactively cope with

the stressor, and provide supportive solutions for stress if she has social support.

I, like Diane, have used a variety of diversions in my life to alleviate my stress. I

have practiced and continue to practice time management by balancing my work and

family obligations. However, I've found that having a solid support network is the most

effective strategy. My job requires me to be away from my family for long periods of time,

so keeping in touch with them, constantly, has given me a good outlook on life. As a

leader, I am conscious that I have more power over the working environment than my

subordinates, thus I have a greater opportunity to help reduce work-related stress among

us. Skills training, where my subordinates were taught how to do their jobs more

effectively with less stress and strain, weekly meetings, where I allow my subordinates

greater participation and personal control in decisions affecting their work, having open
communication channels so my subordinates are more informed about what is happening

in the organization, and implementing a time for exercise are among the activities I applied

to my organization.