Work Stress

Yu Fu

Email: yu.fu@heig-vd.ch

Learning objectives

• Define stress, stressor, and distress/strain

• Compare four different approaches to stress

• Identify work and non-work causes of stress

• Identify elements of preventive stress management for individuals and organisations

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The Problem: The Cost of Stress at Work

• Companies in the United Kingdom lose 13.7 million working days per year due to stress, causing £28.3 billion in productivity losses.

• More than 25% of workers in the UK describe their mental health as moderate or poor.

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The Problem: The Cost of Stress at Work

• The European Union estimates that work-related stress affects at least 40 million workers in its 15 (Western ) Member States and that it costs the European Union at least €20 billion annually.

• In 2009, 25 employees of France Telecom have committed suicide.

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What is stress?

The HSE defines stress at work as arising

• “when the demands of the job and the working environment on a person exceeds their capacity to meet them” and

• “the reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demands placed on them.”

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What is stress?

• Stress – the unconscious preparation to fight or flee that a person experiences when faced with any demand

• Stressor – the person or event that triggers the stress response

• Distress (or strain) – the adverse psychological, physical, behavioural, and organisational consequences that may arise as a result of stressful events

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Effects of Stress

• increased absenteeism (of which stress is the biggest cause)

• low motivation• reduced productivity• reduced efficiency• faulty decision-making• poor industrial relations

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Stress CheckHow often do the following happen to you? Always (3), often (2), sometimes (1), or never (0)? Rate each statement on a scale from 0 to 3, as honestly as you can and without spending too much time on any one statement.

Am I Overstressed?• 1. I have to make important snap judgments and decisions.• 2. I am not consulted about what happens on my job or in my classes.• 3. I feel I am underpaid.• 4. I feel that no matter how hard I work, the system will mess it up.• 5. I do not get along with some of my co-workers or fellow students.• 6. I do not trust my superiors at work or my professors at school.• 7. The paperwork burden on my job or at school is getting to me.• 8. I feel people outside the job or the university do not respect what I do.

Record your score as the sum of your responses.

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Stress Check

Am I Angry?• 1. I feel that people around me make too many irritating mistakes.• 2. I feel annoyed because I do good work or perform well in school, but

no one appreciates it.• 3. When people make me angry, I tell them off.• 4. When I am angry, I say things I know will hurt people.• 5. I lose my temper easily.• 6. I feel like striking out at someone who angers me.• 7. When a co-worker or fellow student makes a mistake, I tell him or her

about it.• 8. I cannot stand being criticsed in public.

Record your score as the sum of your responses, and add it to your score from the previous section.

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Stress Check

To find your level of anger and potential for aggressive behaviour, add your scores from both quiz parts.

• 40–48: The red flag is waving, and you had better pay attention. You are in the danger zone. You need guidance from a counsellor or mental health professional, and you should be getting it now.

• 30–39: The yellow flag is up. Your stress and anger levels are too high, and you are feeling increasingly hostile. You are still in control, but it would not take much to trigger a violent flare of temper.

• 10–29: Relax, you are in the broad normal range. Like most people, you get angry occasionally, but usually with some justification. Sometimes you take overt action, but you are not likely to be unreasonably or excessively aggressive.

• 0–9: Congratulations! You are in great shape. Your stress and anger are well under control, giving you a laid-back personality not prone to violence

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Psychological Stressors at Work

• Task related and organisational stressors– High workload, time pressure – Role conflicts, organisational constraints

• Social stressors – colleagues, supervisors, subordinates– Negative social climate– Task conflicts, relationship conflicts– Unfair behaviour, destructive leadership,

workplace bullying

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Psychological Stressors at Work

• Social and Emotional stressors – customers, clients– Customer-related social stressor: aggressive

customers, exaggerated customer expectations– Emotional dissonance

• Job insecurity and unemployment

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Approaches to stress

Homeostatic/Medical

• Stress occurs when an external demand upsets an individual’s natural, steady-state balance.

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Approaches to stress

Cognitive appraisal

• Individuals differ in their appraisal of events and people

• What is stressful for one person is not for another

• Perception and cognitive appraisal determines what is stressful

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Approaches to stress

Person-environment fit

• Confusing and conflicting expectations in a social role create stress.

• Good person-environment fit occurs when one’s skills and abilities match a clearly defined set of role expectations.

• Stress occurs when expectations are confusing or when they conflict with one’s skills.

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Approaches to stress

Psychoanalytic Stress

• Discrepancy between the idealised self and the real self-image

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Positive Stress

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• Stress response itself is neutral

• Some stressful activities (aerobic exercise, etc.) can enhance a person’s ability to manage stressful demands or situations

• Stress can provide a needed energy boost

Managing psychological well-being at work

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Per

form

ance

Pressure

Stressed OutSwitched Off

Feel Good Zone

Peak Performance

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Individual Distress

• Medical illness (heart disease, strokes, headaches, backaches)

• Behavioral problems (substance abuse, violence, accidents)

• Work-related psychological disorders (depression, burnout, psychosomatic disorders)

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Organisational Distress

• Participative Problems – a cost associated with absenteeism, tardiness, strikes and work stoppages, and turnover

• Performance Decrement – a cost resulting from poor quality or low quantity of production, grievances, and unscheduled machine downtime and repair

• Compensation Award – an organisational cost resulting from court awards for job distress

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Sources of Stress: Work Demands

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Stress Source: Non-work Demands

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Preventative Stress Management

• An organisational philosophy according to which people and organisations should take joint responsibility for promoting health and preventing distress and strain.

• Stress prevention and control is an essential part of the effective management of people at work.

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Organisational Stress Prevention

• Job redesign

• Goal setting

• Role negotiation

• Social support systems

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Social Support at Work and Home

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Individual Preventive Stress Management

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To help alleviate stress and promote well-being in the workplace

• Giving stress management training• Establishing a clear policy on mental health,

stress, anti-bullying and harassment• Training• Regular appraisals• Monitoring• Flexibility• Awareness• Minimising excessive pressure

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What Can Managers Do?

• Learn how to create healthy stress without distress

• Help employees adjust to new technologies• Be sensitive to early signs of distress• Be aware of gender, personality, and behavioural

differences• Use principles and methods of preventive stress

management

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