4 different things

Week 5 7

Note that your first sentence here is a bit confusing and perhaps could/should be deleted out, Eddie. This is a great start, overall, but I'd suggest focusing on one side of the fence, so to speak, or the other. Try focusing on workplace stress, because when we come right down to it...unemployment is often a set of unique circumstances and something which different families all tend to handle differently. Focus on the workplace stress. What do experts regard as the top 2 or 3 causes and what solutions do they recommend? Is there a consensus?

Week 5 Comment by Owner: This should be the title of your paper

Billy Jones

Rasmussen

Author Notes

This research is being submitted on February 4, 2014, for billy jones B371/GEB3110 Research and Report Writing

Introduction

Being employed and being unemployed presents different challenges that lead to stress. Unemployment leads to stress because it leads to loss of self-confidence and self-esteem, loss of a sense of security, loss of a purposeful activity, a loss of professional identity, loss of work-based social networks and loss of a daily routines. On the other hand, being employed has challenges of its own. Employed individuals experience stress caused by deadlines, heavy workload, and poor job security and demanding bosses (London, 2013). These lead to depression and anxiety among employees. Although most people feel that unemployed is more stressful than being employed, I discovered that having a job can cause the most stress in a person’s life. Comment by Owner: This is a good catchy first sentence. Your thesis should state what information or issues the paper will discuss.

Reason that stress for being employed Comment by Owner: Title is not complete. Maybe try something like reasons for the employed to be stressed

Work related stress makes individuals feel like their lives are at stake. Employees usually tie their identity to work and this increases pressure on individuals to excel. In the modern society, the most appropriate avenue to success is through hard work in the work place, which means that failure to excel causes more stress. According to Olpin & Hesson (2013), the way people feel is closely related to their performance at the work place. Demanding bosses and deadlines contribute to more stress at the work place. Most bosses exert pressure of their junior employees in order for them to earn promotions, which in turn heap more stress on subordinates. The competitiveness of the corporate environment means that more employees handle deadlines, which exert pressure on them. Additionally, failure to meet the deadlines causes reactions that are equivalent to reactions to danger such as palpitations, racing heart and sweaty palms (Maxon, 1999). Employment also cause stress if tools used to measure performance and progress makes one insecure. Such tools such as tying performance with promotions enhance stress. Lastly, work places that have poor job security cause stress because employees will live with a constant fear of losing their jobs. Comment by Owner: I would do more research for this paragraph to expand on reasons for stress being employed. Things like machines breaking down, dealing with customers/different types of people, or low pay/lack of raises. Comment by Owner: The wording in this sentence was confusing. “A tool such as tying performance with promotions enhance stress by…”

Reason that stress for being Unemployed Comment by Owner: Adjust to previous title changes

Unemployment causes stress in that an individual does not have a way of making a living. The lack of a way of earning a living is stressful because one lacks a way of meeting daily needs such as food, healthcare, education and housing. Secondly, unemployment causes stress because we lack a professional identity when unemployed. According to (APA, 2014), Employment influences the way we perceive ourselves and the way others perceive us. Unemployed individuals are stressed because they lack self-confidence and esteem that come with being employed. Employment provides a sense of meaning, structure and purpose in our lives and when unemployed one lacks purposeful activity, which is a stressful experience. Employment provides a sense of security because one is able to meet daily needs and emergency expenses. The lack of job security leads to constant worries, which contribute to stress. Employment provides one with a daily routine and when, unemployed one lacks daily routine, which is a stressful experience because it can cause a loss of direction in life (Smith & Segal, 2014). Another cause of stress is the lack of work-based social network. This affects individuals who are single because loneliness caused by lack of professional social network especially if one had been employed before causes stress. Comment by Owner: Great statement! Comment by Owner: When unemployed,

Reason for no stress for being employed

There is no stress when one is employed because one has a way of making a living. When one has a way of paying for daily needs, they experience limited stress compared to those who are unemployed. Secondly, there is no stress when one is employed because they have a daily routine. They are busy and have something to look forward to every day, which limits stress caused by idleness. Individuals who are employed have a sense of security that is provided by their work. They have financial security, which is stressful when one lacks it (Broman et al, 2001). Since employment influences how we view ourselves and how others view us, being employed enhances ourt self-esteem and self-confidence, which lowers stress. Lastly, it is not stressful when one is employed because they have a work-based social network. This social network helps them relieve stressful circumstances in life. Comment by Owner: I would expand on this more, maybe include examples since everyone has different expenses/priorities.

Reason for no stress for being Unemployed

Unemployed individuals do not experience stress that is caused by a demanding job. Some jobs are both physically and psychologically demanding, which contribute to stress that is detrimental to health. Demanding jobs that are characterized by deadlines and heavy workloads are highly stressing. Secondly, unemployed individuals do not experience nasty and demanding bosses, and are not stressed because they do not enjoy their jobs. Nasty and demanding bosses cause stressful conflicts. Low paying jobs and those with limited security are highly stressing because the benefits they receive do not meet their daily needs and poor job security leads to constant worries (Blair, 2012). Lastly, there is no stress for being unemployed because some tools adopted by employers in measuring performance and progress contribute to insecurity. Such tools include performance appraisals and performance contracts.

Conclusion of why more stress involves in being employed

Reasons why stress is more for being employed based on research gathered Comment by Owner: Incomplete sentence. I would chose one heading for the next part of information, either this one or the conclusion heading

According to psychologist Malene Friss Andersen, the current work place is characterized by demanding bosses and strict deadlines that have to be met (Hodgekiss, 2012). According to her, perfectionism is a behavior that is demanded by the labor market on employees, which contributes to stress. In her research, she interviewed employees who had sought time off due to stress and found out most of those who suffered from work related stress worked in jobs that required creativity, personal commitment and knowledge. Additionally, she found out that techniques used by companies to measure performance make employees inflexible, insecure and susceptible to stress (Hodgekiss, 2012). According to her, the parameters for measuring success have become narrow and work related stress is becoming an existential threat to employees. The work place has become a potential avenue for fighting battles and realizing recognition, which both contribute to stress.

My reason why stress is less for being unemployed based on research gathered Comment by Owner: Title doesn’t match information. The title states your reasons why, but the paragraph discusses what others have researched

According to researchers from Australian National University, people who do not enjoy their jobs or work in poor quality jobs are more likely to experience stress than those who are unemployed. The researchers concluded that those in poor quality jobs experienced mental disorders such as depression and anxiety compared to unemployed individuals. Eelier research supports this conclusion because it found that individuals who are unhappy with their work are likely to experience high blood pressure even when they are not working. Additionally, researchers from university college of London found that individuals who are passed over during promotions are more likely to experience heart diseases than those who are promoted (Olpin, & Hesson, 2013). This implies that unemployed individuals are not exposed to such risks. The research studies show that it is more stressing when one is employed compared to when one is unemployed. Comment by Owner: earlier

References

American Psychological Association (APA) (2014). Psychological Effects of Unemployment and Underemployment. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/about/gr/issues/socioeconomic/unemployment.aspx

Blair, S. L. (2012). Economic stress and the family. Bingley, UK: Emerald.

Broman, C. L., Hamilton, V. L., & Hoffman, W. S. (2001). Stress and distress among the unemployed: Hard times and vulnerable people. New York, NY [u.a.: Kluwer Acad. Publ.

Hodgekiss, A. (2012). Hating your job is as bad for your health as being unemployed, researchers warn. MailOnline. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article- 2237371/Hating-job-bad-health-unemployed-researchers-warn.html#ixzz2s6GHXWZt

London, B. (2013). Does YOUR job feel like it's killing you? Here's why: Stress of work makes us 'feel as though our lives are at stake' says new study. MailOnline. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2449533/Stress-jobs-makes-work-feeling- lives-stake.html#ixzz2s6HQJVoI

Maxon, R. (1999). Stress in the Workplace: A Costly Epidemic. Retrieved from http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/magazine/99su/stress.html

Olpin, M., & Hesson, M. (2013). Stress management for life: A research-based, experiential approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Smith, M. & Segal, R. (2014). Job Loss & Unemployment Stress. Retrieved from http://www.helpguide.org/life/unemployment_job_loss_stress_coping_tips.htm

White, C.M. (2014).5 Scientifically Proven Ways to Reduce Stress at Work. Time. Retrieved from http://business.time.com/2014/01/22/5-scientifically-proven-ways-to-reduce-stress- at-work/#ixzz2s6How2Oh