orgb cp9

Chapter 9

Job Stress and Careers

Key Points in this Chapter

 An Overview of Stress

 Sources of Stress

 Consequences of Stress

 Coping, Social Support, & Stress

 Organizational Actions & Stress

Job Stress

 The presence of job stress in the workplace is a major concern for both employees & managers

 Each year stress causes billions of dollars in additional cost to American business due to increased absenteeism & turnover, lower productivity, & higher medical costs & worker compensation claims

 Excessive levels of stress can seriously impair an employee’s work performance & career success

Job Stress  Stress: involves an interaction between a person &

the environment that is perceived to be so trying that it exceeds the person’s coping resources

 Occurs when a person is confronted with an opportunity/constraint/demand that exceeds his/her capacity to handle it

 Occurs when a person cares about the particular outcomes in a given situation, but lacks control over the circumstances

 Comes from uncertainty, unpredictability, & fear of the unknown

A Model of Stress

Sources of Stress

 Stressors: represent “stimuli that evoke the stress process”

 Can come from work or nonwork sources

 Can be hindrance-oriented (e.g., organizational politics, role ambiguity) & challenge-oriented (e.g., high workload, time pressure, job scope)

 Hindrance stressors are negatively related to job performance

Sources of Stress

 The presence of a stressor does not inevitably produce stress; it depends on how it is appraised

 Some personal characteristics can produce stress above the effects of environmental pressures (e.g., anxiety, Type A)

 The amount of control an employee has over a work situation can determine if the situation produces stress

Career Transitions as a Source of Stress  Career Transitions: involve changes in role

characteristics or in orientations to a currently held role (e.g., promotions, job changes, job loss)

 Involve changes & contrasts between old & new settings

 Produce high levels of stress when the career transitions:

 Are undesirable

 Involve extensive change

 Are sudden & unexpected

 Are accompanied by other life transitions

Consequences of Stress

 Burnout: is a psychological strain in response to chronic work stress

 Is most often caused by excessive stressors in the work environment

 Includes negative emotions, interpersonal friction, health problems, & declining performance

Coping, Social Support, & Stress  Coping enables individuals to avoid the harmful

effects of stressful situations

 3 categories of coping strategies:

1. Attempt to change the situation that produces the stress (e.g., reducing high workloads, changing jobs)

2. Change the meaning of the stressful environment without necessarily changing the stressor itself (i.e., cognitive restructuring or self-talk)

3. Attempt to manage the strain symptoms (e.g., meditation, journaling)

 Social support from others can reduce the stressfulness of the environment & protect against the harmful effects of stress

Organizational Actions & Stress

 Organizations have developed a variety of programs to reduce the level of employee stress

 Are usually related to the 3 coping strategies

 Alter employees’ the stressful environment

 Work with employees to change their interpretations of the environment

 Help employees manage their strain symptoms

 Organizations must properly diagnose the extent & roots of employee stress

Summary  Stress is aroused when a person faces an

opportunity, constraint, or demand that exceeds his/her capacity

 Can be produced by a number of conditions in the work environment (e.g., organizational characteristics, job demands, low job control, interpersonal relationships)

 Is also related to personal characteristics

 Stress can create burnout

 People who survive stressful conditions have likely learned effective coping skills &/or have utilized supportive relationships with others