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must be attributed to OpenStax, Rice University and any changes must be noted.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Stress and Well Being
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Stress is the single most common reason given for absence from work and many
people report they are “extremely” stressed. However, the general notion of stress
at work can be contentious, and the possibility that work causes illness has been
received with varying degrees of skepticism, indifference, and alarm across sectors
of modern society. Regulators, employers, unions, insurers, and health professionals
continue to struggle with the meaning and management of stress in the workplace.
This chapter reviews stress and well-being at work. Organizational interventions to
reduce stress are also examined.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
18.1 Problems of Work Adjustment
1. How do you recognize the symptoms of stress in yourself and in
others?
Stress is a physical and emotional reaction to potentially threatening aspects of
the environment. The damage resulting from stress is called strain. The general
adaptation syndrome is the common pattern of events that characterizes
someone who experiences stress. The three stages of the syndrome are alarm,
resistance, and exhaustion. Two primary types of stress can be identified:
frustration and anxiety.
18.2 Organizational Influences on Stress
2. What are the underlying causes of stress in a particular situation?
Four organization influences on stress can be identified: (1) occupational
differences, (2) role ambiguity, (3) role conflict, and (4) role overload or
underutilization. Three personal influences on stress are (1) personal control, or
the desire to have some degree of control over one’s environment; (2) rate of
life change; and (3) Type A personality. Type A personality refers to individuals
characterized by impatience, restlessness, aggressiveness, competitiveness, and
polyphasic activities (that is, attempting to do several activities at the same
time).
, Organizational Behavior
18.3 Buffering Effects of Work Related Stress
3. How do managers and organizations minimize the dysfunctional
consequences of stressful behavior?
The effects of potential stress can be buffered by two factors: (1) social support
from one’s coworkers or friends and (2) hardiness, or the ability to perceptually
and behaviorally transform negative stressors into positive challenges. Sustained
stress can lead to (1) health problems; (2) counterproductive behavior, such as
turnover, absenteeism, drug abuse, and sabotage; (3) poor job performance; and
(4) burnout.
18.4 Coping with Work Related Stress
4. What are the remedies for job-related stress, and how can managers
motivate employees to participate actively in health promotion efforts for
the benefit of all concerned?
Burnout is defined as a general feeling of exhaustion that can develop when a
person simultaneously experiences too much pressure to perform and too few
sources of satisfaction. Individual strategies to reduce stress include (1)
developing one’s self-awareness about how to behave on the job, (2) developing
outside interests, (3) leaving the organization, and (4) finding a unique solution.
Organizational strategies to reduce stress include (1) improved personnel
selection and job placement, (2) skills training, (3) job redesign, (4) company-
sponsored counseling programs, (5) increased employee participation and
personal control, (6) enhanced work group cohesiveness, (7) improved
communication, and (8) health promotion programs
LECTURE OUTLINE
I. Problems of Work Adjustment > Learning Outcome 1
A. Work-Related Stress
The types of problems related to employee work adjustment include people who
lack motivation to work, people whose predominant response to the demand to be
productive is fear or anxiety, people who are characterized predominantly by open
hostility and aggression, people who are characterized by marked dependency, and
people who display a marked degree of social naivete.
B. General Adaptation Syndrome
May 21, 2019 2
must be attributed to OpenStax, Rice University and any changes must be noted.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Stress and Well Being
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Stress is the single most common reason given for absence from work and many
people report they are “extremely” stressed. However, the general notion of stress
at work can be contentious, and the possibility that work causes illness has been
received with varying degrees of skepticism, indifference, and alarm across sectors
of modern society. Regulators, employers, unions, insurers, and health professionals
continue to struggle with the meaning and management of stress in the workplace.
This chapter reviews stress and well-being at work. Organizational interventions to
reduce stress are also examined.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
18.1 Problems of Work Adjustment
1. How do you recognize the symptoms of stress in yourself and in
others?
Stress is a physical and emotional reaction to potentially threatening aspects of
the environment. The damage resulting from stress is called strain. The general
adaptation syndrome is the common pattern of events that characterizes
someone who experiences stress. The three stages of the syndrome are alarm,
resistance, and exhaustion. Two primary types of stress can be identified:
frustration and anxiety.
18.2 Organizational Influences on Stress
2. What are the underlying causes of stress in a particular situation?
Four organization influences on stress can be identified: (1) occupational
differences, (2) role ambiguity, (3) role conflict, and (4) role overload or
underutilization. Three personal influences on stress are (1) personal control, or
the desire to have some degree of control over one’s environment; (2) rate of
life change; and (3) Type A personality. Type A personality refers to individuals
characterized by impatience, restlessness, aggressiveness, competitiveness, and
polyphasic activities (that is, attempting to do several activities at the same
time).
, Organizational Behavior
18.3 Buffering Effects of Work Related Stress
3. How do managers and organizations minimize the dysfunctional
consequences of stressful behavior?
The effects of potential stress can be buffered by two factors: (1) social support
from one’s coworkers or friends and (2) hardiness, or the ability to perceptually
and behaviorally transform negative stressors into positive challenges. Sustained
stress can lead to (1) health problems; (2) counterproductive behavior, such as
turnover, absenteeism, drug abuse, and sabotage; (3) poor job performance; and
(4) burnout.
18.4 Coping with Work Related Stress
4. What are the remedies for job-related stress, and how can managers
motivate employees to participate actively in health promotion efforts for
the benefit of all concerned?
Burnout is defined as a general feeling of exhaustion that can develop when a
person simultaneously experiences too much pressure to perform and too few
sources of satisfaction. Individual strategies to reduce stress include (1)
developing one’s self-awareness about how to behave on the job, (2) developing
outside interests, (3) leaving the organization, and (4) finding a unique solution.
Organizational strategies to reduce stress include (1) improved personnel
selection and job placement, (2) skills training, (3) job redesign, (4) company-
sponsored counseling programs, (5) increased employee participation and
personal control, (6) enhanced work group cohesiveness, (7) improved
communication, and (8) health promotion programs
LECTURE OUTLINE
I. Problems of Work Adjustment > Learning Outcome 1
A. Work-Related Stress
The types of problems related to employee work adjustment include people who
lack motivation to work, people whose predominant response to the demand to be
productive is fear or anxiety, people who are characterized predominantly by open
hostility and aggression, people who are characterized by marked dependency, and
people who display a marked degree of social naivete.
B. General Adaptation Syndrome
May 21, 2019 2
