Job Stress
I don't believe people die from hard work.
They die from stress and worry and fear --
the negative emotions.
Those are the killers, not hard work.
The fact is, in our society today,
most people don't understand
what hard work is all about.
A. L. Williams
WHAT IS JOB STRESS?
physical
Jobharmful
stress can be defined
& responses
as emotional that occur
the harmful physical and emotional responses
when
that occur there is a poor
match
when the requirements
the requirements of the job of the job
between
do¬ match
the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker
the capabilities,
Job resources,
stress can lead or needs
to poor health of the worker.
and even
injury.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Job stress is often linked or equated with challenge, but the
two are very different.
• Challenge motivates and energizes us psychologically and
physically to learn new skills and master given tasks.
• When a challenge is met, we feel a great sense
"a little challenge
bit of stress
is
of accomplishment. We feel relaxed and satisfied.
• Challenge is beneficial in the work environment as it helps
isgood
goodfor
increase productivity. foryou.
you.""
• This is what people are referring to when they say - "a little
bit of stress is good for you."
• It might be more accurate to say - "a little challenge is good
for you."
SYMPTOMS OF STRESS
Ulcers Headaches Sleep disruption
Digestive problems
blood pressure
High
SYMPTOMS OF STRESS
Emotional The quality or state of bring unstable; lack of stability or
instability firmness. ... in an unpredictable, changeable, or erratic
manner.
Moodiness A sudden change in someone's behavior such as friendly
to irritable and polite to hostile
Nervousness and A feeling of fear, unease, and worry.
tension
Depression Lack of energy and difficulty in maintaining concentration
or interest in life.
Burnout A situation in which employees are emotionally
exhausted, become detached from their clients and their
work, and feel unable to accomplish their goals.
SYMPTOMS OF STRESS
Excessive smoking Absenteeism Safety problems
Abuse of alcohol Aggression Performance
or drugs problems
JOB RELATED CAUSES OF STRESS
Poor quality of Insecure job
Work overload Time pressures
supervision climate
Role conflict and Inadequate authority toLack of personal
ambiguity match responsibilities control
Differences between companyChange of any type, especially
and employee values when it is major of unusual
Technology with inadequate
Frustration
training or support
APPROACHES TO STRESS MANAGEMENT
Organizations can seek to improve: These steps
Managerial communications skills; are aimed at
1. Prevent
reducing or
or control it: Empower employees through participation;
eliminating
Redesign jobs to be more fulfilling, or stressors for
Implement OD programs. employees
Other employees can escape stress by-
Requesting job transfers, These allow
2. Escape employees to
Finding alternative employment,
from it: confront the
Taking early retirement, or stressor.
Acquiring assertiveness skills
APPROACHES TO STRESS MANAGEMENT
Learn to adapt to it (handle its symptoms).
Several approaches exist for coping with stress.
3. Prevent
or control it: These often involve
cooperative efforts
among
employees and management
and
may include:
(iii) (iv)
(i) (ii) Relaxation
Sabbaticals/ Personal wellness
Social support efforts
Time outs programs
APPROACHES TO STRESS MANAGEMENT
A powerful remedy to stress lies in the presence of social
support at work;
i. It’s the network of helpful activities, interactions, and
Social relationships that provides an employee with the satisfaction
Support: of important needs.
There are four types of support in a total network.
Informational
Social
Evaluative Support Emotional
Instrumental
• Social sport may come from supervisors, co-workers, friends or family.
• Its focus may be on either work tasks or social exchanges and may even take the
form of games, or jokes.
The ideal ingredients of this relaxation effort involve:
A comfortable position in a relatively quiet location;
2.
Relaxation : Closed eyes and deep, comfortable breaths;
Repetition of a peaceful word, or focus on a pleasant
mental image;
Avoidance of distracting thoughts and negative
events;
Soothing background music.
It helps remove people temporarily from the stressful
world and reduces their symptoms of stress.
iii.
Sabbaticals :
Whereas relaxation may help us cope with stress, sometimes it is wisest to at
least temporarily remove employees from it.
Some employers, recognizing this need for employees to escape, have created
programs allowing sabbatical leaves to encourage stress relief and personal
education.
Most employees return emotionally refreshed, feel rewarded and valued by their
employers, and often bring back new perspectives gained from readings and
workshops.
Leisure is a beautiful garment, but it will not do for constant wear.
In-house programs of preventive maintenance for personal
wellness, based on research in behavioral medicine, are
iv. increasingly popular.
Personal
Wellness: Corporate wellness centers may include:
disease
health educationfitness centers
screening
Health care specialists can recommend practices
to encourage changes in lifestyle, and to enable
employees to use more of their full potential, such as:
breathing regulation;
muscle relaxation;
positive imagery;
nutrition management; and exercise
Common Personal Strategies for managing Stress
Resist working long hours or accepting overtime.
Volunteer for flextime or other alternative work schedule.
Identify the people who cause stress and avoid them.
Maintain a healthy diet.
Obtain regular exercise.
Avoid procrastination.
Set reasonable goals for yourself.
Develop a simple method of organizing things, and adhere to
it.
Step back from stress and decide whether you need to fight
every battle.
Consult with a trusted friend before becoming involved in new
activities.
STRESS is the trash of modern life-
we all generate it
but
if you don’t dispose of it properly,
it will pile up and overtake your life.
Danzae Pace
Give your STRESS Wings and let it fly away.
Carin Hartness
