CHAPTER 6

WORK RELATED STRESS & STRESS MANAGEMENT

1.0 Introduction

Anyone involved in supervising staff has a duty to manage work-related stress. Proper
training can help managers and supervisors understand their role in avoiding, reducing
and controlling the health risks of work-related stress

2.0 What is Stress?

Stress is a dynamic condition in which an individual is confronted with an opportunity,

demand or resources related to what the individual desires and for which the outcome is
perceived to be both uncertain and important.
Robbins & Judge

“An adaptive response to a situation that is perceived as challenging or threatening to

the person’s well-being “.
McShane & Von Glinow

 Stress is associated with demands and resources.

 Constraints are forces that prevent individuals from doing what they desire.
 Demands are responsibilities, pressures, obligations and even uncertainties that
individuals face in the workplace.
 Resources are things within an individual’s control that can be used to resolve the
demands, e.g. social support.

2.1 Stress..Bad or good?

• Stress is not necessary bad..although generally, when we discuss about stress we

will discuss in negative context.
• Stress also has a positive or good value.
• E.g. workers see the pressure of heavy work loads and deadlines as a positive
challenges to enhance the quality of their work and the satisfaction they get from
their job.

2.2 Types of stress

• Episodic Stress- pattern of high stress followed by intervals of relief

• Chronic Stress- constant confrontation of stressors without relief
– Effects are:
• constant
• additive
• Distress- stress that has a negative consequence on a person’s well-being

3.0 General Adaptation Syndrome

 The stress experience was first documented 50 years ago by Dr. Hans Seyle, a
pioneer in stress research.

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  Seyle determined that people have a fairly consistent physiological response to
stressful situations. This respons, called the general adaptation syndrome, provides
an automatic defense system to help us cope with environmental demands.

General Adaptation Syndrome

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3
Alarm Reaction Resistance Exhaustion

Normal
Level of
Resistance

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 7-4 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Pressures, tensions, and other stressors can greatly influence your normal metabolism.
Selye determined that there is a limited supply of adaptive energy to deal with stress.
That amount declines with continuous exposure.

“Every stress leaves an indelible scar, and the organism pays for its survival after a
stressful situation by becoming a little older.”

~ Hans Selye

Going through a series of steps, your body consistently works to regain stability. With the
general adaptation syndrome, a human’s adaptive response to stress has three distinct
phases:

a. Alarm

Muscle tense, respiration rate increase, blood pressure and heart beat increase

b. Resistance

Experience anxiety, anger and fatigue

May make poor decision or experience illness

c. Exhaustion

When a person can no longer sustain the resistance

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Developed stress induced illness e.g ulcer, headaches

4.0 Stressors (Causes of Stress)

 Stressors, the causes of stress, include any environmental conditions that place a
physical or emotional demand on the person. There are numerous stressors in
organizational settings amd other life activities.

 There are four main types of work-related stressors: interpersonal, role- related,
task control, organizational a nd physical environmental stressors.

Causes and consequences of stress

C auses & consequences ofstress (

mcshane/von glinow)

Briefing on the above diagram

4.1 Interpersonal Stressors

Among the four types of stressors, interpersonal stressors seem to be the most pervasive
at school and work. Considered the most common group of workplace stressors Include:
• Team dynamics: The trend toward teamwork generates interpersonal stressors
because employees must interact more with co-workers.
• Organizational politics
• Bad bosses
• Workplace violence: 2 million people experience some form of violence at work
each year ; Most common cause of work-related death for women; second most
common for men; Severe distress after experiencing or observing violence:Also
stress from working in high-risk jobs

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 • Psychological and sexual harassment: Repeated and hostile or unwanted
conduct, verbal comments, actions or gestures, that affect an employee's dignity
or psychological or physical integrity and that result in a harmful work
environment for the employee.Unwelcome conduct -- detrimental effect on work
environment or job performance.employment or job performance is conditional
on unwanted sexual relations.Hostile work environment ,an intimidating, hostile, or
offensive working environment; Quid pro quo-employment or job performance is
conditional on unwanted sexual relations

• Workplace bullying- offensive, intimidating, or humaliating behavior that

degrades, ridicules, or insults another person at work.

4.2 Role-Related Stressors

 Role Conflict: Incongruity or incompatibility of expectations associated with the

person’s role, Occurs when two roles conflict with each other, Occurs when
personal values conflict with work roles
 Role ambiguity: uncertain task and social expectations
 Work Overload: increased hours and intensity

4.3 Task Control Stressors

• Stress increases when employees lack control over:

– How and when tasks are performed
– Pace of work activity
• Low task control is a higher stressor when job also has high responsibility

4.4 Organizational and Physical Environmental Stressors

• Organizational
– Most prevalent is downsizing, which affects layoff survivors
• reduced job security
• chaos of change
• additional workloads
• guilt of having a job as others lose theirs
• Physical Environment
– Due to excessive noise, poor lighting and hazards

5.0 Work-Nonwork Stressors

The stress model shown earlier has a two-way arror, indicating that stressors from work spill
over into nonwork and verse versa. There are three types of these work-nonwork stressors:
time based, strain-based, and role-based conflict.

• Time-based conflict-challenge of balancing the time demanded by work with

family and other non-work activities. e.g. working mother-child care, housework.
due to business travel, inflexible and/or rotating work schedules and for women --
still do most household chores
• Strain-based conflict-occurs when stress from one domain spills over to the other.
Stress at work spills over to individual’s personal life. E.g. on vacation with family
but still bring along devices ( laptop, BlackBerry wireless) for work-related tasks.

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 • Role behavior conflict- stress occurs when a person have to do adjustment from
one role to the other role. E.g. at work need to exercise autocratic style, at home
more friendly.

6.0 Stress and Occupations

• Some jobs expose people to more serious stressors, but careful selection and
training can result in stress levels no different from those experienced y people in
other jobs.

Stress and Occupations

Accountant Hospital manager President

Artist Doctor (GP) Prison officer
Car Mechanic Psychologist Teacher
Forest Ranger School principal Nurse

Low-Stress Medium-Stress High-Stress

Occupations Occupations Occupations

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 7-16 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

• Several studies have attempted to identify which jobs have more stressors than
others. The above lists are not in complete agreement but identify a
representatives sample of jobs and their relative level of stressors.
• One problem with rating occupations in terms of their stress levels is that a
particular occupation may be considerably different tasks and job environments
across organizations and societies.

7.0 Individual Differences

 Perceive the situation differently

 Different threshold levels of resistance to stressor
 Use different stress coping strategies
 Personality Type

7.1 Type A and Type B Behavior

• Capability of individuals to cope successfully in the face of significant change,
adversity, or risk
• Personality traits
– extroversion, low neuroticism, internal locus of control, high tolerance of
change, and high self-esteem
• Adaptability to stressors
– high emotional intelligence
– good problem-solving skills
– productive coping strategies

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 • Inner strength/sense of purpose
– Workplace spirituality

 Personal factors
a. Types A & B personality
- some people are stress prone than others

TYPE A TYPE B
- impatient, competitive - relatively mild mannered
- aggressive - less in hurry
- difficulty in relaxing - less competitive
- feels constantly under - more relaxed
pressure
- accomplish several things
at one time

8.0 Work Stress & Workaholism

• Work addicts (classic workaholics)

– Highly involved in work
– High drive to succeed
– Low enjoyment of work
– Have “Type A” behavior pattern -- impatient, competitive, temper,
interrupts others
• Enthusiastic workaholics
– Highly involved in work, high drive to succeed, and high enjoyment of
work
• Work enthusiasts
– High work involvement and work enjoyment, but LOW drive to succeed

9.0 Consequences of Distress

Consequences of Stress

Cardiovascular disease,
Physiological hypertension, headaches

Work performance, accidents,

Behavioral absenteeism, aggression, poor
decisions

Dissatisfaction, moodiness,
Psychological depression, emotional fatigue

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 7-20 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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10.0 Job Burnout

Job Burnout Process

Interpersonal and
Role-Related Stressors

Emotional
Exhaustion

Physiological,
psychological,
Cynicism
and behavioral
consequences

Reduced Efficacy

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 7-21 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Burnout is first popularized by Freudenberger in 1974. Scholars started to widely discuss

burnout (Brenninkmeyer, Van Yperen & Buunk, 2001). Burnout is a use up of emotional
symptoms and usually happen in the workplace. Maslach and Jackson (1986) stated
burnout is emotional exhaustion, lack of friendliness and reduce personal
accomplishment. Burnout often takes place with someone who help others. Arie and
Yoram (1993) described burnout is physical, mental and spiritual exhaustion, as well as
the long-term stress response to organizations and ridiculed his job.

10.1 Top 10 Life Stressors

10. Retirement or quitting

9. Marital reconciliation
8. Fired from work
7. Marriage
6. Personal injury or illness
5. Death of a family member
4. Jail Term
3. Marital Separation
2. Divorce
1. Death

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11.0 Managing Work-Related Stress

Stress Management Strategies

Remove the
Stressor

Receive Withdraw from

Stress the Stressor
Social Support
Management
Strategies
Change
Control Stress
Stress
Consequences
Perceptions

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 7-22 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

11.1 Remove the Stressor

• Stress audits -- investigate sources of stress

• Change corporate culture and reward system
• Provide environment that supports empowerment
• Person-job matching
• Work-life balance initiatives

11.2 Withdraw from the Stressor

 Permanent withdrawal
 Remove employees from jobs not aligned with their competencies
 Temporary withdrawal
 Coffee/lunch breaks
 Karaoke breaks (photo)
 Sabbaticals

11.3 Change Stress Perceptions

• Self-efficacy, self-leadership

11.4 Control the Consequences of Stress

• relaxation and meditation

• fitness and lifestyle programs

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11.5 Receive Social Support

• emotional and informational

11.6 Work-Life Balance

•Flexible work time

•Job sharing
•Teleworking
•Personal leave
•Childcare support

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