13 Unit 8 Assignment

7/29/2019 13 Unit 8 Assignment

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Jeff Brown

Michelle Pultoraks Class

CO2520T

Aug 20, 2013

Unit 8-1 Assignment

Emotional Labor in the Workplace / Stress / and Burnout:

I think there are many jobs and organizations that require people to manage their

emotions in particular ways when interacting with customers or in the public area. For example, I

think customer service representatives are generally expected to show a lot of enthusiasm while

hiding any things like boredom, irritation, or anger. In contrast, people working in collections or

law enforcement positions sometimes need to appear angry or disapproving while covering up

any feelings of compassion or happiness that they might be feeling. This process of regulating

emotions is kind of like emotional labor which is a common part of a lot of jobs.

Another aspect to consider is the work life conflict. How do you decide between valuable

time spent with family life, and required time spent at work? But once you begin expanding your

work hours on a regular basis, working normal hours starts to look like slacking off. In other

words, if you establish a pattern of staying late, your extended hours become the new

normal.Akin to a gateway drug, Id say when did an excellent work ethic and honorable

commitment become a purgatory of excessive expectations? Being punished for working hard,

for working late and, dare I say, for enjoying both when the task calls for it (at least not when

forced nor expected to) is uncalled for.

Ive never been a clock-watcher. Ive often felt that the clock is counterproductive. 9 to 5 is a

great song and an even better movie, but as a set work shift, its a precipice from which


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Jeff Brown


CO2520T

Aug 20, 2013

productivity falls far and hard, never to be recovered. These type of feelings are indicative of a

work / life dilemma. Are my hours expanding while productivity wanes? And is my family

getting all the attention it deserves? We all get to decide on our own.

Finally, consider the subject of burnout / stress. Like the stress of trying to get your

homework done on time for example. Definition of stress and burnout can be defined as the

emotional and physiological reactions to stressors. A stressor is a demand, situation or

circumstance that disrupts a persons equilibrium. Prolonged stress is associated with chronic

anxiety, psychosomatic illness and a variety of other emotional problems. Burnout is a

particularly serious feature of chronic stress and one that can impair even physically. As a

student at ITT Tech, I find myself faced with this every class and every quarter.

Additional organizational constraints include the pressure to discharge patients more

quickly, no time to provide counseling or emotional support, and lack of cooperation from

friends and or family. As my job at work changes and previously well-established work practices

are replaced by more complex and overlapping roles, all workers are susceptible to even more

stress. Its been said by professionals that the social work symptoms of distress included

physical exhaustion (51%) and emotional exhaustion (38%). Thus the measure of mental health

found that both home help workers and social workers reported poorer mental well being than

other occupational groups. Dr. Balloch in 1998 conducted a survey in five different local

authorities in England to explore the relationship between levels of satisfaction, dissatisfaction

and stress among social services staff. Interviews were carried out with 1276 people. The results

proved how stress was directly the cause of my physical ailments.


3/3

Jeff Brown


CO2520T

Aug 20, 2013

Later he conducted a cross cultural comparison of the perceptions of job satisfaction, burnout

and turnover between a national sample of social workers in Norway and a national sample of

social workers in the USA. The Norwegian social workers reported higher levels of burnout, job

dissatisfaction and intent to leave their jobs than American workers. Among the work-related

stressors, Norwegian workers reported higher levels of stress related to role ambiguity, role

conflict, job challenge, value conflict, and financial rewards, and less stress related to promotion

and workload than American workers. To me, I think that it was interesting to see the

differences among different workers in different countries. But what I think stand common to all,

and even for me as a student. We just could seriously a little nap everyday. Dont you think?

Source: http://www.workshifting.com/2011/12/the-workshifting-worklife-balance-dilemma-stay-

late-or-go-home.html#sthash.0JRyaxT3.dpuf

And also: Human Communication in Society, by: Jess K. Alberts.

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13 Unit 8 Assignment