Work StressorsIndividual, Group, and Organizational

Presented by: Chuckry D. Maunes

Individual Stressor1.Role Conflict2.Role Overload3.Role Ambiguity4.Harassment5.Pace of Change

Role Conflict is present whenever compliance by an individual to one set of expectations about the job, conflicts with compliance to another set of expectations.

occurs when expected behaviors or tasks are at odds with each other. (George et. al. 2012)

Facets of Role conflict include being torn by conflicting demands from a supervisor about the job and being pressured to get along with people with whom you are not compatible.

A middle manager experiences role conflict when her supervisor expects her to increase production levels, and her subordinates complain they are being overworked.

Role Conflict

Work and nonwork roles interfere with one another

Spillover effect – results when forces in their personal lives “spill over” to affect them at work. (Schermerhorn et. al. 2010)

Family events (birth of a new child)

Economic difficulties (sudden loss of a big investment)

Personal affairs (separation or divorce)

Role Conflict

Employees who experienced more role conflict also experienced lower job satisfaction and higher job-related tension.

The greater the power or authority of the people sending the conflicting messages, the greater was the job dissatisfaction produced by the role conflict

Role Overload

Overload – the condition of having too many tasks to perform. (George et. al. 2012)

Role Overload

Role Overload

1. Qualitative overload

– occurs when people feel they lack the ability needed to complete their jobs or that performance standards have been set too high.

Types of Overload:

Role Overload

Quantitative overload can cause biochemical changes, specifically, elevation in blood cholesterol levels.

Karoshi – death from overwork

Boredom Decrease in motivation Apathy

High motivation High energy Sharp perception Calmness

Insomnia Irritability Increased errors Indecisiveness

Underload Optimal Performance Overload

Low Performance

Low Performance

Optimal Stress

The Underload-Overload Continuum

Workeris bored

Worker isParalyzed byintense stress

Worker is motivatedto perform at a high level

A

High

Low

Low HighLevel of Stress

Leve

l of

Per

form

ance

Positive stress Negative stress

Role Ambiguity

The uncertainty that occurs when employees are not sure what is expected of them and how they should perform their jobs.

Harassment

Sexual harassment – defined as any unwanted activity of a sexual nature that affects an individual’s employment and creates a hostile work environment.

Sexual harassment is more likely to occur when there are large power differentials

Harassment

Unwanted physical touching

Recurring request for dates when it is made clear the person isn’t interested

Coercive threats that a person will lose his or her job for refusing sexual proposition

Unwanted looks or comments

Pace of Change

Rapid change in the world around us.

Group & Organization Stressors1.Participation 2. Intra and Intergroup Relationship3.Organization Politics4.Organizational Culture5.Lack of Performance Feedback6. Inadequate Career Development Opp

ortunities7.Downsizing

Participation

refers to the extent that a person’s knowledge, opinions, and ideas are included in the decision making process.

Participation

Groups and Organizations that do not encourage or allow participation will be a source of frustration to those who value it.

Likewise, others will be frustrated by the delays often associated with participative decision making.

Intra- and Intergroup Relationship

Poor relationships within and between groups can be a source of stress

Poor relationship may include:low trustlack of cohesionlow supportiveness

Organizational politics

Focuses on the use of power to affect decision making in an organization, or on self-serving and organizationally unsanctioned behaviors.

Organizational Culture

Organizations have distinct personalities. The personalities of organization is shaped largely by its top executives. A tyrannical and autocratic executive team can create a culture filled with fear.

Lack of Performance Feedback

Most people want to know how they are doing and how management views their work.

Inadequate Career Development Opportunities

This can happen if an employee is concerned about real or imagined obsolescence, believe that promotion progress is inadequate, or is generally dissatisfied with the match between career aspirations and the current position.

Downsizing

Reduction of human resources by layoffs, attrition, redeployment, or early retirement.

Cognitive Appraisal

The appraisal process occurs in two steps:

1. Primary appraisal- leads to categorizing a stressor as positive, negative or meaningless.

2. Secondary appraisal- involves a determination of whether something can be done to reduce stress.

Coping with Stress

Two types of coping with stress:

1. Problem – focused coping

2. Emotion – focused coping

Coping with Stress

1. Problem – focused coping

is the action taken to deal directly with the source of stress.

Strategies Include:

Get the person responsible to change his or her mind.

Make plan of action and follow it.

Stand your ground and fight for what you want.

(Schermerhorn et. al. 2010)

Coping with Stress

2. Emotion – focused coping

is the steps a person takes to address or alleviate stressful feelings and emotions.

Coping with Stress

Strategies include:

Look for the silver lining

Accept sympathy and understanding from someone

Try to forget the whole thing(Schermerhorn et. al. 2010)

Consequences of Sress

PHYSIOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES

Unable to sleep at night, sweaty palms, feeling flushed, trembling, a pounding heart, elevated blood pressure, headaches, dizziness, nausea, stomachaches, backaches, and hives to heart attacks and impaired immune system functioning.

(George et. al. 2012)

Consequences of Sress

PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES

bad mood, feeling anxious, worried and upset to feeling angry, scornful, bitter, or hostile.

Consequences of Sress

BURNOUT

psychological, emotional, or physical exhaustion – is a special kind of psychological consequence of stress that afflicts some employees who experience high level of work stress day in and day out for an extended period of time.

Burnout Indicators

Emotional Exhaustion

Feel drained by work

Feel fatigued in the morning

Frustrated

Do not want to work with other people

Burnout Indicators

Depersonalization

Have become calloused by job

Treat others like objects

Do not care what happens to other people

Feel other people blame you

Burnout Indicators

Low Personal Accomplishment

Cannot deal with problems effectively

Do not have a positive influence on others

Cannot understand other’s problem or

identify with them

No longer feel exhilarated by your job

Organizational Consequences

Stress cost organization

Poorer decision making and decreases creativity

Recognizing the Warning Signs of Stress in Employees

As managers you should be alert to warning signs of stress in your subordinates. One indicator is change in behavior.

Some of the common changes include:

1. A normally punctual employee develops a pattern of tardiness (or pattern of absences in a usually reliable worker).

2. A normally gregarious employee becomes withdrawn (or, less typically, a loner suddenly becomes a social butterfly).

3. An employee whose work is normally neat and demonstrates attention to detail submits messy, incomplete, or sloppy work.

4. A good decision maker suddenly starts making bad decisions ( or seems to be enable to make decisions).

5. An easygoing employee who gets along well with others becomes irritable and discourteous.

6. A normally well-groomed employee neglects his or her appearance.

Thank You for Listening

Chuckry D. Maunes