Job Stress Management

Christian A. Gallardo, MD
Objectives
• To define what is job stress.
• To identify the causes of
stress at work
• To explain the effect of job
stress on human physiologic
function
• To explain the effect and
manifestation of job stress on
overall worker health
Objectives
• To Identify indications for work
stress evaluation and
management
• To discuss programming
measures that can be utilized
to prevent and/ or minimize job
stress
Why do we work? • Work provides:
– Income
– Fulfills a variety of
other needs
• Mental and
physical exercise
• Social contact
• Feeling of self
worth and
competence
Factors Influencing Work
Stress
• The drive for success
• Changing work patterns
• Working conditions
• Relationships at work
• Job Demands:
workload and work
paces
What is Job Stress?
Job Stress:
• “…the harmful physical and
emotional responses that occur
when the requirements of a job
do not match the capabilities,
resources, or needs of the
worker.”
– Outcome: poor health and
injury - NIOSH Publication No. 99 -101
Job Stress:
• “Stress is a reaction
people have to
pressure placed upon
them and occurs when
pressures exceed the
individual’s ability to
cope.”
- Health and Safety Executive
Job Stress vs. Challenge
• Job Stress vs.
Challenge
– Energizes
psychologically
– Energizes
physically
– Motivates to learn a
new skill
– Motivates mastery
of a skill or job
Causes of Job Stress
• Individual and
Situational
Characteristics/
Worker
Characteristics
– Personality
– Coping Style
– What is stressful
for one may not be
for another
Causes of Job Stress
• Work Characteristics/Working
Conditions/Organizational factor
– Exposure to stressful work conditions (job
stressor) can adversely and directly affect
health and safety
– Examples of job stress
• Example workload
• Environmental hazards
• Pressure for increased productivity
Causes of Job Stress
• Environmental Factors
– Economic Uncertainty
– Political Uncertainty
– Technological Uncertainty
Job Stressors
• 1. Task Design
– Heavy workload,
infrequent breaks,
little or job control,
long hours of work
or shift work
Job Stressors
• 2. Management Style
– Lack of worker participation in decision
making, poor communication, lack of family
friendly policies
Job Stressors
• 3. Interpersonal Relationship
– Poor Social Environment, lack of support
from co-workers or supervisors
Job Stressors
• Short Live or infrequent stressful situations
pose little risk, if any at all
• Continuous stress episodes may be
damaging
– Body is constantly on guard and activated
– Wear and tear to biological systems is faster
– Fatigue or damage results
– Repair and defense systems are
compromised
Early Warning Signs of Job Stress
• Headache
• Sleep Disturbances
• Difficulty in concentrating
• Short Temper
• Upset Stomach
• Job Dissatisfaction
• Low Morals
Manifestation of Job Stress
Job Stress Prevention
Why Prevent Job Stress?
• In the USA more than half of the 550 million
work days lost each year are stress-related.
-The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work

• In the UK, stress accounts for 6 million

workdays lost annually
- Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

• Statistics Canada has calculated the cost of

work time lost to stress at $12 billion a year
Why Prevent Job Stress?
• This loss is in terms of
– Absenteeism
– Lost productivity
– Poor customer service
– Escalating short and
long-term disability
claims.
Why Prevent Job Stress?
• Healthcare expenditures
are close to 50% greater
for stressed workers
compared to non-stressed
workers.
• Overall, stress in a
business contributes to
19% absenteeism costs
and 40% turnover costs.
Stress Management Strategies
• Individual Approach
• Organizational
Approach
Individual Approach
Organizational Approach
Organizational Approach
• Selection and Placement
• Goal Setting
• Job Redesign
• Participative Decision Making
• Organizational Communication
• Wellness Program
Selection & Placement
• Individuals with little
experience or an
external locus of
control tend to be
more stress-prone.
Selection and
placement decisions
should take these facts
into consideration.
Goal Setting
• The use of goals can reduce stress
as well as provide motivation.
Specific goals that are perceived as
attainable clarify performance
expectations. Additionally, goal
feedback reduces uncertainties as to
actual job performance. The result is
less employee frustration, role
ambiguity, and stress.
Job Redesign
• Redesigning jobs to give employees more
responsibility, more meaningful work, more
autonomy, and increased feedback can reduce
stress, because these factors give the employee
greater control over work activities and lessen
dependence on others.
Participative Decision Making
• By giving these
employees a voice in
decisions that directly
affect their job
performances,
management can
increase employee
control and reduce this
role stress.
Organizational Commitment
• Given the importance that
perceptions play in
moderating the stress-
response relationship,
management can also use
effective communications
as a means to shape
employee perceptions.
Wellness Program
• These programs focus on the
employee's total physical and
mental condition. For example,
they typically provide workshops
to help people quit smoking,
control alcohol use, lose weight,
eat better, and develop a
regular exercise program.
In Summary:
• Stress can be a major factor
in our ability to cope with our
working life. It is often thought
of in a negative way as
something to be avoided,
something harmful, but stress
cannot always be avoided
and its effects are harmful
only when it is handled badly.
What Should You Do?
• Active living.
– Regular exercise generates endorphins
(hormones which reduce stress), release
tension and enhances sense of control.
• Taking time out.
– Make time for your hobbies and interests and
give yourself room to unwind.
What Should You Do?
• Time Management.
– Set goals and priorities for your work. Stick to
your plan as much as possible to prevent
over loading at the last minute. Don't forget to
incorporate time for min-breaks of 10-15
minutes.
• Watching your alcohol and caffeine intake.
– These substances can impede your nervous
system and leave you feeling edgy.
What Should You Do?
• Eating regularly.
– Missing meals means that your blood sugar will hit a
low. This can leave you feeling tired and irritable and
could trigger a stress reaction.
– Eat small meals, rich in complex carbohydrates, for a
steady stream of energy.
• Get in good night's sleep!
– Take time to relax and unwind before sleeping and
avoid eating or drinking late at night.
– Try to stick to a regular sleep routine, if possible.
What Should You Do?
• Learning relaxation and breathing techniques.
– Simple exercises can help you to control feelings of
panic.
• Controlling negative thoughts.
– Strategies include distraction, like reciting a poem or
times tables in your head, or challenging your negative
thinking.
– Are you ignoring the positives and focusing on the
worst case scenario? Try to rebalance your
interpretation of what might happen.
For the Organization (NIOSH):
• Ensure that the workload is in line with
workers’ capabilities and resources.
• Design jobs to provide meaning, stimulation,
and opportunities for workers to use their
skills.
• Clearly define workers roles and
responsibilities.
• Give workers opportunities to participate in
decisions and actions affecting their jobs.
For the Organization:
• Improve communications—reduce
uncertainty about career development and
future employment prospects.
• Provide opportunities for social interaction
among workers.
• Establish work schedules that are compa-
tible with demands and responsibilities
outside the job.
Thank You.