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67 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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The likely reason that more than 2/3 of all businesses (like Humana) offer benefits that encourage a healthy workforce (like the "Freewheelin'" program).
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It can reinforce a company's image, plus participation can reduce stress, risk of heart problems, and even memory loss. Outcomes include lower absenteeism and health care costs (up to a $1.65 reduction for every dollar invested).
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NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) finds that up to 40% of workers in the United States feel this way...
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jobs are "very stressful" or "extremely stressful". In fact, higher stress on the job is more common than it has ever been before. (and managers are 21% more likely to describe their job as stressful compared to the average worker).
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stress
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a psychological response to demands that possess certain stakes and that tax or exceed a person's capacity or resources. It depends on both the nature of the demand as well as the person who is exposed to it (different individuals may experience different levels even when confronted with the same demands).
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stressors
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Demands that cause people to experience stress.
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strains
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Negative consequences that occur when demands tax or exceed a person's capacity or resources.
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transactional theory of stress
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explains how stressors are perceived and appraised, as well as how people respond to those perceptions and appraisals.
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primary appraisal
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occurs when people first encounter a stressor, an evaluation of the significance and the meaning of the stressor they are confronting. They consider the implications that the stressor may have concerning their personal goals and overall well-being.
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benign job demands
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job demands that tend not to be appraised as stressful (usually normal day-to-day routine tasks).
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hindrance stressors
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stressful demands that are perceived as hindering progress toward personal accomplishments or goal attainment. They tend to trigger negative emotions like anger and anxiety. Can occur inside or outside of work.
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challenge stressors
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stressful demands that are perceived as opportunities for learning, growth, achievement, and skill building. Although potentially exhausting, they usually trigger positive emotions like pride and enthusiasm. Can occur inside or outside of work.
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role conflict
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a type of hindrance stressor which refers to conflicting expectations that other people may have of us regarding our job. May include incompatible demands. Ex: call center operators are expected to make as many calls as possible while giving each call care, attention, friendliness, and support.
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role ambiguity
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a type of hindrance stressor which refers to a lack of information about what needs to be done in a role, as well as unpredictability regarding the consequences of performance in that role. Ex: being assigned a project where very few instructions or guidelines are provided abut how things are supposed to be done.
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student - role ambiguity
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when professors remain vague about particular course requirements or how grading is going to be performed, resulting in a stressful situation where it's not quite clear what it takes to get a good grade.
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role overload
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A type of hindrance stressor which occurs when the number of demanding roles a person holds is so high that the person simply cannot perform some or all of the roles effectively. Increasingly more prevalent in our society today, to the point where many executives and managers committing 80-hour work weeks is becoming the norm.
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daily hassles
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a type of hindrance stressor where relatively minor day-to-day demands get in the way of accomplishing the things that we really want to accomplish. Includes paperwork, equipment malfunctions, dealing with abrasive coworkers, and useless communications. 40% of executives spend anywhere from 1/2 to a full day of work each week on useless communication.
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time pressure
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a type of challenge stressor where there is a strong sense that the amount of time you have to do a task is just not quite enough. People tend to describe it as more challenging than hindering, and view it as something to strive for because success in meeting such demands can be satisfying. Ex: Architect Michael Jones has multiple projects with tight deadlines, but it is satisfying to work a stressful job because he can see the product of his hard work across the Manhattan skyline and it makes him feel like he's a part of something special.
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work complexity
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a type of challenge stressor where the degree to which the requirements of the work, in terms of knowledge, skills, and abilities, tax or exceed the capabilities of the person who is responsible for performing the work. Includes grooming people for positions for which they are not currently prepared. Although stressful, managers report that being stretched beyond their capacity is well worth the associated discomfort.
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work responsibility
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a type of challenge stressor which refers to the nature of the obligations that a person has toward others. The level of this is higher when the number, scope, and importance of obligations is higher. Ex: Air traffic controllers hold the duty to keep people safe.
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nonwork hindrance stressors
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despite the fact that the majority of people in America spend more time in the office than anywhere else, these hindrance stressors that occur outside of the office can impact an organization, and "spill over" into an employees work.
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work-family conflict
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A type of nonwork hindrance stressor, specifically a special type of role conflict, where the demands of a work role hinder the fulfillment of demands in the family role (or vise versa). When work hinders family it is called "work to family conflict", like when a frustrating job causes a person to be irritable with their family. "Family to work conflict" is when a person's family life causes them to bring negative emotions into the workplace.
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negative life events
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a type of nonwork hindrance stressor where bad things happen in one's personal life, such as death of a loved one, divorce, illness, legal troubles, etc.
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financial uncertainty
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a type of nonwork hindrance stressor that is especially relevant during recessions and economic turndowns, when a person experiences ambiguity regarding their monetary livelihood, savings, or ability to pay expenses. 50% of surveyed individuals described as experiencing this type of stressor said it made it harder to do their jobs.
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nonwork challenge stressors
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A type of challenge stressor that occurs outside of the office.
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family time demands
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a type of nonwork challenge stressor which refers to the time that a person commits to participate in an array of family activities and responsibilities. Includes family vacations, social events, organized activities and home improvement projects.
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personal development
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a type of nonwork challenge stressor where a person participates in formal education programs, hobby-related education, participation in community organizations and volunteer work.
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positive life events
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a type of nonwork challenge stressor where happy (yet stressful) things take place in a person's life. Includes marriage, pregnancy, outstanding achievement, additional of a family member, moving, vacations, etc.
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secondary appraisal
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after the initial appraisal of a stressful demand, a person seeks to cope with the various stressors they face, and ask questions like "what should I do?" and "What can I do?".
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coping
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A general term referring to the behaviors and thoughts that people use to manage both the stressful demands they face and the emotions associated with those stressful demands. Can be separated into categories like behavioral/cognitive and problem solving/emotion regulation.
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behavioral coping
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involves the set of physical activities that are used to deal with a stressful situation. Ex: someone experiencing time pressure may try to work faster, or a person with many daily hassles may try to avoid work, or someone may try to deal with stresses from an international assignment by coming home early.
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the nature of international assignments
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47% of companies report an increase in sending workers abroad in the last year, while 54% project the this activity will increase in the upcoming year. Half of these employees can expect their assignment to last 1 to 3 years, but many assignments fail when workers (up to 40% of these individuals) return home earlier than expected, costing the host organization $100,000 on average.
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expatriate
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an employee sent abroad to work for an organization, usually incurring stressors related to being away from home (cultural, interpersonal, and job factors) that can influence their commitment and effectiveness.
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cross-cultural training
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a technique used to decrease and manage expatriate stress, involves focus on helping people appreciate cultural differences and interacting more comfortably with host country nationals. Although thought of as a positive opportunity, training life this rarely takes place and most companies report offering little (usually language-centered) to no training.
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Types of behavioral coping that are problem focused
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working harder, seeking assistance, and acquiring additional resources.
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Types of behavioral coping that are emotion focused
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engaging in alternative activities, seeking support, venting anger.
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Types of cognitive coping that are problem-focused
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strategizing, self-motivation, and changing priorities.
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Types of cognitive coping that are emotion-focused
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avoiding, distancing, ignoring, looking for the positive in the negative, reappraising.
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cognitive coping
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refers to the thoughts that are involved in trying to deal with a stressful situation.
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problem-focused coping
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refers to behaviors and cognitions intended to manage the stressful situation itself. Ex: someone experiencing time pressure may brainstorm about different ways of accomplishing work more efficiently.
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emotion-focused coping
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refers to the various ways in which people manage their own emotional reactions to stressful demands. Ex: someone with daily hassles may try to convince themselves that it's really not that bad. Does not manage the demand that is causing the stress.
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Naomi Henderson
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CEO of RIVA (a Maryland-based research firm). Worked 120 hours a week to copy with a heavy workload. Woke up paralyzed due to stress itself and was recommended bed rest as a remedy.
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physiological strains
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result from stressors that directly affects four systems in the body: immune system, cardiovascular system, musculoskeletal system, and the gastrointestinal system. Causes illness, heart problems, headaches, stomach aches, etc.Can increase risk of heart attack in the next 24 hours by six times.
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Psychological strains
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result from stressors including depression, anxiety, anger, hostility, reduced self-confidence, irritability, inability to think clearly, forgetfulness, lack of creativity, memory loss, and loss of sense of humor. Can reflect a general condition known as burnout.
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Burnout
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the emotional. mental, and physical exhaustion that results from having to cope with stressful demands on an ongoing basis. Can lead to a decision to leave a job or change careers. Brett Favre experienced this.
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Retiring/Taking a break
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gives a person time to rest and recharge, and also allows time for thinking about the excitement and challenge of performing a job again.
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behavioral strains
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results in unhealthy behaviors where a person experiences abuse of alcohol or other drugs, teeth grinding, compulsive behaviors, overeating, etc.
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Type A Behavioral Pattern
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have a strong sense of time urgency and tend to be impatient, hard-driving, competitive, controlling, aggressive, and even hostile. Are more prone to interpersonal conflict, and are more likely to appraise demands as stressful rather than benign. Directly linked to an increased rate of coronary heart disease and other strains.
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social support
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affects the way people manage stress; it refers to the help that people receive when they're confronted with stressful demands (there are two main types). Although not EVERY research study has proven that this causes lower stain level, many studies do find evidence that it supports lower levels of strain.
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instrumental support
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a type of social support where people receive help that can be used to address the stressful demand directly. Ex: a person overloaded with work could be helped by a coworker who takes over some of the workload or offers suggestions to increase efficiency. Provides a buffer between stressors and strains.
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emotional support
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a type of social support where people receive help in addressing the emotion distress that accompanies demands. Ex: a supervisor can show interest in a overloaded worker and appear to be understanding and sympathetic. Provides a buffer between stressors and strains.
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moderator
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variables that affect the strength of the relationship between two other variables. Can be useful in decreasing strains on people as a result of experiencing stressors.
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Why some people are more "stressed" than others
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depends on a persons particular set of hindrance/challenge stressors, both inside and outside work. It also depends on how each individual appraises and copes with stressors, whether they are a "Type A" or "Type B" personality, and how much social support they receive.
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Hindrance stressors affecting Job performance
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Has a weak negative relationship (~ -.1), people with these stressors tend to have lower levels of task performance.
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Hindrance stressors affecting Organizational Commitment
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Has a strong negative relationship (~ -.5), people with these stressors tend to have lower levels of Affective Commitment and Normative Commitment. Continuance Commitment is lower (although with a weaker correlation).
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Challenge stressors affecting Job performance
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Has a weak positive relationship (~ .1), people with these stressors have higher levels of task performance.
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Challenge stressors affecting Organizational Commitment
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Has a moderate positive relationship (~ .3), people with these stressors are more likely to have higher Affective Commitment, Normative Commitment, and Continuance Commitment (although this is weaker).
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health-related costs
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driven to a great extent by employee stress. Estimates are that between 60% and 90% of all doctor visits can be attributed to stress-related causes, and healthcare for high stress jobs/individuals appears to be approximately 50% than low stressed individuals. Ex: worker's comp claims are up to 800% more for a copy machine distributor when level of stress at the job site is considered high.
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companies managing stress
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involves assessment (a stress audit to determine stress level and source), reducing stressors (like job share and sabbaticals), providing resources (training interventions and supportive practices), and reducing strains (relaxation techniques).
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Job share
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two people performing a single job, Ex: two women shared a vice president position of a bank. They shared one desk, one computer, one chair, one phone, one voicemail, etc. and worked 20-25 hours each a week.
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sabbatical
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gives employees time off of work to pursue other activities. Approximately 11% of large companies offer paid ones while almost a third offer unpaid ones. Allow for a "cleaner break" compared to a job share position. Ex: American Express allows workers of ten years or more to apply for one, where they are encouraged to volunteer for six months before returning to work.
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training interventions
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offering training to help improve employee competency and skills, as well as help the employee positively cope with demands by feeling more confident and in-control of their situations.
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supportive practices
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techniques such as "flextime" (flexible working hours), telecommuting, on-site child care, lactation program, and compressed workweeks that help employees handle stress and to be more effective in the workplace. Improves productivity, innovation, absenteeism, and turnover.
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cognitive-behavioral training
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training that reduces strains, includes self-talk, prioritizing demands, managing time, communicating needs, and seeking support.
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"mental aerobics"
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taking breaks to stretch and do deep breathing exercises, taking short naps, and learning to say no peacefully to unreasonable demands.
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health and wellness programs
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comprehensive effort to provide health screenings, health programs, and resources. Ex: Smoking cessation programs, fitness centers, nutrition programs, and encouraging exercise.
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normative commitment
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an employee's desire to remain a member of an organization due to a feeling of obligation.
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continuance commitment
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an employee's desire to remain a member of an organization due to an awareness of the costs of leaving.
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affective commitment
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an employee's desire to remain a member of an organization due to a feeling of emotional attachment.
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