Chapter 6 - Stress and Wellbeing

Stress

• a psychological response to demands when there is something at stake for the individual and when coping with these demands would tax the individual’s reosurces

Stressors

• demands that cause the stress response

Stress

• negative consequences of the stress response

Transactional theory of stress

explains how stressful demands are perceived and appraised and how people respond to the perceptions and appraisals

Primary Appraisal Question

is this stressful

Primary Appraisal Evaluation

evaluating the significance and meaning of the stressor they’re confronting

Considerations of the Primary Appraisal

• consider if the demand is stressful

• consider implications for goals and overall well being

Benign job demands

• job demands not appraised as stressful

Types of stressors

• Hindrance stressors

• Challenge stressors

Hindrance stressors

• perceived as negatively impacting their progress toward personal accomplishments or goal attainment

Characteristics of Hindrance stressors

• negative performance and commitment

• trigger negative emotions like anger and anxiety

Challenge stressors

• stressful demands perceived as opportunities for learning, growth, and achievement

Characteristics of challenge stressors

• satisfying to maintain knowledge and skill

• positive association with performance and commitment

• exhausting but trigger positive emotions like pride and enthusiasm

Work Hindrance Stressors

• role conflict

• role ambiguity

• role overload

• daily hassles

role conflict (WHS)

• conflicting expectations from others

• manager says work fast and produce highest quality possible

role ambiguity (WHS)

• lack of information about the duties in a role

• confusion on how effectiveness on a project is evaluated

• more common with new employees

Role overload (WHS)

• excess of demands on an employee, preventing the employee from working efficiently

• more common overall

Daily hassles (WHS)

• minor day-to-day demands that interfere with work accomplishment

• Noise, equipment malfunctions

• Effect of noise

Effect of Noise

• helping behaviour decreases

• cognitive performance is reduced

• Blood pressure increases

Work Challenge Stressors

• Time pressure

• Work complexity

• Work responsibility

Time pressure (WCS)

• time isn’t enough to do a task

• trying to meet a tight deadline

Work complexity (WCS)

• degree to which knowledge, skill, ability requirements of the work exceed the capabilities of the person

• learning to use new equipment

Work responsibility (WCS)

• nature of obligations towards others

• surgeon responsible for success of patient surgery

Non work hindrance stressors

• work-family conflict

• negative life events

• Financial uncertainty

Work family conflict (NWHS)

• demands of work role hinder fulfillment of the demands of a family role (vice versa)

Negative life events (NWHS)

• divorce

• death of family member

Financial uncertainty (NWHS)

• uncertainty about potential for loss of livelihood, savings, ability to pay expenses

Non work challenge stressors

• family time demands

• personal development

• positive life events

Family time demands (NWCS)

• participating in family activities and responsibilities

• traveling, hosting parties

personal development (NWCS)

• participation in education, music, sports, hobby, government, volunteering

positive life events (NWCS)

• new family member, graduation

• stressful but associated with positive emotions

Top 3 most stressful life events

• death of a spouse

• divorce

• marital separation

Secondary Appraisal question

how can i cope

Coping/Secondary appraisal

• behaviours and thoughts that people use to manage stressful demands and emotions associated with the stressful demands

• Methods of coping

• Focus of coping

Methods of coping (SA)

• Behavioural coping

• Cognitive coping

Behavioural coping

• physical activities used to deal with a stressful situation

Cognitive coping

• thoughts used to deal with a stressful situation

Focus of coping

• problem focused

• emotion focused

problem focused coping

• behaviours and cognitions to manage the stressful situation itself

Behavioural methods of problem focused coping

• working harder

• seeking assistance

• acquiring additional resources

Cognitive methods of problem focused coping

• strategizing

• self-motivation

• changing priorities

Behavioural methods of emotion focused coping

• engaging in alternative activities

• seeking support

• venting anger

Cognitive methods of emotion focused coping

• avoiding, distancing, and ignoring

• looking for the positive in the negative

• reappraising

emotion focused coping

• managing emotional reactions to stressful demands

Physiological strain

• reduce effectiveness of the body’s immune system

• cardio vascular system

• musculoskeletal system

• gastrointestinal system

Psychological Strain

• Depression

• anxiety

• anger

Burnout (Psych Strain)

• emotional, mental, physical exhaustion of coping with stressful demands ongoing

Behavioural Strains

• patterns of negative behavioural decisions associated with other strains

Individual differences in the stress process

• Type A behaviour pattern

• Recovery

• Social support

Type A behaviour pattern

• behaviour type exhibited by people who tend to experience more stressors, appraise more demands as stressful, prone to experiencing more strains than others

Characteristics of Type A

• time urgency

• impatience

• competitiveness

• aggressiveness

• hostility

Recovery

• degree to which energies used for coping with work demands are replenished from a period of rest or relief from work

• sleep is important in recovery

• leisure activities that promote relaxation may help restore energy

Social support

• help that people receive from others when confronted with stressful demands

• Instrumental support

• Emotional support

Instrumental support

• help received that can be used to address the stressful demand itself

• coworker doing some of your work for you

Emotional support

• addressing the emotional distress of stressful demands

• manager being empathetic

Hindrance stressors and job performance

• weak negative relationship with job performance

• reduce level of physical, cognitive, emotional energy in the workplace

Hindrance stressors and organizational commitment

• strong negative relationship

Challenge stressors and job performance

• weak positive relationship with job performance

Challenge stressors and organizational commitment

• moderate positive relationship with organizational commitment

Presenteeism

• physically at work but not fully immersed in the work because mentally uninvolved

  • correlated to challenge stressors

Stress Management components

• assessment

• reducing stressors

• providing resources

• reducing strains

Stress Audit (Assessment)

• assessment of the sources of stress in the workplace

• change in org, work itself

Types of Question categories of Assessment

• degree which the org is going through change that would increase uncertainty among employees

• level and types of stressors experienced by employees

• quality of relationships among employees and orgs

Reducing Stressors

• beneficial for hindrance stressors

• Job sharing

• Employee sabbaticals

Job sharing (Reducing stressors)

• two people share a role and foster work-life balance and but working part-time hours

Employee sabbaticals (Reducing stressors)

• time off work for other activities but more effective when hindrance is the focus of the effort

Providing resources

• Training interventions

• Mindfulness training

• Supportive practices

Training interventions (Providing resources)

• increasing job-related competencies and skills before appraising demands as overly taxing or exceeding their capacity

Mindfulness training (Providing resources)

• to buffer negative effect of stressful events in the workplace by increasing feelings of self control, resiliency, self-efficacy

Support practices (Providing resources)

• manage and balance demands of different roles, helping the employee cope

• work from home

• flexible hours

• eliminating unnecessary meetings

Reducing Strains

• Relaxation techniques

• Cognitive behavioural techniques

• Health and wellness programs

Relaxation techniques (Reducing Strains)

• teaching people how to counteract the effects of stressors by engaging in activities to slow heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure

Cognitive Behavioural Techniques (Reducing Strains)

• helping people appraise and cope with stressors in a rational manner

Health and wellness programs (Reducing Strains)

• organizations that provide wellness initiatives

• improve employee health

• foster a sense of well-being in employees