Lack of preparation is every manager's nightmare.
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Feeling stressed? Take a deep breath and start reading here…
The American National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) defines job stress as:
"The harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker."
This is not to be confused with the concept of challenge, which can be stimulating and energizing, motivating workers to learn new skills and master their jobs. Meeting a challenge gives a sense of satisfaction and relaxation. When people refer to "positive stress" these challenges are what they are usually meaning.
Health and safety organizations are taking an interest in stress because, whilst short-lived bursts of stress pose little risk to the individual, on-going or chronic stress causes undue wear and tear on the body and ultimately increases the likelihood of illness or injury. From sleep disturbance to hypertension, and from relationship problems to mental illness, the range of conditions that have been linked with workplace stress is enormous. And more and more people are reporting increased stress levels associated with their jobs.
A Northwestern National Life survey of workers found that 40% of respondents reported their jobs to be "very or extremely stressful" and 25% considered them to be the major stressor in their lives. ("Employee burnout: America's newest epidemic", Northwestern National Life Company, 1991)
Subsequently, a Families and Work Institute survey found 26% of workers who said they were often or very often burned out or stressed by work. ("The 1997 national study of the changing workforce", 1998).
(All figures from NIOSH online information at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh)
When it is appreciated that these statistics stem from before the current downturn in the national economy and consequent round of job cuts and business failures, present stress levels amongst managers in the US can only be guessed at!
If you suspect that you or employees in your organization may be suffering from the ill-effects of stress, take a look at our Stress Management Briefing.
Articles:
Stress management: stressors, diagnosis, and preventative measures
Stress management is a continuous process of monitoring, diagnosing, and prevention of excessive stressors that adversely affects employees, managers, and productivity. These stressors are as much a function of the environment as one’s perception of the environment. Therefore, stress management is as much the responsibility of employees as it is managers.
Originally published in Management Research News Volume 27 Number 4/5, 2004
The experience of work-related stress across occupations
This article compares the experience of occupational stress across a large and diverse set of occupations. Three stress related variables (psychological well-being, physical health and job satisfaction) are discussed and comparisons are made between 26 different occupations on each of these measures.
Originally published in the Journal of Managerial Psychology
Volume 20 Number 2, 2005
Stress in business relationships
One of the causes of change in business relationships comes from incidents that deviate in a positive or negative way from the expected and normal relationship pattern. This article introduces the concept of stress that captures the effect of negatively deviating incidents in business relationships.
Originally published in the Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing
Volume 20 Number 1, 2005
Managing workplace stress: how training can help
Stress is a key issue facing many organisations yet, despite the increasing awareness of how it impacts on business, many companies are unsure of the best way to fulfil their duty of care towards their employees. This article looks at how training can have a positive impact on tackling stress in the workplace.
Originally published in Industrial and Commercial Training
Volume 36 Number 2, 2004
Occupational stress among managers: a Malaysian survey
This paper examines the sources of occupational stress among Malaysian managers working in multinational companies (MNCs). A total of 440 managers participated in this survey. It was found that workloads, working conditions and relationships at work were the main concern of the managers that led to stress in the workplace.
Originally published in Industrial and Commercial Training
Volume 36 Number 2, 2004
New developments in managing job related stress
We spend over ten hours a day at work or on work related issues. We not only have to deal with work pressures but also juggle, personal relationships, personal finances, information technology, personal fears and changes. All these aspects of modern-day-living can be incredibly stressful.
Originally published in Equal Opportunities International Volume 22 Number 5, 2003
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