Occupational stress
Encyclopedia
Occupational Stress is stress involving work
. Stress is defined in terms of its physical and physiological effects on a person, and can be a mental, physical or emotional strain. It can also be a tension or a situation or factor that can cause stress. Occupational stress occurs when there is a discrepancy between the demands of the environment/workplace and an individual’s ability to carry out and complete these demands. Often a stressor can lead the body to have a physiological reaction which can strain a person physically as well as mentally. One of the main causes of occupational stress is work overload.
, downsizing, and shift work can result in occupational stress. Often workloads remain immense even though employees do their best to complete them, and the employees may feel stressed as a result. A high demand and time pressures contribute to the stress. Downsizing may also be due to the privatization
of a company. When downsizing occurs, employees are either laid off or fired. Those who still have their jobs often have to worry about whether they will be next on the list of employees to be laid off. If employers are not supportive, discriminating in favor of some employees at the expense of others, do not offer encouragement, or create a hostile work environment, this can cause stress for employees.
Interpersonal conflicts within the workplace, uncertainty about job security
, and underutilized job abilities are also causes of occupational stress.
, stomach problems, musclular aches and pains, chronic mild illness, sleep disturbances, and eating disorder
s. Psychological and behavioral problems that may develop include anxiety
, irritability, alcohol and drug use, feeling powerless and low morale. If exposure to stressors in the workplace is prolonged, then chronic health problems can occur including stroke
. Studies among the Japan
ese population specifically showed a more than 2-fold increase in the risk of total stroke among men with job strain (combination of high job demand and low job control). Along with the risk of stroke comes high blood pressure and immune system
dysfunction. Prolonged occupational stress can lead to occupational burnout
.
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
. Stress is defined in terms of its physical and physiological effects on a person, and can be a mental, physical or emotional strain. It can also be a tension or a situation or factor that can cause stress. Occupational stress occurs when there is a discrepancy between the demands of the environment/workplace and an individual’s ability to carry out and complete these demands. Often a stressor can lead the body to have a physiological reaction which can strain a person physically as well as mentally. One of the main causes of occupational stress is work overload.
Causes
Some scholars note that an increase in workload, a hostile work environmentHostile work environment
A hostile work environment exists when an employee experiences workplace harassment and fears going to work because of the offensive, intimidating, or oppressive atmosphere generated by the harasser....
, downsizing, and shift work can result in occupational stress. Often workloads remain immense even though employees do their best to complete them, and the employees may feel stressed as a result. A high demand and time pressures contribute to the stress. Downsizing may also be due to the privatization
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
of a company. When downsizing occurs, employees are either laid off or fired. Those who still have their jobs often have to worry about whether they will be next on the list of employees to be laid off. If employers are not supportive, discriminating in favor of some employees at the expense of others, do not offer encouragement, or create a hostile work environment, this can cause stress for employees.
Interpersonal conflicts within the workplace, uncertainty about job security
Job security
Job security is the probability that an individual will keep his or her job; a job with a high level of job security is such that a person with the job would have a small chance of becoming unemployed.-Factors affecting job security:...
, and underutilized job abilities are also causes of occupational stress.
Effects
Physical symptoms that may occur because of occupational stress include fatigue, headacheHeadache
A headache or cephalalgia is pain anywhere in the region of the head or neck. It can be a symptom of a number of different conditions of the head and neck. The brain tissue itself is not sensitive to pain because it lacks pain receptors. Rather, the pain is caused by disturbance of the...
, stomach problems, musclular aches and pains, chronic mild illness, sleep disturbances, and eating disorder
Eating disorder
Eating disorders refer to a group of conditions defined by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the detriment of an individual's physical and mental health. Bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are the most common specific...
s. Psychological and behavioral problems that may develop include anxiety
Anxiety
Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,...
, irritability, alcohol and drug use, feeling powerless and low morale. If exposure to stressors in the workplace is prolonged, then chronic health problems can occur including stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
. Studies among the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese population specifically showed a more than 2-fold increase in the risk of total stroke among men with job strain (combination of high job demand and low job control). Along with the risk of stroke comes high blood pressure and immune system
Immune system
An immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism's own...
dysfunction. Prolonged occupational stress can lead to occupational burnout
Occupational Burnout
Job burnout is characterized by exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy within the workplace. More accurately defined, exhaustion refers to the depletion or draining of emotional resources, cynicism refers to the indifference or distant attitude of work, and reduced professional...
.
Stress Models
The demand control model and the effort reward imbalance model are two work stress models that help to identify particular job characteristics important for employee well-being. The DC model predicts that the most adverse health effects of psychological strain occur when job demands are high and the ability to make decisions is low. The ERI model assumes that emotional distress and adverse health effects occur when there is a perceived imbalance between efforts and occupational rewards.See also
- Workplace stressWorkplace stressWorkplace stress is the harmful physical and emotional response that occurs when there is a poor match between job demands and the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker....
- Stress managementStress managementStress management is the alteration of stress and especially chronic stress often for the purpose of improving everyday functioning.Stress produces numerous symptoms which vary according to persons, situations, and severity. These can include physical health decline as well as depression. According...
- Work-life balanceWork-life balanceWork–life balance is a broad concept including proper prioritizing between "work" on the one hand and "life" on the other. Related, though broader, terms include "lifestyle balance" and "life balance".-History:The work-leisure dichotomy was invented in the mid 1800s...
- Perceived organizational support Perceived organizational supportPerceived Organizational Support is the degree to which employees believe that their organization values their contributions and cares about their well-being ....
- Perceived psychological contract violation
Further reading
- Butts, M.; DeJoy, D.; Schaffer, B.; Wilson, M. & Vandenberg, R. (Apr 2009). Individual Reactions to High Involvement Work Processes: Investigating the Role of Empowerment and Perceived Organizational Support. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 14(2), 122-136,
- Cooper, C., Dewe, P. & Michael P. (2001) Organizational Communication: A Review and Critique. SAGE
- Dov Zohar. (1999). When Things Go Wrong: The Effect of Daily Work Hassles on Effort, Exertion and Negative Mood. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 72(3), 265-283.
- Kossek, E. E., & Ozeki, C. (1998). Work–family conflict, policies, and the job–life satisfaction relationship: A review and directions for organizational behavior–human resources research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83, 139–149.
- Minas, C. ( Feb 2000) Stress at Work: a Sociological Perspective: The Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology. 37(1), 119
- Saxby, C. (June 2008). Barriers to Communication. Evansville Business Journal. 1-2.
- Temple, H. & Gillespie, B. (February 2009). Taking Charge of Work and Life. ABA Journal, 95(2), 31-32.