Psychology: Stress at Work

Why is Stress in the work place important?
-Companies trying to maitain productivity and performance
---> workers are affected by stress
--->stress doesnt just affect one individual
---> has physical/psychological consequences which may cause productivity issues

Stress sources?
1)PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT: Elements such as lighting, temperature, office organisation and space can cause frustration.
--Increased energy used to over come stress causes frustration: stress/aggression

2)WORK OVERLOAD: Impact of long hours on life e.g. family, tiredness

3)LACK OF CONTROL: Increases stress-response, depression/illness

4)ROLE AMBIGUITY: Requirements for particular tasks are unclear/poorly defined
-->confliction of roles or the inability to separate one role from another

STRESS IN THE WORKPLACE: JOHANSSON ET AL.

AIM: To investigate wheter repetativeness, machine paced tasks and feeling of responsibilty increases stress related phsyological arousal and stress related illness.

PROCEDURE: HIGH RISK GROUP: 14 'finishers' in a Swedish sawmill
-Task: to finish off wood at last stage of processing timber
-machine paced, isolated, repetative
-Productivity influenced group pay

-COMPARED TO: 10 LOW RISK CLEANERS
-varied work, self-paced, socialised
-stress hormone (adren and noradren) in their urine were tested on days of work and days off
-Records kept of stress related absenteeism/illness

FINDINGS: High risk 14 secreated more hormone
High risk 14 secreted more on days of work
High risk 14 showed higher levels of absenteeism/stress related illness

CONCLUSION: combination of work stressors lead to chronic physiological arousal, illness, absenteeism
-For employers to reduce illness measures must be taken to reduce work stressors

CRITISISM: INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES: people vulnerable to stress may be attracted to high risk jobs
-Doesnt show which elements produce most stress.