Stress

Nguyen Vien Thong

 Outline
• Stress
• Stressors
• Coping with stress

Objective:
•Understand the concept of stress and its
impact on individuals and organizations.
•Identify common workplace stressors and their
consequences.
•Learn strategies for managing and reducing
stress.
•Apply knowledge to real-world scenarios
through case analysis and activities.
 Definition
Stress refers to any force that pushes a
psychological or physical function beyond
its
range of stability, producing a strain
within the individual (Cartwright &
Cooper,
1997).
Strains are undesirable personal
outcomes resulting from the combined
stressful experiences of various life
domains (Bhagat, Allie, & Ford, 1995).
In 101
Stress other words,
- Understanding Stress andstress leads
How to Manage to strains.
It - HealthTexas Medical Group - YouTube
“What are some stressors you’ve
experienced in school or work? How did
they affect you?”
 Types of Stressors

• Physical Stressors: Noise, ergonomic

issues, extreme temperatures.
• Psychological Stressors:
• Role Stressors: Role conflict,
ambiguity, and overload.
• Workplace Dynamics: Interpersonal
conflicts, lack of control.
• External Stressors: Family issues,
financial pressures.
 Eustress vs
distress
Eustress (from the root eu-, meaning
something that is proper) occurs when
stressors result in feelings of challenge or
achievement—the feelings of stress get
converted into positive energy and actually
become motivating.
Bad or negative stress, known as
distress, happens when there is too much
stress and when nothing is done to
eliminate, reduce, or counteract its effects.
 IMPACT OF STRESS
[Link] Consequences:
[Link]: Reduced productivity, absenteeism.
[Link]: Anxiety, burnout, depression.
[Link]: High blood pressure, weakened immune
system.
[Link] Consequences:
[Link] turnover.
[Link] employee engagement.
[Link] healthcare costs.
Example:
•High turnover rates at a call center were linked to excessive
workload and lack of managerial support, costing the organization
thousands in recruitment and training.

How Job Stress Affects Your Health | WSJ

• Most people spend at least 1/3 of their lives at work
• This makes the workplace a dominant source of
demands or stressors
• The workplace can also be a dominant source of
reward and other resources that support our
psychological well-being
• Unfortunately, chronic (recurring) exposure to
stressors within the job environment can be really
damaging over time
 Predisposition to Stress
Stress Personalities
Type A personality: A stressprone
person who is competitive, impatient,
and hurried.
Type B personality: A non-stress-prone
person who is relaxed and agreeable.

Type A Vs Type B Personality: Difference Between them with Definition & Comparison Chart - YouTube
 Neuroticism

Neuroticism: A personality
trait characterized by a tendency
to experience such negative
emotions as anxiety, anger,
tension, and moodiness
Sources of Stress
 Sources of Stress

Many events and factors could be

considered stressors, and, as previously
stated, what
is stressful for one person may not be for
another. Again, what determines whether
something will be a stressor depends a great
deal on its importance and the amount of
perceived controllability.
Stressors can be grouped under two broad
categories: personal and occupational.
 Personal Stressors
Fear: When we voluntarily or involuntarily leave a stage of our lives that
has become comfortable and predictable, we enter another stage in
Fear
which we don’t know what will happen. The challenge and potential
Resistance excitement from the change can produce eustress in people who thrive
on unpredictability. But to many of us, fear of the unknown produces
Resentment negative stress.
Resistance: Resisting change doesn’t allow people to cope with
inevitable changes that come from living. This resistance leads to stress.
Resentment: Finally, changes that are forced on us, particularly those
that we feel we had no control over or input into, can cause
resentment.
 Occupational
Stressors
Occupational stressors can be grouped under two
broad categories: job characteristics and
organizational characteristics (Cordes &
Dougherty, 1993)
Job Characteristics:
Three main job characteristics cause stress:
role conflict, role ambiguity, and role
overload. The cost of workplace stress -- and how to reduce it | Rob Cooke - YouTube

• Role conflict: The extent to which an employee’s role and expected role are the same.
• Role ambiguity: The extent to which an employee’s roles and expectations are unclear.
• Role overload: The extent to which an employee is able to psychologically handle the
number of roles and tasks assigned.
 Organizational Stressors

• Person-Organization Fit Person-organization fit

• Change The extent to which an employee’s
• Relations with Others personality, values, attitudes,
• Organizational Politics philosophy, and skills match those of
the organization
 Stressors in the Physical
Work Environment

• Noise
• Temperature
 Stress Caused by Work
Schedules
Shift Work
 Other Sources of Stress
Perspective taking Rating a potential stressor by
asking how bad it really is compared with all things
Minor Frustration considered or with a worst-case scenario.
Forecasting
Forecasting Constant worrying about the future
Residual Stress
Residual stress Stress that is carried over from
previous stressful situations.
• Associated with amount of work a person has
to do in a specified period of time
– Perceived and objective forms
• Shown to predict negative physical outcomes
(mortality, CHD, BP)
• Also linked to negative psychological and
behavioral effects (anxiety, frustration)
• Negative relationship with job performance
• Result of negative social interactions
• Ranges in severity within organizations
• Can develop from multiple causes
– Competition, rude behaviors,
unintended behavior consequences
• Minimal research regarding this complex
stressor
• Organizational conditions that act as barriers
to effective employee performance:
– Job-related information
– Budgetary and other support
– Time and materials
– Required services and help from others
– Task preparation
– Time availability and scheduling
– The work environment
– Transportation
– Job-related authority
• Research has linked constraints with
emotional strains, task performance, and
potentially OCB
• Within organizations refers to a person’s level
of job autonomy or ability to participate in
decision making
• Associated with emotional and physical strains
• Increasingly prevalent stressor as the service sector
continues to grow
• Surface acting and “display rules”
• Associated with emotional demands on the job
(confronting negative emotions or suppressing
personal emotions)
• Associated with emotional and psychological strains
• May be influenced by personality and
organizational and societal cultural factors
Burnout
• Extreme state of psychological strain
resulting from prolonged response to
chronic job stressors that exceed an
individual’s resources to cope with them

• 3 Components
– Emotional Exhaustion
– Depersonalization
– Low personal accomplishment
• One of the biggest changes in society
influencing employees
• “Technostress”: Stress related to the
use of information technologies
– Technology overloading the employee
– Limiting time with families
– Not understanding new technology
– Worrying about sudden technology
changes
• Large area within occupational health psychology
• Prevalence of workplace injuries
• Situational/physical risk factors
– Heat, noise, complex tools, noxious agents
• Personal risk factors
– Personality traits
• Safety performance
– Being compliant with safety procedures
– Alerting others to safety concerns
• Safety climate
– Shared perceptions with regard to safety policies, procedures, and
practices
• Safety climate influences safety performance
• Stress Management Training:
– To improve coping abilities of
employees
– Not removing; but reducing stressors
from environment
– Typically involves education and
training (relaxation, biofeedback,
stress-inoculation, mindfulness)
– Research support for the effectiveness
of stress management interventions
 Strategies for Managing Stress

[Link] Strategies:
[Link] management.
[Link] techniques (e.g., mindfulness, deep
breathing).
[Link] social support.
[Link] Strategies:
[Link] redesign (e.g., reducing role ambiguity).
[Link] assistance programs (EAPs).
[Link] a healthy work-life balance.
Example:
• Google’s initiatives, such as mindfulness
workshops and on-site fitness centers, help
employees manage stress effectively.

How to cope with stress at work | BBC News

 Coping with
Stress
Problem-focused coping
Emotion-focused coping

Coping: A coping style that involves

behaviors or actions targeted
toward solving or handling the
stress inducing problem itself.

Psychology 101: The Two Types of Coping ([Link])

 Problem-focused coping

Problem-focused coping involves

behaviors or actions targeted toward
solving or handling the stress-
inducing problem itself. One example
might be compromising with a
coworker on a particular conflict.
 Emotion-focused
coping

Emotion-focused coping involves

cognitive, or thought-related,
strategies that minimize the
emotional effects of stress-inducing
events. Examples include
rationalizing or intellectualizing,
looking for the “silver lining,” and
making the best of a bad situation.
• The Holistic Stress Model
• Eustress
– Positive responses employees may have to
demanding work conditions
– E.g., vigor, energy, meaning
• May be triggered by
– Personality characteristics (optimism, self-efficacy,
hardiness)
– Challenge appraisals
 Mindfulness-Based Techniques & Training

 Mindfulness-Based Techniques & Training

 Fully engaged in the present (in the moment) (in a nonjudgmental or accepting
way)
 What does mindfulness do?
– Reduces exhaustion
– Improves job satisfaction
– Helps prevent burnout
– Reduce stress (decreases blood pressure)
– Increased employee engagement
– Increased vitality and sleep quality
– Adaptive coping strategies
– In dynamic task environments, it increases task performance.
– Enhances employee well-being and effectiveness.
Mindfulness-Based Techniques & Training
 Health and fitness programs

–To improve employees’ health

and fitness and abilities to
handle occupational stress
–Organizational motive to
reduce healthcare costs
–Links between health and
fitness programs and
absenteeism and job
satisfaction
 REDUCTION OF STRESSORS

–Improve communication, clarify

role expectations, facilitate
employee control, and improve
interpersonal relations within
organizations
–Less popular, more difficult, but
potentially powerful
–Can prevent stress rather than
treat its effects
Case Study: Managing Workplace Stress

Objective: Analyze a real-world scenario to understand stress management strategies.

Scenario:
XYZ Corp. experienced high absenteeism and turnover in its IT department. Employees
cited long hours, lack of recognition, and poor communication as major stressors. The
company implemented the following measures:
[Link] work schedules.
[Link] management workshops.
[Link] recognition programs.
Case Analysis Questions:
•Identify the primary stressors at XYZ Corp.
•Evaluate the effectiveness of the measures taken.
•Suggest additional strategies to address stress.
Activity:
•Divide students into small groups to discuss and present their findings.
Designing a Stress Management Program

Objective: Apply knowledge to create actionable strategies.

Instructions:
[Link] work in small groups to design a stress management
program for an event company.
[Link] the following elements:
[Link] of major stressors.
[Link] interventions (individual and organizational).
[Link] to measure success.
Presentations:
•Each group presents their program to the class for feedback.
 SUMMARY

•Stress is a natural response but needs to

be managed effectively.
•Organizations must play a proactive role in
reducing workplace stress.
•Individual techniques, such as mindfulness
and time management, are essential for
personal well-being.
Reflection Questions:
•What stress management strategies will
you apply in your life?
•How can you contribute to reducing stress
in a team setting?
Understanding, Recognizing, and Managing Stress in the Workplace
Thank
You