Stress
Stress
STRESS...AT WORK
The nature of work is changing at whirlwind speed.
Perhaps now more than ever before, job stress poses a
threat to the health of workers and, in turn, to the health
of organizations. Through its research program in job
stress and through educational materials such as this
booklet, NIOSH is committed to providing organizations
with knowledge to reduce this threat.
This booklet highlights knowledge about the causes of
stress at work and outlines steps that can be taken to
prevent job stress.
Stress in Today’s Workplace
The longer he waited, the more David worried. For weeks he had been plagued
by aching muscles, loss of appetite, restless sleep, and a complete sense of
exhaustion. At first he tried to ignore these problems, but eventually he became
so short-tempered and irritable that his wife insisted he get a checkup. Now,
sitting in the doctor’s office and wondering what the verdict would be, he didn’t
even notice when Theresa took the seat beside him. They had been good friends
when she worked in the front office at the plant, but he hadn’t seen her since she
left three years ago to take a job as a customer service representative. Her gentle
poke in the ribs brought him around, and within minutes they were talking and
gossiping as if she had never left.
“You got out just in time,”he told her. “Since thereorganization, nobodyfeels safe.It used to bethat as long as you didyour work, you had a job.That’s not for sureanymore. They expect thesame production rates even
though two guys are now doing the work of three. We’re so backed up
I’m working twelve-hour shifts six days a week. I swear I hear those
machines humming in my sleep. Guys are calling in sick just to get a
break. Morale is so bad they’re talking about bringing in some
consultants to figure out a better way to get the job done.”
Well, I really miss you guys,” shesaid. “I’m afraid I jumped from thefrying pan into the fire. In my newjob, the computer routes the calls andthey never stop. I even have toschedule my bathroom breaks. All Ihear the whole day are complaints
from unhappy customers. I try to behelpful and sym
I’m caught between what the customer wants and company policy. I’mnot sure who I’m supposed to keep happy. The other reps are so uptightand tense they don’t even talk to one another. We all go to our own littlecubicles and stay there untilquitting time. To make matters worse, mymother’s health is deteriorating. If only I could use some of my sick timeto look after her. No wonder I’m in here with migraine headaches andhigh blood pressure. A lot of the reps are seeing the employee assistancecounselor and taking stress management classes, which seems to help.But sooner or later, someone will have to make some changes in the way
the place is run.”
What is Job Stress?
Job stress can be defined 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. Job stress can lead to poor health and even injury.
The concept of job stress is often confused with challenge, but these concepts are
not the same. Challenge energizes us psychologically and physically, and it
motivates us to learn new skills and master our jobs. When a challenge is met, we
feel relaxed and satisfied. Thus, challenge is an important ingredient for healthy
and productive work. The importance of challenge in our work lives is probably
what people are referring to when they say “a little bit of stress is good for you.”
But for David and Theresa, the situation is different—the challenge has turned
into job demands that cannot be met, relaxation has turned to exhaustion, and a
sense of satisfaction has turned into feelings of stress. In short, the stage is set for
illness, injury, and job failure.
NIOSH Approach to Job Stress
On the basis of experience and research, NIOSH favors the view that working
conditions play a primary role in causing job stress. However, the role of
individual factors is not ignored. According to the NIOSH view, exposure to
stressful working conditions (called job stressors) can have a direct influence on
worker safety and health. But as shown below, individual and other situational
factors can intervene to strengthen or weaken this influence. Theresa’s need to
care for her ill mother is an increasingly common example of an individual or
situational factor that may intensify the effects of stressful working conditions.
Examples of individual and situational factors that can help to reduce the effects
of stressful working conditions include the following:
• Balance between work and family or personal life
• A support network of friends and coworkers.
Stress, Health, and Productivity
Some employers assume that stressful working conditions are a necessary evil—
that companies must turn up the pressure on workers and set aside health
concerns to remain productive and profitable in today’s economy. But research
findings challenge this belief. Studies show that stressful working conditions are
actually associated with increased absenteeism, tardiness, and intentions by
workers to quit their jobs—all of which have a negative effect on the bottom line.
Recent studies of so-called healthy organizations suggest that policies benefiting
worker health also benefit the bottom line. A healthy organization is defined as
one that has low rates of illness, injury, and disability in its workforce and is also
competitive in the marketplace. NIOSH research has identified organizational
characteristics associated with both healthy, low-stress work and high levels of
productivity. Examples of these characteristics include the following:
• Recognition of employees for good work performance
• Opportunities for career development
• An organizational culture that values the individual worker
• Management actions that are consistent with organizational values
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