Managing Stress and WorkLife Balance

Chapter 9
Sixth Edition Jennifer M. George & Gareth R. Jones

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9-1

Learning Objectives
Describe how the experience of stress is based on

employees perceptions and influenced by individual

differences
Appreciate the fact that stress can have both positive

and negative consequences for employees and their

organizations

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9-2

Learning Objectives
Be aware of stressors that can arise from employees

personal lives, their jobs, their work groups and organizations, the pursuit of work-life balance, and uncertainty in the wider environment
Describe problem-focused and emotion-focused

coping strategies for individuals

Describe problem-focused and emotion-focused

coping strategies for organizations

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9-3

Job Losses & Its Consequences

What effects does job loss have on employees

and their families?

Mounting levels of stress for employees

Mental & physical well-being Loss of house

Conflicts with friends and family

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9-4

What Is Stress?
Stress is the experience of opportunities or threats that people perceive as

important and also

perceive they might not be able to handle or deal with effectively
Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9-5

Key Aspects of Stress

Stress can originate from opportunities and threats The opportunities or threats that cause stress are

important to the person in question

The person who is experiencing the threat or

opportunity is uncertain as to whether he or she can effectively handle the situation

Stress is rooted in perception

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9-6

Individual Differences and Stress

Personality

Ability

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9-7

Personality and Stress

Self-esteem Type A Locus of control Neuroticism Extraversion Openness to experience

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9-8

Consequences of Stress

Physiological Consequences

Psychological Consequences

Behavioral Consequences

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9-9

Signs of Burnout
Feelings of
Low

personal accomplishment exhaustion

Emotional

Depersonalization

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9-10

A Stress Quiz
Conditions at work are unpleasant or even unsafe. I feel that my job is making me physically or emotionally

sick. I have too much work or too many unreasonable deadlines. I cant express my opinions or feelings about my job to my boss. My work interferes with my family or personal life. I have no control over my life at work. My good performance goes unrecognized and unrewarded. My talents are underutilized at work.
Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9-11

An Inverted U Relationship Between Stress and Performance

Exhibit 9.1

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9-12

Sources of Stress
Personal Life Job Responsibilities

Membership in Groups
Work-Life Balance Environmental Uncertainty
Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9-13

Personal Sources of Stress

Minor Life Events

Major Life Events

Getting a speeding ticket Have trouble with your inlaws Getting caught in traffic Going on vacation Getting a new assignment at work

Death of a loved one Divorce Serious illness Getting arrested Getting married Buying a house Having a baby

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9-14

Job-Related Stressors
Role conflict Role ambiguity

Overload
Underload

Challenging assignments
Economic well-being and job security

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9-15

Group- and Organization-Related Stressors

Cultural differences Uncomfortable working conditions Unsafe working conditions

Mergers and acquisitions

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9-16

Work-Life Balance
Elder care Child care

Value conflict

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9-17

Environmental Uncertainty
Global instability Aftermath of war and terrorism

SARS
Corporate scandals

Exposure to toxins

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9-18

Coping Strategies for Individuals

Emotion-focused
Exercise
Meditation Social

Problem-focused
Time

management

Mentoring Role

support counseling

negotiation

Clinical

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9-19

Time-Management Steps
Make lists of all tasks to accomplish during

day
Prioritize tasks Estimate length of time required to complete

each task

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9-20

Nonfunctional Coping Strategies

Eating Drinking

Taking drugs

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9-21

Coping Strategies for Organizations

Emotion-focused
On-site exercise facilities
Organizational support Employee assistance

Problem-focused
Job redesign
Job rotation Uncertainty reduction

programs
Personal days/

Job security
Company day care Flextime/job sharing

sabbaticals

Telecommuting

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9-22

OB Today: Alleviating Stress Through Organizational Support

Layoffs especially stressful at small companies.

Close personal relationships develop making layoffs

more difficult. To boost morale Companies show employees support by:

Helping laid off employees find new jobs.

Give current employees extra incentives on the job.

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

23

This work is protected by United States copyright laws and is provided solely for the use of instructors in teaching their courses and assessing student learning. Dissemination or sale of any part of this work (including on the WorldWideWeb) will destroy the integrity of the work and is not permitted. The work and materials from it should never be made available to students except by instructors using the accompanying text in their classes. All recipients of this work are expected to abide by these restrictions and to honor the intended pedagogical purposes and the needs of other instructors who rely on these materials.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

9-24