Occupational Stress Management
October 17th 2007 15:51
Introduction to Occupational Stress
As early as in the 1980Â’s people in the field of occupational health have already been attempting to define and manage occupational or job stress.
In 1986, Singer et al. conducted an extensive mail and telephone survey that includes the purpose of discovering what an occupational stress means. In the process, they learned that “corporate and labor definitions of occupational stress were widely divergent”. Stress as defined by corporate respondents, was primarily due to maladaptive personal lifestyles of a worker and poor person-environment fits. On the other hand, labor representatives picture stress as the product of organizational conditions that promoted loss of control, work overloading and/ or underloading.
Basing from the above statements, we can infer that the term “stress” had become part of the so-called political rhetoric that allowed each side, an employer or an employee, to choose meaning which may favor his or her promulgated cause.
However to institutionalize the definition of stress (especially in the United States), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) formulated a statement that briefly but firmly categorizes the term “occupational stress” or “job stress”. According to the institute, 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 (Sauter et al., 1999).
In the above NIOSH definition we can portray stress as a condition that can lead to poor health and even injury. We can also infer that the components of the said definition include worker characteristics and working conditions. The significance of such will be discussed at the later part of this discourse.
Stress vs. Challenge
Before we proceed with the deeper aspects of the issue, let us first delineate job stress and its difference to challenge.
The concept of job stress is often confused with challenge, but these ideas are not the same. According to Sauter et al., a challenge energizes us physically and psychologically. Challenge brings about motivation to learn a new skill or to master a job. When a challenge is met, we feel a sense of satisfaction and relaxation. However if a challenge has been transposed to become job demands that cannot be met, relaxation has been turned to exhaustion. And the task at hand now becomes stressful. In short the stage is set for illness, injury, and job failures.
Facts on Workers and Stress
US-based surveys confirm how stress easily enters our workplaces. A survey by the Northwestern National Life depicts that 40 % of workers report their job is “very or extremely stressful”. In another survey by the Families and Work Institute 26 % of workers report they are “often or very burned out or stresses by their work”. And still a survey by Yale University reveals that 29 % of workers report they feel “quite a bit or extremely stressed at work”.
Similarly, in recent studies the Filipinos are labeled one of the most stressed out people in Asia.
Using the above facts, we can now imagine how 26-40 % of the total workforce affected by stress can bring about a negative impact in work production or output.
The BodyÂ’s Physiologic Responses to Stress
When we experience stress, our body reacts physically. This results from the evolutionary process. Our ancestors require an increase in strength and stamina when they were threatened (Johnson, 2001).
Stress sets off an alarm in the brain, which responds by preparing the body for defensive actions. The nervous system, specifically the sympathetic branch, is aroused, releasing hormones that sharpen our senses, quicken our pulse, tenses our muscles, and more. This collection of responses is what we call the “fight or flight response”.
The table below summarizes the physiologic response of the body to stress.
Causes of Job Stress
As stated at the earlier part of this discourse, stress can be rooted from the workerÂ’s characteristics and his working conditions.
A contributing factor in acquiring stress is the fact that individuals vary in personality and lifestyle. What is stressful for one may not be stressful for another. These individual differences should then be scrutinized in order to create measures to actually preventing stress from affecting an individual.
Another truth is that certain working conditions are stressful to most people. Conditions may include hazards within the environment or the nature of work itself. Therefore working conditions should also be given great emphasis in managing or even preventing stress.
Effects of Stress
The following conditions entitle a worker to acquiring stress:
•Person becomes overwhelmed and exhausted by a task.
•Person’s assessment of stressful situation is dysfunctional.
•The person’s coping skills are inadequate to address perceived stressors.
•External resources are either not available or are insufficient.
Prolonged, overly intense, unresolved stress puts the body in a constant state of activation, increasing the rate of wear and tear to the bodyÂ’s biological systems. Consequently fatigue and damage results and risk of injury and disease escalates.
Stress offers a wide spectrum of consequences. They include mood and sleep disturbances, upset stomach and headache, and disturbed family or friend relationships. These early signs of job stress are easy to recognize. But the conditions do not stop there. Studies also show that job stress leads to diseases which may accumulate for a long period of time. These chronic diseases and conditions include cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, psychological disorders, workplace injuries, suicide, cancer, ulcers, and impaired immune functions (Encyclopedia of Occupational Safety and Health).
How to Manage or even Prevent Stress
The above illustration from NIOSH features a holistic approach in addressing stress. Individual stress management plus organizational change may bring about a health workplace. When we say “healthy workplace”, we mean a place with reduced stress disorders, satisfied and productive workers, and profitable and competitive organizations.
Strategy for Individual Stress Management or Prevention
Johnson (2001) discussed a very concrete four-part strategy for preventing stress. The first step for managing stress is to determine if an individual is exhibiting the signs of stress. Earlier we have discussed some of the early signs that a person is under stress. The table below further expounds on such signs.
The second step is to identify the possible causes for the signs and the possible solutions. The table below shows possible sources of stress and some proposed solutions.
The third part is to identify ways to build on an individualÂ’s coping skills. This can be done by eating balanced meal, exercising regularly, having regular physical and dental check ups, and finding time to relax regularly. One should also learn to manage our environment so that we can eliminate hazards, as well as barriers that keep us from being productive. And more importantly, one must develop a strong support system.
In order to have a strong support system the statements below lifted from JohnsonÂ’s works are beneficial.
1.Listening: It is essential to discuss the emotional response we may to our cases and our workload. Often, we do not need advice so much as we need to express ourselves. It is important to realize when we need this listening support, and ask for it when we want it.
Strategies:
• Find a trusted colleague at work who understands the pressure and emotional strain of our cases, and take time to schedule regular “listening lunch” sessions or after-work coffee klatches.
• When you need a colleague or supervisor to simply lend an ear, preface the conversation with “Do you have a minute, I just need someone to listen for a few minutes about what just happened on the Johnson case....”
• Start a brown bag lunchtime with some of your colleagues that focuses on listening rather than giving advice.
• Consider seeing a therapist or counselor, or attending a support group.
2.Appreciation: It is important that we find appreciation for our work from other sources.
Strategies:
• Give it to get it.
• Volunteer for a project in the community that you enjoy and that has some built-in appreciation associated with it. Examples could include community gardening, church-related activities, community theatre or arts organizations, etc.
3. Challenges to Improve: When we solicit challenges from people we trust, we can more easily identify areas that we need to improve upon in our professional life. We also gain some control over the feedback process and are not surprised by criticism when it comes our way.
Strategies:
• Ask for it. Schedule regular supervision sessions with your supervisor. During these sessions, set aside time for more general supervision and feedback.
• Ask a trusted colleague for advice on how you can improve in a specific area of your work.
4. Reality Testing: To sort out misperceptions and correct misunderstandings, we need a supportive method to compare how we are seeing things with how others see them.
Strategies:
• Remain open. We cannot always be right, and everyone misperceives a situation sometimes. Stress can exacerbate problems with perception because our bodies and minds may screen out information that provides context or deeper understanding of a given situation.
• When you have a situation that you are unsure about on one of your cases or within your work environment, ask someone you trust for a “reality check.” Framing the question this way will cue your colleague, supervisor, or trusted friend that you want them not to just listen, but to pay attention to how you perceive a given situation.
5. Technical Assistance: The complexities of child welfare work make it impossible to know everything about every aspect of your job. You can make use of colleagues, supervisors and other professionals, however, to make your job manageable and decrease your stress level.
Strategies:
• Ask your supervisor about what forms of technical assistance are available.
The fourth part of individual stress management is to develop an individualized stress management plan that includes both eliminating the sources of stress and increasing your coping skills. These processes should start small and must be increased everyday until reaching the established goal.
Strategy for Organizational Change
The NIOSH has provided pointers that teach general procedures that teach an organization to create a productive workplace. These pointers utilize the principle of fitting the job to the worker. They are the following.
•Ensure that the workload is in line with workersÂ’ capabilities and resources.
•Design jobs to provide meaning, stimulation, and opportunities for workers to use their skills.
•Clearly define workersÂ’ roles and responsibilities.
•Give workers opportunities to participate in decisions and actions affecting their jobs.
•Improve communications—reduce uncertainty about career development and future employment prospects.
•Provide opportunities for social interaction among workers.
•Establish work schedules that are compatible with demands and responsibilities outside the job.
References
Johnson, Barrett. Stress Management. California Social Work Education Center. California, Berkeley. 2001.
Murphy, Lawrence et al. Stress Management in Work Settings. US Department of Health and Human Services. 1987.
Sauter, Steven et al. StressÂ…at work. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Cincinnati, OH. 1999.
Singer, Jefferson et al. The Nuts and Bolts of Assessing Occupational Stress: a Collaborative Effort with Labor. Stress Management in Work Settings. US Department of Health and Human Services. 1987.
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