Stress management in modern organizations
Stress management in modern organizations
Introduction
For the past decades the problem concerning stress in modern work organizations has become one of the most widely discussed subjects. Different unstable conditions of the workplace, intense relationships with co-workers, difficult unclear tasks could lead to stressful situations that would eventually resolve in different health issues. Headaches, loss of energy, emotional disorders – all of this are bright examples of what stress can cast. And annually, as a result, businesses all around the world lose millions of dollars because of the absence of employees, health costs and lost productivity. That is why stress management is extremely important in modern organizations.
Stress is an unpleasant emotional state that results when someone is uncertain of his or her capacity to resolve a perceived challenge to an important value1. If people are afraid to lose their position or job, if they have a bad atmosphere at work, this could create the preconditions for stress. There are three components of stress – perceived challenge, importance of values and uncertainty of resolution.
Workplace factors, that make jobs stressful, are called job stressors2. These stressors can concern the job itself (the nature, specifics of the work, job tasks, etc.), the interpersonal relationships on work (conflicts, abusive behavior by supervisors) and the organizational context and structure (defective equipment, lack of supplies, unfair payment and reward systems). So, jobs that require heavy work, repetitive actions, and long periods of attention will be perceived as stressful. Research has shown that all of these stressors influence the well-being of the employees. To better understand the situation and connections of these factors to health and productivity a number of people were surveyed. They had to describe their attitude towards the job and their health condition. Some of the researchers went even further. They took
Introduction
For the past decades the problem concerning stress in modern work organizations has become one of the most widely discussed subjects. Different unstable conditions of the workplace, intense relationships with co-workers, difficult unclear tasks could lead to stressful situations that would eventually resolve in different health issues. Headaches, loss of energy, emotional disorders – all of this are bright examples of what stress can cast. And annually, as a result, businesses all around the world lose millions of dollars because of the absence of employees, health costs and lost productivity. That is why stress management is extremely important in modern organizations.
Stress is an unpleasant emotional state that results when someone is uncertain of his or her capacity to resolve a perceived challenge to an important value1. If people are afraid to lose their position or job, if they have a bad atmosphere at work, this could create the preconditions for stress. There are three components of stress – perceived challenge, importance of values and uncertainty of resolution.
Workplace factors, that make jobs stressful, are called job stressors2. These stressors can concern the job itself (the nature, specifics of the work, job tasks, etc.), the interpersonal relationships on work (conflicts, abusive behavior by supervisors) and the organizational context and structure (defective equipment, lack of supplies, unfair payment and reward systems). So, jobs that require heavy work, repetitive actions, and long periods of attention will be perceived as stressful. Research has shown that all of these stressors influence the well-being of the employees. To better understand the situation and connections of these factors to health and productivity a number of people were surveyed. They had to describe their attitude towards the job and their health condition. Some of the researchers went even further. They took