Module 6

Stress Management and Well-Being

Objectives:
After completing the chapter, the students shall be able to:
a. Define workplace stress
b. Discuss the two models of workplace stress
c. Identify workplace stressors and ways of overcoming them
d. Determine consequences of workplace stress to the individual and organization
e. Name ways of managing workplace stress.
Stress Management
Stress management is all about taking charge; a person’s lifestyle, his thoughts, his emotions,
and the way he deals with problems.
Workplace Stress Defined
Stress is a feeling of tension that happens when a person perceives that a condition is about to go
beyond his ability to deal with and as a result could cause danger to his well-being.
Stress can be defined as acute or chronic:
1. Acute stress is a short-term reaction to immediate threat. Here are some conditions that
can result to acute stress:
a. Alertness and excitement
b. Increase in energy
c. Feelings of uneasiness and worry
d. Feelings of sadness
e. Loss of appetite
f. Short-term suspension of the immune system
g. Increased metabolism of body fat
2. Chronic stress results from ongoing situations. Here are some conditions that can result
to chronic stress.
a. Anxiety and panic attacks
b. Depression
c. Long-term disturbances in eating
d. Irritability
e. Lowered resistance to infection and disease
f. Diabetes
g. High blook pressure
h. Loss of sex drive
Workplace stress is the response people may have when presented with work demands and
pressures that are not coordinated to their knowledge and abilities and which challenge their
ability to handle. Pressure at the workplace is inevitable due to the demands of the present-day
work environment.
Some early warnings of workplace stress:
a. Headache
b. Sleep disturbances
c. Difficulty in concentrating
d. Short temper
e. Upset stomach
f. Job dissatisfaction
g. Low morale
Two Model of Workplace Stress
Demand-Control Model by Karasek
This model was developed by Karasek in 1979 and states that those who experience high
demands at work with little control are more likely than other employees to feel stressed.
Two important factors under demand-control model
1. The workplace demand- workplace demands are the aspects of the work environment that
an employee must handle.
2. The control that a person in meeting those demands = control refers to the extent to which
individuals are able to affect the state of workplace demands.
Four types of jobs that could be created under this model which are:
a. High strain – high demands, low control
b. Active-high demands, high control
c. Passive – low demands, low control
d. Low strain – low demands, high control
Effort-Reward Imbalance Model by Siegrist
Another important model of workplace is Johannes Siegrist’s effort-reward model. The model
elucidates that high effort but low rewards are likely to cause recurrent negative emotions an
sustained stress responses. Two factors are:
1. The effort required by a manager – effort relates to the performance demands and
obligations of the job.
2. The rewards a person receives as a result of the effort – rewards are the intrinsic and
extrinsic outcomes of the work.
Workplace Stressors
It’s easy to identify sources of stress following a major life event such as changing jobs, moving
home, or losing a loved one, but pinpointing the sources of everyday stress can be more
complicated.
a. Lack of time perceived lack of time
b. Career ambiguity
c. Random interruptions
d. Unclear policies and no sense of direction
e. No appreciation
f. Too many open folders
g. Lack of knowledge
h. Change
i. Worrying about events that have not happened yet
j. Physical health/relationships
Consequences of Workplace stress
Individual Consequences
1. Mood disorders
A unipolar disorder is characterized by depressive symptoms (sadness, loss of interest or
pleasures
2. Anxiety Disorders – is a response to a threat or danger that really exists, anxiety is an
unpleasant inner state that appears when a danger is anticipated, but often without the
individual being able to clearly specify the object of that fear.
a. Panic disorder – palpitations, pounding heart or accelerated heart rate, sweating,
trembling or shaking, sensations of shortness of breath or smothering, feeling of
choking, chest pain, nausea or abdominal distress, feeling dizzy, unsteady,
lightheaded or faint, feelings of unreality or being detached from oneself, fear of
losing control or going crazy, fear of dying, numbness or tingling sensations, hills or
hot flushes.
b. Generalized anxiety dis-order – individuals are suffering from generalized anxiety
when, for most of the time over a period of 6 months, they are anxious and
excessively worried when confronted with events or activities that are usually part of
everyday life. Symptoms are: agitated, feeling “boosted”, fatigue, difficulty in
concentrating or loss of memory, irritability, muscle cramps, sleep disorders.
3. Burn-out – It results when an individuals have an unhealthy relationships with their work.
They put more and more energy into their work. Signs are: generalized fatigue, loss of
enthusiasm, physical symptoms, loss of self-confidence, feeling of incompetence, guild,
aversion to work and deterioration, anxiety, irritability and negative attitude.
4. Survivor syndrome – following a work reorganization, the employees who have not been
laid off can often be more distressed, depressed, tired and demotivated. Symptoms are:
 anguish, depression, fatigue, anger, guilt at having retained their job, feelings of job
insecurity, competitive work environment, demotivation and dissatisfaction at work,
decreased productivity, decreased commitment to organization, resistance to change,
intention to leave job.
Organizational Consequences
The consequences and symptoms of workplace stress first become observable at the
individual level. However, it is not only the individual who suffers the consequences of
workplace stress.
1. High staff turnover and recruitment cost
2. High absenteeism and presenteeism levels
3. Reduced productivity levels
4. Increased health and safety issues
5. Litigation
6. Reputational damage
7. Increased training cost
Managing workplace Stress
Stress affects millions of people. One of the most common forms of stress is that related to
ones careers and the workplace.
There are two variety of strategies an employee can take to reduce both his overall stress
levels and the stress he finds on the job and in the workplace.
1. Put in perspective
2. Modify ones job situation
3. Get time away
4. Fight through the clutter
5. Talk it out
6. Cultivate allies at work
7. Find humor in the situation
8. Have realistic expectations
9. Nobody is perfect
10. Maintain a positive attitude

End of Module 6!
Reference Textbook: Management of Human Behavior in the Organization, Prof Angelita

Ong Camiliar-Serrano, DBA and Dr. Marivic Francisco Flores.