Job Stress

9 Pages 2140 Words

t it" (Dutton 11).
> Because people are not able to avoid work-related stress,
>they have to learn to address and manage it. It can be argued
>that stress management plans must take "top priority" (Anonymous
>PG) if an organization is going to run
>smoothly and have the least amount of frenzied workers. The
>initial step in implementing such a stress management plan is to
>first identify the factors that are causing the stress, followed
>by establishing a plan of action and then putting forth the
>solutions. Indeed, without having a firm grip on what the
>problem actually is, solving it will be virtually impossible.
>There are myriad possibilities when it comes to the various
>stress factors, including -- but not limited to -- a hostile
>environment; work overload; boredom; lack of communication;
>unclear job definition; no room for advancement; little or no
>input; schedule inflexibility; and personal problems.
> When people are in the throes of work-related stress, these
>dissatisfactions manifest themselves in a number of recognizable
>ways; tardiness, excessive absenteeism and disability claims are
>just a few of the indicators that point toward stressful working
>conditions. "Occupational
>stress, which affects a large number of workers worldwide, is
>believed to be caused by ever-changing and hostile workplaces.
>To reduce stress in the workplace, employers must preserve jobs
>and keep workloads manageable while
>workers must prioritize activities and refocus goals" (Veninga
>217). Other signs that are not as perceivable include a
>predisposition to headaches, lack of concentration, sleep
>problems, low morale, psychological disorders, cardiovascular
>disease, on-the-job injury, as well as a whole host of other
>conditions that are not immediately linked with work stress.
>Substantial research has shown that an alarming one-fourth of all
>working people
>consider their jobs to be "the number o...