Stress can pervade anyone at any level of business. Recent research shows that work-related stress is widespread and not confined to particular sectors, jobs or industries. Stress is not an illness; it is deemed to be a state. Further research deemed that the condition could be both mental and physical where stress becomes too excessive and prolonged. This varies from individual to individual affecting those unable to cope. It is unclear whether this is stress or depression, however, it is linked with high sickness absence, staff turnover, and increased errors. Therefore, it is a cost to both businesses and individuals.
This paper focuses on why organizations should focus on work stress and provides examples of local organizations effectively doing so.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Business Case Why Organisations Should Focus on Work Stress
2.1. Economic Impact
2.2 Organisational Outcomes
i. Operational Issues and Costs
i. Intangible Costs
2.3 Individual Outcomes
2.4 Models:
i. Inverted U Shape Relationship – k/a Yerkes-Dodson Law 1908
ii. Person - Environmental Fit Model (Cooper et al. 1988)
ii. Demands – Support – Constraints Model (Payne 1979)
2.5 Ways to Manage
i. Institutional Programs:
i. Collateral Programs:
2.6 Organisations Effectively Dealing with Work Stress
i. Award Winning Organisations Dealing with Stress
i. Local Organisation Examples of HSE Three Level Approaches
3 Summary
4 Conclusion
Research Objective and Key Themes
This work aims to build a compelling business case for why organizations must actively address work-related stress, highlighting the significant economic, organizational, and individual costs associated with poor stress management while showcasing examples of best practices in local organizations.
- The economic and organizational impact of work-related stress
- Psychological and physiological outcomes for employees
- Evaluation of theoretical stress models (e.g., Yerkes-Dodson, Person-Environment Fit)
- Effective management strategies including institutional and collateral programs
- Case studies of organizations implementing HSE three-level approaches
Excerpt from the Book
2. The Business Case Why Organisations Should Focus on Work Stress
Work stress can be easy to manage and needs the right fit between the board, line managers and employees. Matched with open discussions and action taken regarding goals and achievements, the organisation can create a healthy environment. However, many organisations do not have this, creating a financial and non-financial impact. The key issues are: economic; organisational; and individual. This is why it is imperative that organisations address these negative issues and positively act upon them.
There is also good stress, called eustress, which gives us energy and motivates us to strive and produce (Muse, et al., 2003). This is the stress/pressure that athletes and artists place reliance. Robbins and Judge consider positive and negative attitudes and commentaries: “My job is great” is a positive attitude, and “My job is boring and tedious” is a negative attitude (Robbins & Judge, 2013. p135). Creating the right environment for employees is challenging, however, achieving this employees will outperform in sales, profit, and self-esteem.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Defines work-related stress as a widespread, non-specific physical strain and distinguishes between motivating pressure and detrimental, chronic stress.
2. The Business Case Why Organisations Should Focus on Work Stress: Discusses the financial and organizational imperatives for managing stress, covering economic impacts, organizational outcomes, theoretical models, and management strategies.
3. Summary: Re-emphasizes stress as a natural, yet manageable, consequence of life, comparing the limits of human resilience to physical elasticity models like Hook's Law.
4. Conclusion: Summarizes the necessity of proactive stress management for competitive advantage and notes the practical effectiveness of institutional and collateral programs in real-world business settings.
Keywords
Work-related stress, business case, organizational psychology, stress management, economic impact, presenteeism, Yerkes-Dodson Law, employee wellbeing, institutional programs, collateral programs, resilience, human performance, productivity, burnout, organizational fit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this publication?
The paper explores the necessity for organizations to treat work-related stress as a critical business issue that impacts financial performance, organizational health, and individual employee wellbeing.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The text focuses on economic costs, organizational consequences like absenteeism, individual health effects, theoretical stress models, and practical management strategies.
What is the central research objective?
The goal is to argue that proactively addressing stress through institutional and collateral programs provides a competitive advantage and a high return on investment.
Which scientific methods are utilized?
The work employs a literature review and thematic analysis, applying organizational behavior theories and case study evaluations to investigate stress management practices.
What is discussed in the main body?
The main body evaluates models like the Inverted U Shape Relationship and the Person-Environment Fit model, followed by an analysis of how specific companies implement HSE-aligned stress management.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Work-related stress, business case, organizational psychology, employee wellbeing, and management strategy are the defining terms.
How does the "Inverted U Shape Relationship" explain stress?
The model suggests that stress is beneficial up to a point where it optimizes performance, but beyond that point, it leads to a decline in efficiency and wellbeing.
Why are John Lewis and Waitrose highlighted?
They are used as primary examples of organizations that effectively implement the HSE Three Level Approaches to manage stress within a social enterprise structure.
What is the significance of the "Hook’s Law" analogy?
It is used to conceptualize the limits of human resilience, illustrating that like physical materials, individuals have a breaking point when subjected to excessive, prolonged stress.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Irene Anne McLaughlin (Autor:in), 2015, Work Stress. Why Organisations should focus on it and provide effective examples, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/323940
