Term Paper on "Sources and Effects of Workplace Stress"

Term Paper 5 pages (1451 words) Sources: 4

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Likewise, organizations of all types and sizes and be adversely affected by workplace stress, currently estimated at $2 billion-plus annually due to lost productivity from stressed workers (Nasr, 2012; Owens, 2014). While every organizational setting can create stressful working conditions, some manage this inevitability better than others as discussed further below.

Effective Stress Management Techniques

Because the sources and effects of stress are different for each individual, it is important to develop stress management techniques that are fine-tuned to their needs rather than applying a "one-size-fits-all" solution to workplace stress. Despite the need for individualized solutions, there are three general types of interventions that organizations can use to mitigate workplace stress: primary interventions, secondary interventions and tertiary interventions which are discussed below.

Primary interventions. This stress management technique involves eliminating or mitigating the source of workplace stress. In many cases, this approach will require the reformulation of existing management practices (Williams & Cooper, 2009).

Secondary interventions. In contrast to primary interventions, secondary interventions ignore the source of the stress and attempt to improve the ability of workers to cope with stress. In this regard, Williams and Cooper note that, "This is the equivalent of developing an individual's ability to adapt and become resilient to pressure, thus effectively counterbalancing the pressure itself. This is usually achieved through training workshops" (2009, p. 124).

Tertiary interventions. Finally, this stress management method is used after-the-fact when workers are already suffering from workplace stress and seeks to increase their resiliency to stress while simultaneously treating them for their stressed condition (Williams & Cooper, 2009).

An important point made by Williams and Cooper (2009) with respect to the application of the foregoing interventions is that even primary and secondary interventions will not prevent some workers from experiencing stress so organizations should be prepared to apply appropriate tertiary interventions when needed. Nevertheless, it is reasonable to suggest that eliminating the source of workplace stressors through primary and secondary intervention represents the most logical place to begin a stress reduction initiative in any organization, with tertiary interventions being used only when needed (Williams & Cooper, 2009).

Unfortunately, it has been my personal experience that far too few organizations employ any stress-reduction interventions at all, instead allowing the insidious effects of workplace stress to exact their toll on their human resources. For some industries such as fast food that already experience high rates of turnover, this approach may be the most pragmatic since it does not require any substantive changes on the part of management or workplace design. Nevertheless, the high costs that are associated with unplanned turnover, including recruiting, training and orientation, should be sufficient motivators for organizational leaders to take workplace stress more seriously in any setting.

Summary

The research showed that stress is an inevitable part of any organizational setting, and that different people tend to respond to workplace stress in different ways. Therefore, the sources of workplace stress may also differ from worker to worker, but some of the more common sources include heavy workloads, poor management, conflicting or nebulous job expectations, job insecurity and a lack of career development opportunities, and an unpleasant or dangerous working environment. The research also showed, though, that there are some steps that organizations can take to eliminate or mitigate the effects of workplace stress, including eliminating the source of the stress, helping people cope with workplace stress and helping them heal from workplace stress.

Conclusion

Taken together, the findings that emerged from the research makes it clear that the sooner that workplace stress is addressed, the less harm it will be able to exact, and simply helping people cope with their stress or recover from it does not represent a proactive approach to stress management. This type of proactive support from management can assume a number of different forms, but it is important to identify the antecedents of workplace stress and make efforts to eliminate or mitigate them to the maximum extent possible.

References

Lynott, W. J. (2011, April 1). You can defuse workplace stress. Medical Economics, 88(7), 25-26.

Nasr, L. (2012, January 1). The relationship between the three components model of commitment, workplace stress and career path application to employees in medium size organizations in Lebanon. Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict, 16(1), 71-75.

Owens, D. M. (2014, March). Stressed out. HRMagazine, 59(3),… READ MORE

How to Reference "Sources and Effects of Workplace Stress" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Workplace Stress Research Paper

Workplace Stress

"More organizations may begin to consider ways to reduce sources of workplace stress to minimize health cost escalation and the expense of defending against employees' legal actions"

(Schramm… read more

Research Paper 7 pages (2371 words) Sources: 5 Topic: Career / Labor / Human Resources

---

Risk Management Sources of Work-Related Stress Essay

Risk Management

Sources of work-related stress and their behavioral manifestation

Lack of training

Inadequate training of works and inappropriate skills in the work places is an aspect that may result… read more

Essay 4 pages (1179 words) Sources: 4 Topic: Career / Labor / Human Resources

---

Stress What Does Term Paper

Stress

What does Stress actually mean and connote? Stress is a state of tension and mental strain or suspense, and it is also a force that is responsible for producing… read more

Term Paper 12 pages (5243 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Education / Teaching / Learning

---

Stress Management This Portfolio Project Was Created Essay

Stress Management

This portfolio project was created to explore the ideals of stress and how important controlling it is. My real life experience deals with my full-time job working as… read more

Essay 10 pages (2588 words) Sources: 6 Topic: Nutrition / Diet / Eating

---

Overcoming Stress Within the Workplace Term Paper

Stress in the Workplace

SCENARIO

The scenario in this work is one in which the researcher will be considered a manager in a prominent law firm and develop a business… read more

Term Paper 10 pages (2621 words) Sources: 3 Style: APA Topic: Management / Organizations

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>