I. Job Stress
A. Meaning of Stress – usually thought of in negative terms
B. Background of Stress – concern about the impact on stress on people
C. Causes of Stress – life changes
II. Effects of Job Stress
A. Physical Problems – high blood pressure
B. Psychological Problems – mental health
C. Behavioral – sleeplessness and increased smoking and drinking
III. Coping Strategies
A. Individual – decision-making
B. Organizational – supportive organizational climate
IV. Summary
Job Stress: How it affects our daily lives Stress is usually thought of in negative terms. Stress is thought to be caused by something bad. This is a form of distress. But there is also a positive, pleasant side of stress caused by good things. This is a form of eustress. This latter term was coined by the pioneers of stress research from the Greek eu, which means “good.” In other words, stress can be viewed in a number of different ways and has been described as the most imprecise word in the scientific dictionary. The word “stress” has also been compared with the word “sin”: “Both are short, emotionally charged words used to refer to something that otherwise would take many words to say.” The background of stress is associated with the GAS model, which remains a vital dimension of modern stress research and stress management, attention is also being given to the psychological and the behavioral dimensions of stress. All three dimensions (physiological, psychological and behavioral) are important to the understanding of job stress and coping strategies in modern organizations. The causes of stress could be life changes. Life’s changes may be slow (getting older) or sudden (the death of a spouse). These changes have been portrayed in novels and movies as having a dramatic effect on people. This could somehow influence job performance. Stress is not automatically bad for individual employees or his or her organizational performance. It is generally recognized that at least low levels of stress can even enhance job performance. People in certain jobs, such as in sales or creative fields would seem to benefit from a mild level of stress. People in other jobs, such as police officers or physicians, may not benefit from constant mild stress. There could be physical, psychological and behavioral problems due to stress. A high- level of stress is accompanied by high blood pressure and high-levels of cholesterol and may even result in heart disease, ulcers, and arthritis. There may even be a possible link between stress and cancer. It may be accompanied by anger, anxiety, depression, nervousness, irritability, tension, and boredom. The effects of this on individual employees are changes in mood and other emotional states and, especially relevant to job performance, lowered self-esteem, resentment of supervision, inability to concentrate and make decision, and job dissatisfaction. Behavior that may accompany high-levels of stress include under eating or overeating, sleeplessness, increased smoking and drinking, and drug abuse. When it is realized that 6% of the populations are alcoholics, that another estimated 10% are problem drinkers, and that 6 billion doses of amphetamines and barbiturates are consumed annually, the potential problems for employee behavior caused by alcohol and drug abuse become dramatically clear. There are two major approaches to dealing with job stress. First, are the individual strategies, which tend to be more reactive in nature. Some individual strategies, such as physical exercise, can be both reactive and proactive, but most are geared toward helping the person who is already suffering from stress. The second general approach is to develop a more proactive set of strategies at the organization level. The