Understanding Workplace Stress Models

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Questions and Answers

What major factor contributes to increased stress levels according to the Demand–Control Model?

High decision latitude

Infrequent communication

Excessive workload (correct)

Low job expectations

In the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model, what indicates that stress is likely to occur?

Balanced workload and free time

Positive peer support

Abundant resources available

Exceeding demands over resources (correct)

According to the Conservation of Resources (COR) Model, stress primarily arises from what situation?

Gaining new skills at work

Positive workplace relationships

Sufficient resource availability

Resource loss or insufficiency (correct)

Which intervention is suggested to enhance employee well-being and mitigate stress?

Enhance decision latitude and autonomy Signup and view all the answers

What can be a consequence of high demands during economic downturns, as outlined in the content?

Lower job satisfaction Signup and view all the answers

How can poor interpersonal relationships at work affect an employee's experience?

Increase stress levels Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a possible outcome of work–family conflict?

Strain at home Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT identified as a component of job demands in the Job Demands-Resources model?

Autonomy in decision-making Signup and view all the answers

What is a significant challenge faced by the sandwiched generation?

Balancing child and elder care responsibilities Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of caregivers report suffering from financial strain?

40% Signup and view all the answers

By which year is it projected that over 20% of U.S. residents will be 65 or older?

2030 Signup and view all the answers

What benefit has been adopted by some companies to help employees with elder care?

Dependent-care accounts Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of married couples in the U.S. with children under 18 had both parents employed in 2016?

61% Signup and view all the answers

What is the estimated financial loss for caregivers who leave the workforce due to caregiving?

$3 trillion Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a motivating factor for dual-earner families?

Increased income Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of women earned approximately 80.5% of what men made as of 2017?

80.5% Signup and view all the answers

Which stress type is commonly associated with positive outcomes such as increased satisfaction?

Challenge-Related Stress Signup and view all the answers

What physiological marker is commonly used to validate the link between workplace stress and health outcomes?

Cortisol levels Signup and view all the answers

Which type of stress consistently leads to negative outcomes, such as reduced job satisfaction?

Hindrance-Related Stress Signup and view all the answers

How does mindfulness help individuals cope with stress?

By providing nonjudgmental awareness of present experiences Signup and view all the answers

Which form of support is described as particularly effective in mitigating work-family conflict?

Supervisory support for family-related challenges Signup and view all the answers

What coping strategy is effectively paired with supervisory support to reduce strain?

Problem-Focused Coping Signup and view all the answers

What is a common cause of hindrance-related stress?

Organizational politics Signup and view all the answers

What impact do supportive family environments have on workplace stress?

They complement workplace efforts to reduce strain Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the primary benefits of job satisfaction for employers?

Higher likelihood of employee retention Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT one of the components of the Effective Workplace Index?

Employee Recognition Programs Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of U.S. employees work in organizations exhibiting five or more components of the Effective Workplace Index?

16% Signup and view all the answers

Which program is aimed at providing employees with flexibility in their work schedules?

Flexible Scheduling Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following reflects a challenge regarding the Effective Workplace Index?

A significant majority work in organizations with few components Signup and view all the answers

What type of initiative aims to improve employee health and reduce stress?

Health and Wellness Initiatives Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about positive work environments is true?

They decrease employee health issues. Signup and view all the answers

What does providing autonomy in the workplace primarily refer to?

Control over their work and decision-making. Signup and view all the answers

What is defined as the state when individuals are in jobs below their skill level?

Underemployment Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the significant impacts of underemployment on individuals?

Increased job search behaviors Signup and view all the answers

How does personal control affect employees before downsizing?

It mediates negative effects of job uncertainty. Signup and view all the answers

Which factor contributes to lower job satisfaction and organizational commitment?

Job insecurity Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the leading causes of death among American workers?

Workplace violence Signup and view all the answers

What can extreme job stress lead to during layoffs?

Workplace violence Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of the workforce is estimated to be underemployed?

10-15% Signup and view all the answers

How does job uncertainty affect individuals pre-downsizing?

Leads to high job stress Signup and view all the answers

What impact do working mothers have on their daughters compared to nonworking mothers?

Better education outcomes, leadership roles, and salaries Signup and view all the answers

What is the average time spent by women on household chores per week?

13+ hours Signup and view all the answers

What is one effect of negative spillover in work-family conflicts?

Increased work-family conflict for the other partner Signup and view all the answers

What trend was observed among college-educated women from 1993 to 2009 regarding career and family?

Most achieved full-time careers and motherhood Signup and view all the answers

What benefit do companies experience when they support work-life balance?

Higher employee morale and lower turnover Signup and view all the answers

According to Brian Dyson's quote, what does work represent?

A rubber ball Signup and view all the answers

What was a primary focus of Occupational Health Psychology (OHP) when it emerged?

Promoting employee safety and wellbeing Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about the household labor imbalance is true?

Women perform two-thirds of routine household tasks Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Key Terms

Stressors: Seriously disruptive events, situations, or people that push psychological or physical functions beyond their stability range. Examples include tight deadlines, work anxiety, family loss, and fear of being late.
Strains: Undesirable personal outcomes arising from stressors. These include negative health consequences, poor performance, and decreased well-being. Examples include physical distress (upset stomach), behavioral issues (poor communication), and emotional strain (crankiness or frustration).

The Stress Process

Stress occurs when stressors cause strains.
Stress includes the overall process of experiencing stressors and their resulting strains.
Examples of stressors and their resulting strains include tight deadlines leading to illness or poor work quality, or anxiety over layoffs leading to short tempers or emotional exhaustion.

Notes on Stressors in the Workplace

Stressors (Sources of Stress):
- Intrinsic Work Factors: Poor working conditions (low lighting, excessive noise, poor design), long hours, excessive travel, and limited control over one's job.
- Role Variables:
  - Role Ambiguity: Unclear role expectations (vague instructions from a supervisor).
  - Role Conflict: Inconsistent or conflicting role expectations from different sources.

Additional Topics

Coping Strategies: Problem-focused (addressing the stressor directly) and emotion-focused (managing emotional responses).
Strains: Job-related (low satisfaction, poor performance), emotional (exhaustion, depression), and physiological (illnesses, elevated blood pressure).
Theoretical Models of Stress: Demand-Control Model (combination of psychological demands and decision latitude), Job Demands-Resources Model (Job demands vs. resources).
Conservation of Resources (COR) Model: Individuals strive to acquire and preserve resources to manage stress.
Workplace Conflict: Poor interpersonal relationships with supervisors or coworkers increase stress.
Economic Stressors: Recession-related stressors (increased workload, lower job satisfaction) are linked to strains.
Temporal Characteristics of Stressors: Stressors that increase continuously over time can cause counterproductive work behaviors that persist beyond the stressor period.
Work Breaks: Breaks within the workday support stress recovery.
Counterproductive Work Behaviors (CWBs): Behaviors intended to harm the organization or its employees often occur when stressors persist over time.
Job-Related Strains: Examples include low satisfaction and motivation leading to low effort, high absenteeism, poor productivity.
Emotional Strains: Burnout is a significant emotional strain characterized by: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment.
Physiological Strains: Stress significantly contributes to many physical illnesses including heart disease and strokes. Costs related to these conditions are substantial.
Stressors & Work-Family Conflict: Work and family responsibilities competing for time and resources in the individual's life can impact both domains (e.g., lack of personal time, time management conflict)
Organizational and Supervisor Support: Importance of organizational support and supervisor support in managing work-family conflict.
Family-Supportive Supervisor Behaviors: Understanding a set of supervisor behaviors that appreciate employees' need for work-family balance are valuable for reducing work related stress.
Organizational Flexibility and Policies: Benefits of flexible scheduling, childcare resources in supporting employee well-being, and mitigating work-life conflict.
Work-Life Balance Trends: Understanding national studies on employee engagement, job satisfaction, intention to leave, and mental health in relation to organizational flexibility and work-life policy support.
Employee Preferences: Understanding employee reasons for choosing part-time work and the value (or lack thereof) perceived from the benefits and drawbacks of this choice.
Work-Family Issues Post-Childbirth: Study on new mothers returning to work and the relationship between job resources/demands on work-family conflict during this transition period.
Stress Management and Work-Life Policies: Importance of organizational and supervisor support for family life in reducing critical stressors and strains, improving well-being and productivity, and mitigating conflict.
Family-Leave Policies: Understanding family leave policies, including paid family leave (FMLA), International similarities, and historical context of leave policies.
Child-care and Elder-Care Benefits: Growing number of employees needing to balance work responsibilities with providing childcare for children and caring for elderly parents.
Workplace Violence:
Risk factors for violence: Contact with the public, exchange of money, delivery of goods/services, mobile workplaces (taxis, police cruisers), unstable individuals (healthcare, criminal justice), working alone or in small groups.
Types of workplace violence: Outsider-initiated (from nonemployees), Insider-initiated (from employees)
Historical context and awareness: 1986 Edmond Post Office shooting, the term "going postal," profile of dangerous employee (demographics: men, white, average age ~40, history of psychological/personality disorder, use of weapons).
Psychological effects:
Stress effects
Coping strategies
Workplace challenges
Interventions and support
Psychological Effects of Job Loss: Importance of jobs, impact from job loss, reasons why jobs are important, job loss in the U.S.
Coping Strategies: Methods for coping with job loss and layoffs.
Issues, risks, challenges: Negative outcomes, Withdrawal Behavior, Job Uncertainty, workplace violence, and underemployment.
Occupational Health Psychology (OHP): Defining OHP, its origins, Key Concepts such as Total Worker Health (TWH), NIOSH's approach.
Key Areas of Focus in TWH: Control of hazards, work organization, built environment, leadership, compensation, community support, changing workforce demographics, policies.
Intervention Outcomes: Success rate in improving injuries, chronic disease and providing improvements in workforce health from interventions.

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Description

This quiz explores key concepts from various workplace stress models including the Demand–Control Model, Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model, and Conservation of Resources (COR) Model. Test your understanding of factors contributing to stress and interventions to enhance employee well-being. Delve into the implications of work–family conflict and the challenges faced by caregivers in today’s economy.