Is there a link between work and stress?

Write the meaning for the key words

Workplace stressors Physical stressors Psychological stressors Questionnaire Workload Control Role conflict

Write the meaning for the key words • • • • • • • Workplace stressors – stress related to your job Physical stressors – noise and length of the day Psychological stressors – relationships with co workers and responsibility Questionnaire – a research method that asks questions about behaviour/feelings Workload – amount of work and demand of the job Control – how much ‘power’ a person has Role conflict – work-life balance

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Learning objectives:

To know the meaning of key words To understand the link between work and stress • •

Learning outcomes:

To be able to outline research into stress and work (AO1) To be able to evaluate the research (AO2)

Questionnaire

• What does it tell us about workplace stress?

Card sort

Research

• Sort the cards into stressors – workload, control and role conflict • • • Complete the boxes on the sheet Outline the research - How was it measured? What were the findings? (A01) Evaluate the research – applications to the real world? Extraneous variables? Using questionnaires? (A02)

Answers – Workload (Marmot)

• • • • • Civil servants Job strain model Link between work and stress, 1. High workload and 2. low job control No link between high workload and stress Job demand no a significant factor in stress

Answers – Workload (Johansson)

• • • • • • • Effects of performing repetitive jobs require (high demand) Swedish sawmill workers Unrelenting tasks High risk group= higher illness rates Higher levels of adrenaline in their urine Low risk group = less monotonous and more flexible jobs Link between workload (high risk group) and stress

Answers – Control (Marmot)

• • • • • • Job strain model Link between work and stress, 1. High workload and 2. low job control Participants in higher grade jobs = had lower cardiovascular illness Civil servants in higher grade jobs expressed high sense of job control Lower grade civil servants have less job control Link between lower grade civil servants and stress

Answers – Role conflict (Pomaki)

• • • • • Experiences at work conflict with family life (vice versa) Employees who take time off for childcare Is associated with higher absenteeism and lower performance 226 hospital doctors Direct link between role conflict and emotional depression symptoms

Essay

Outline and evaluate two or more factors that lead to stress in the workplace (12 marks) Factor 1: The role of control Factor 2: The role of workload

Review your understanding

1. Describe four findings from research into workplace stress, and for each state the conclusion (AO1)

e.g. Marmot found no link between high workload and stress. This concludes that job demand was not a significant factor in stress.

Review your understanding

2. Identify and explain four criticisms of research into workplace stressors (AO2)

e.g. Lazarus found that different people were able to cope differently with stress. Individual differences.

Review your understanding - Scenarios

Jane Smith is a teacher she regularly suffers from colds and feels overworked. Use psychological understanding to make suggestions of how she could improve her situation

Review your understanding - Scenarios

Jake says that he feels stressed. He works as an accountant, he manages a team of accountants. He wants to give up his job. Use psychological understanding to prove that he should stay in his job