📖 Mod. 8 Reading Summary — Chapter 9

Chapter Title: Worker Stress, Negative Employee Attitudes and Behaviors, and Employee Well-Being
Text: Riggio & Johnson (2022), Introduction to Industrial/Organizational Psychology, 8th Ed.

Why Well-being and Stress Matter

Even the best job can become unsustainable if stress levels are too high. In today’s fast-paced workplaces, understanding occupational stress and its effects on health, performance, and morale is more important than ever.

This chapter explores what causes stress at work, how it affects employees, and what organizations can do to promote employee well-being.

What Is Occupational Stress?

Occupational stress occurs when job demands exceed a person’s coping resources. It may be acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term), and it can lead to physical, emotional, and behavioral consequences.

Some stress can be positive — called eustress — when it energizes and motivates. But when stress becomes overwhelming, it leads to strain and eventually burnout.

Sources of Workplace Stress

Common causes of stress include:

Role conflict: Receiving contradictory expectations
Role ambiguity: Not knowing what is expected
Work overload: Too much to do in too little time
Lack of control: Feeling powerless over work decisions
Interpersonal conflict: Issues with supervisors or coworkers

Other stressors include lack of recognition, job insecurity, and poor work-life balance.

The Demand-Control Model

A well-known framework for understanding job stress is the Demand-Control Model, which states that stress is highest when:

Job demands are high (e.g., deadlines, pressure), and
Control is low (e.g., little autonomy or decision-making power)

High-demand, low-control jobs are particularly harmful to mental and physical health.

Consequences of Stress

When unmanaged, chronic workplace stress can lead to:

Burnout: Emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced personal accomplishment
Turnover and absenteeism
Health problems: Headaches, high blood pressure, sleep issues
Decreased productivity and morale

Coping Strategies and Organizational Interventions

People cope with stress in two main ways:

Problem-focused coping: Trying to change the source of stress (e.g., asking for clarification)
Emotion-focused coping: Trying to reduce emotional distress (e.g., venting, mindfulness)

Organizations can support well-being by:

Offering flexible work arrangements
Providing employee assistance programs (EAPs)
Encouraging breaks and recovery
Training supervisors to recognize and reduce stressors

📘 Stress & Well-Being Key Terms — Practice & Review

Think first. Then expand Example to check yourself.

Occupational Stress

Definition: Stress experienced due to job demands that exceed a person’s coping abilities, affecting health, mood, and performance.

Example

A nurse faces chronic stress from understaffing and constant overtime, leading to fatigue and errors.

Eustress vs. Distress

Definition: Eustress is positive, motivating stress; distress is harmful, overwhelming stress that leads to strain and burnout.

Example

A tight project deadline energizes one employee (eustress) but overwhelms another (distress).

Burnout

Definition: A syndrome of emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced personal accomplishment from chronic workplace stress.

Example

A social worker feels detached and ineffective after years of heavy caseloads and limited resources.

Demand-Control Model

Definition: A model stating that stress is greatest when job demands are high and control (autonomy) is low.

Example

Call center employees face strict scripts and quotas with little say in how to do their work.

Role Ambiguity / Role Conflict

Definition: Ambiguity occurs when job expectations are unclear; conflict arises when expectations contradict each other.

Example

A manager is told to cut costs while also being pressured to improve service quality with fewer resources.

Problem-Focused and Emotion-Focused Coping

Definition: Problem-focused coping tries to change the stressor; emotion-focused coping manages emotional reactions to it.

Example

Problem-focused: requesting clearer instructions. Emotion-focused: meditating to reduce stress feelings.

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)

Definition: Employer-sponsored services that provide confidential counseling, stress management, and resources for personal or work-related problems.

Example

An organization contracts an EAP provider to offer free counseling sessions for employees struggling with burnout or family stress.