Job Stress: Causes, Effects and Preventions

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Depending on the field, stress can be defined in many ways. This essay will focus on the physiological and psychological effects of stress on humans, more specifically employees in a work setting and its effect on employee well-being, job satisfaction and the organization.

In the past few decades, increased work intensification has increased both the amount of job stress experienced and the number of employees experiencing it. It is a complex issue with many causes and different effects on different people, however leaving it untreated can have serious consequences for both individuals and organizations. The experience and effects of stress depends on different characteristics of the individual, as we all have different responses to different stressors.

Stress – Causes and Effects

Stress is a process that occurs when there is an imbalance between the demands placed upon us and our resources to cope with those demands. The level and experience of stress varies from person to person and depends on their attitude towards the situation (State of Victoria, 2020). It can also be explained as “a physiological and psychological condition that prepares us to adapt to hostile or noxious environmental conditions” (Qian, 2020).

Stress can be divided into positive stress; eustress, and negative stress; distress. Eustress is considered to be a beneficial force that can motivate us to perform better, be more creative and inspired to reach our goals. Distress, commonly referred to as simply stress, has a negative impact on cognitive function, causes challenges to feel overwhelming and decreases performance. Left untreated for long periods, distress can cause both mental and physical illnesses. In this essay, stress will be used when referring to distress since it is the most commonly used term.

Stressors in the environment triggers a stress as response. The amount of stress triggered depends on “the timing of the stressor, the source of the stressor, the perceived control over the stressor, and the perceived desirability of the stressor. Whether stressors result in eustress or distress depends on the individual’s interpretation” (La Fevre, Matheny & Kolt, 2003).

Job stress – Causes and Effects

Job stress is a complex problem, cutting across work and non-work domains. This suggest that while studying job stress and designing stress management interventions, a multidisciplinary approached should be used in order to produce an accurate picture of stress and how it is best managed (Murphy, 1995).

Job stress, or occupational stress, can be divided into challenge- and hindrance-related stress. Challenge-related stress can be compared to eustress in terms of having a positive impact on performance and behavior while hindrance-stress acts as a constraint and has a negative impact on achievement and performance (Cavanaugh, Boswell, Roehling & Boudreau, 2000).This essay will focus mainly on hindrance-related stress and its causes, effects, and how to avoid it.

Although there is many different theories and evaluation tools for job stress, there is no set standard on how to measure it. The research agrees however that job stress can have a negative impact on performance, job satisfaction, turnover and employee well-being. It also contributes to a “significant portion of worker compensation claims, health‐care costs, disability, absenteeism, and productivity losses” (Murphy, 1995).

Job stress can have many sources and be caused by internal and external stressors. Some of those job stressors include environmental conditions, emotional labor, role conflict, role ambiguity, interpersonal conflict, job control, quantitative workload, underutilization of abilities, harassment, and cognitive demands. How we react to these stressors depends on personal characteristics such as emotional intelligence and personality traits, factors outside of work such as family matters and financial issues, and buffer factors such as social support, coping skills, and physical exercise (Murphy, 1995). Our personality also influences whether we perceive stresses as challenge- or hindrance related, and further its impact on job satisfaction. Challenge-related stress tends to have a positive impact, while hindrance-related stress has a negative impact and can also increase turnover (Cavanaugh, Boswell, Roehling & Boudreau 2000). Although challenge stress associates with potential gains for individuals, the positive effects of challenge stress still have costs with respect to personal well-being (Wu, 2019).

Work Intensification

“Work intensification captures the amount of work to be done in a certain time as well as the time pressure experienced. Therefore, work intensification may be expressed as a function of the effort required to achieve valued work outcomes within a certain time frame” (Fein, Skinner & Machin, 2017).

Over the last few decades, the amount of work expected to be performed by employees has increased. The introduction and widespread use of new technology has changed the way we communicate about and organize work. In today’s global and competitive business world, it is expected to always be reachable and one step ahead. All this leads to the phenomena called work intensification. It indicates that we are expected to work harder and achieve more than before, within the same time frame. This intensification of work can interfere with work-life balance, increase stress, and reduce well-being (Fein, Skinner & Machin, 2017).

Job Satisfaction

Job satisfaction refers to how content a person is with their work context. Some of the factors that influences job satisfaction are the work environment, pay and benefits, relationships with co-workers and supervisors, and levels of stress. High levels of job satisfaction can be linked to high levels of employee well-being, while stress has a negative impact on job satisfaction. On the other hand, low levels of job satisfaction can also be caused by boredom at work, suggesting that having no or low levels of stress may be less psychologically debilitating while causing negative effects as well (Somers, Birnbaum & Casal, 2019). High levels of employee well-being are associated with several positive job outcomes. “Although the notion of “psychological well-being at work” has been implemented in many ways, there is agreement that it encompasses a range of variables that includes work stress, emotional exhaustion, burnout, carry-over work stress and job satisfaction” (Wu, 2019).

Emotional Intelligence

One of these factors are emotional intelligence; the ability to perceive, understand, express, and manage your own as well as other’s emotions. It ranges from self-awareness, seen as the lowest level in the hierarchy, to self-management and social awareness, up to relationship management where relationship management is seen as the highest level of emotional intelligence (Qian, 2020).

“Emotional intelligence moderates the relationship between job stress and job performance” (Wu, 2011). Since experience of stress and stressors depends on the individual and their characteristics rather than the stressor, highly emotional intelligent people often have the ability to regulate the restraining effects of stress and instead “reduce or transform the potential negative effects of job stress on job performance, or at least to moderate them to an acceptable degree” (Wu, 2011). For employees with lower levels of emotional intelligence job stress has a negative impact on job performance. It is suggested that lower emotional intelligence makes it harder to deal with stressful matters and regulate the response to stressors.

High emotional intelligence does also positively correlate with job performance in general. However, while being able to operate and perform under stress is commonly seen as a desired trait in employees, it can also have long-term damaging effects if experienced in excessive amounts or during long periods of time. The damaging effects such as burnout is discussed later on.

Emotional Labor

A source of job stress is the requirement to perform emotional labor. This occurs when employees regulate or suppress their own emotions in order to present organizationally desired emotions and behaviors instead. Emotional labor is most present in service and caring professions but is required in all interactions with customers and clients. The name emotional labor refers to the fact that emotional regulations and work is required to gain compensation such as wage or other benefits in the workplace and is in fact a part of the role (Jeung, Changsoo & Chang 2018). It can be performed as deep acting; when the employee makes their best effort to align their internal feeling with the desired expression, and surface acting; when an employee tries to act a certain way that differs from their internal feelings, creating “a conflict between felt and displayed emotions” (Jeung, Changsoo & Chang 2018). Deep acting leads to a more genuine and natural behavior while limiting emotional dissonance, compared to surface acting which carries a larger risk for emotional dissonance to occur. While all types of emotional labor increase the risk of stress, emotional dissonance is seen as the biggest contributor and risk factor. This can lead to exhaustion, increased stress, and increase the risk for burnout and depression. The exhaustion caused by emotional dissonance can also lead to decreased job performance in form of negative attitudes and behaviors as well as decreased job satisfaction (Jeung, Changsoo & Chang, 2018).

Role Ambiguity and Role Conflict

Another source of job stress is role ambiguity and even more so, role conflict. Role ambiguity occurs when an employees’ authority, responsibility, and expectations on performance lacks clarity. Role conflict occurs when there in an incompatibility of expectations experienced by an employee (Milbourn, 1980). Uncertainty is a common source of stress that becomes even more obvious in a workplace setting. If the expectations placed upon us is unclear, performing and evaluating the tasks of our role gets unnecessarily complicated and stressful. Another source of role conflict is when different managers or supervisors has conflicting demands and expectations. There are many kinds of uncertainty regarding our abilities to fulfill the requirements of our role creates stress. On the other hand, clear role requirements can be equally damaging if we are not comfortable with or able to fulfill those. Role ambiguity and role conflict can lead to decreased job satisfaction, decreased job performance, and further to burnout and depression.

Although job ambiguity and job conflict are linked to undesirable outcomes for both employees and the organization, it is somewhat less complex to manage compared to other sources of job stress with both internal and external factors. In fact, it is up to management and supervisors to ensure and communicate clear role descriptions and expectations of employees and ensure that the employee is comfortable and compatible with those requirements. Likewise, if an employee struggles with their role and responsibility management should evaluate if this person requires further training and support or may be more suitable for another role. Evaluations needs to be on-going as changes in personal circumstances over time can affect work performance and the ability to perform the responsibilities of the role.

Burnout

Experiencing excessive stress, during prolonged periods of time, is not only undesirable from an organizational perspective since it decreases job performance but can also have serious health consequences for the individual. A German study on burnout found that the strongest positive correlations to personal burnout was found to be between work-privacy conflict, demands for hiding emotions (emotional labor), role conflicts, emotional demands, and mobbing (Kozak, Kersten, Schillmoller & Nienhaus, 2013). Being on the lower spectrum of emotional intelligence, unclear job requirements and personal circumstances outside of work can also contribute to an unhealthy level job stress, which untreated can lead to anxiety, depression, and burnout. Further, this can lead to chronic illness, workplace accidents and substance abuse (Murphy, 1995). “Burnout is a psychological response to work stress that is characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced feelings of personal accomplishment” (Halbesleben & Buckley, 2004).

Although job stress is the main reason behind burnout, other factors can influence as well. Just like the experience of stress and reaction to stressors varies between individuals depending on their characteristics and coping mechanisms, the amount of stress required to reach the state of burnout is individual as well. “Experiencing interpersonal stressors is recognized as one of the most threatening sources of stress, posing a threat to self-image and resulting in increased cortisol response and perceived distress than other stressors” (Jeung, Changsoo & Chang, 2018), “whereas traits of extraversion, conscientiousness, and agreeableness were protective against perceived stress and burnout” (Divinakumar, Bhat, Prakash & Srivastava, 2019). High emotional intelligence and a functioning social support system can also have positive influences on the ability to avoid burnout.

Burnout should be prevented not only because of the discomfort and health risks it poses for employees, but also because of its negative effects on the organization. Burnout increases the risk for absenteeism, turnover, and reduced job performance. It has a negative impact on job satisfaction, productivity, and efficiency (Jeung, Changsoo & Chang, 2018).

Treating and Preventing Job Stress

“While some personality factors are linked with stress, some characteristics of organizations and jobs are as much to blame or more so. Ultimately, the most successful interventions will be those which meet the company goals of profitability and competitiveness, and the employee goals of job satisfaction, mental and physical health” (Milbourn, 1980). Although the organization and management have the main responsibility to ensure employee well-being and provide adequate stress management programs, the individual carries their part of responsibility as well. An optimistic attitude and willingness to participate in positive change and development is required to decrease job stress. For example, emotional intelligence can be developed and increased but this requires certain efforts and may require professional help. It is suggested that enhancing individual capacities and encouraging healthy personality through behavior modifications are required to reduce the negative outcomes of emotional labor (Jeung, Changsoo & Chang, 2018).

Flexible work practices are typically seen as a remedy for long work hours but does not necessarily support well-being. In fact, there is growing concern and awareness that flexibility can, in some circumstances, contribute to stress due to increased workload. The question is about the quantity of work required within a fixed amount of time, rather than the total amount of time spent at work (Fein, Skinner & Machin, 2017). Furthermore, the individual can manage stress by removing the stressor, withdrawing from the stressor, change their perception of stress, control its consequences, and seek out social support (Qian, 2020).

Organizations should equip themselves with programs and tools to manage work stress and its health and productivity consequences. This will reduce health-care costs and absenteeism, improve productivity, and ensure that the organization remains competitive. Collaborations and joint efforts between department can bring expertise from different disciplines to in order to manage stress and create a healthier organization (Murphy, 1995).

Conclusion

Job stress is a complex issue. Stressors, stress responses and the ability to manage stress varies widely between individuals. Some employees may thrive in an environment that triggers unhealthy reactions to stress in others. Severity of work intensification, emotional labor, emotional intelligence, and role conflict are some of the factors that influence the intensity and levels of work stress experienced.

Managing job stress requires skilled and resourceful management but is a crucial practice since failing to do so can significant consequences for the individual employee as well as the organization. Prolonged exposure to stress can lead to decreased job performance and job satisfaction and increased turn-over and absenteeism. Furthermore, if untreated or ignored, stress can lead to burnout and depression.

References

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