WORKPLACE STRESS

WORKPLACE STRESS

WORKPLACE STRESS

Introduction

There is extensive support in the research publications for the relationship between workplace factors, stress, and job satisfaction (Burke, 1988; Leong et al., 1996; Sullivan and Bhagat, 1992). Despite these riches of data, the submission of the research findings to a specific workplace is not always straightforward. The same workplace factors are not consistently associated to stress in all work places and the relationship between stress and job satisfaction can disagree counting on the assembly being investigated (Rees, 1995; Young and Cooper, 1995).

The need of consistent findings could be due to research emphasising general relationships other than analyzing relationships in specific job contexts. Sparks and Cooper (1999) support using more job specific models, encompassing a variety of recognised job and organisation stressors, as a way of evolving more productive interventions in the workplace. The present study taken up this recommendation and investigated the relationship between workplace factors, stress and job satisfaction in a specific job context, specifically, naval agent in the highly stressful natural environment of teaching at sea in a navy warship.

 

Stress in the workplace

The know-how of stress reactions in the workplace is not an isolated occurrence (Fletcher, 1988). In a large sample study of 7,099 employees from 13 distinct occupations, Sparks and Cooper (1999) described significant statistical associations between several workplace factors and indicators of mental sick wellbeing, such as free-floating disquiet, somatic disquiet and depression.

A number of aspects of employed life have been connected to stress. Aspects of the work itself can be stressful, namely work overload (DeFrank and Ivancevich, 1998; Sparks and Cooper, 1999, Taylor et al., 1997) and role-based factors such as need of power, function ambiguity, and function confrontation (Burke, 1988; Nelson and Burke, 2000). The value of the social natural environment in the workplace is associated with stress (Sparks and Cooper, 1999) as are certain behaviours of the foremost (Carlopio et al., 1997; Cooper and Marshall, 1976). Threats to vocation development and accomplishment, encompassing risk of redundancy, being undervalued and unclear advancement prospects are stressful (Nelson and Burke, 2000). The confrontation between dwelling and work and the work influence on personal relationships is stressful (Sparks and Cooper, 1999). Also, physical conditions such as high noise levels, overcrowding in the workplace or a need of privacy have been associated with stress (Burke, 1988).

 

Stress and occupational outcomes

Stress is associated with weakened one-by-one functioning in the workplace. Negative effects encompass decreased effectiveness, decreased capability to present, reduced start and decreased interest in employed, increased rigidity of considered, a need of anxiety for the organisation and colleagues, and a loss of responsibility (Greenberg and Baron, 1995; Matteson and Ivancevich, 1982). Stress has been associated with significant occupational outcomes of job satisfaction, organisational firm promise and worker departure behaviour. Satisfaction and firm promise have always described a contradictory relationship to intent to depart and revenue (Arnold and Feldman, 1982; Hollenbeck and Williams, 1986). High levels of work stress are associated with reduced levels of job satisfaction (Landsbergis, 1988; Terry et ...