Critique of the Key Theories Relating to Stress

Stress

Stress has become a major issue in today's society. Many factors in people's lives can cause stress. Stress drastically reduces brain functions such as memory, concentration, and learning. Functions that are essential for effective working. In this essay the potential causes of stress that one may encounter at work will be looked at. Going on to assess ways in which organisations could help alleviate the stress of their employees.

A study by 'Neurofen' found that 40% of workers took time off work because of stress related problems and also showed that 197 million working days were lost in the UK through stress in 1997 (Roger Meads Associates, Stress Management). Another study showed '43% of adults today as having experienced stress related health problems' (American Institute of Stress, The Role of Stress in Health & Illness). These figures emphasise what a major issue stress is today.

Stress can be described as the resulting influence or conditions inflicted on an individual as a result of mounting 'stressors'. There are many symptoms/signs of stress in an individual. Ranging from problems such as tiredness, headaches and low energy levels, to problems as serious as mental illness and increased chance of heart disease. It is debated whether the word stress should be applied to the stimulus that causes adverse mental and physical conditions, or whether these conditions are what we should label as stress. But a widely accepted definition would be that stress is:

"A state of extreme difficulty, pressure, or strain" (Robert J. Samuelson).

It is argued that pressure in the workplace can be a good motivating factor and lead to increased performance and productivity. But when pressure becomes excessive, stress is caused, and a person is most likely to experience high amounts of stress at work. This is because the working environment is full of what can be referred to as 'external stressors'. These are factors, situations and conditions that will put an individual under high levels of pressure and strain.

Probably the most prominent and significant stress induced condition that one often encounters at work is that of 'burnout'. Burnout is the term used to refer to the excessive amounts of fatigue that can build up as a result of individuals not being relieved of stress. When individuals are continually working long hours without many breaks, or working unsociable or inflexible hours they start to experience stress that causes burnout. This would involve conditions from general tiredness and low physical and mental energy levels to complete emotional exhaustion and depression. The employee will become overwhelmed by the work they have to do and become very ineffective. Burnout can also occur when a person is stuck in an extremely tedious working pattern all the time. Especially when the employee feels they have little opportunity to change or improve what they are doing. Factors such as these often lead people to go through feelings of frustration, to lethargy and ultimately to burnout.

Another factor that leads to stress is when an employee is unsure or unclear of their role specification or job description. The employee may be uncertain of what others are expecting of them presently and in forthcoming days or weeks. This leads to the individual becoming extremely unconfident and hesitant in performing actions, making requests and carrying out day-to-day aspects of their job. This type of stress encountered in the workplace can be referred to as 'Role Ambiguity' (Fincham & Rhodes, Organisational Behaviour, 3rd Edition). It is usually the result of an employee not being provided with sufficient information and guidance to be confident that what they are doing is correct; it is an information shortage.

Other issues surrounding the role of an employee can be the source of stress as well. Another cause being when roles begin to conflict. Role stress can be induced when elements of the role become difficult to resolve. Also a worker can experience multiple roles conflicting with each other. This could mean that taking care of one responsibility that is part of an individual's job, hinders their capability to cope with other responsibilities they may have. Hence leading to not only poorer performance but raised levels of worry, anxiety and nervousness. Roles within the job can also conflict with those outside of an individual's job, such as family responsibilities. When an individual feels that their work and family lives are getting in the way of each other, it can be a major cause of stress.

Stimulus in the working environment can have an affect on a persons stress levels. Factors that appear fairly unimportant can become stressors. For example when conditions such as the room temperature and the amount of noise are pleasing or acceptable they do not have any positive effect. But when these conditions are wrong and causing discomfort or displeasure, it will not only cause stress but also cause other stressors to have a greater impact. When looking at the job itself, the amount of stimulation a person receives from their job is also very important. When work is repetitive, tedious and unchallenging it causes 'Under-stimulation' (Fincham & Rhodes, Organisational Behaviour, 3rd Edition). Under-stimulation causes a worker to experience boredom, which results in poor motivation and lethargy. Cox (1980) described this repetitive work as causing 'wear and tear', which in turn increases the risk of stress-related illness. The opposite of under-stimulation can also induce high levels of stress. 'Over-stimulation' (Fincham & Rhodes, Organisational Behaviour, 3rd Edition). This would be when an individual is overloaded with work. Excessive amounts of work unavoidably result in stress.

Stress has many unfavourable effects on an individual, but also has many adverse effects on an organisation as a whole. UK HSE statistics suggest stress-related costs to UK employers in the region of Ј700m every year (UK Health & Safety Executive, Publications; Work Related Stress). These costs come through the absence days that employees take for stress related conditions, and also the negative effect that stress has on the performance of workers and therefore on the productivity/performance of the company as a whole. It is therefore very important for organisations to be able to alleviate the stress that their employees encounter at work. But firstly organisations need to be able to recognise where stress is becoming a problem for employees. There are many signs to look out for in employees when assessing if they are stressed. The