RUNNING HEAD: The Effects of Work Stress on Productivity and Well-Being1The Effects of Work Stress on Productivity and Well-Being 2

The Effects Organizational Stress has on Organizational Productivity and Employee Well-BeingRita LachmansinghDePaul University

Abstract Abstract: The relationship between work stress, productivity and employee well-being is receiving more and more attention from psychological scholars. Common causes of work stress develop from the individuals disposition, conditions in the work environment, job characteristics, organizational changes, and job insecurity. The type of demand along with the level of demand affects how the person appraises and copes with job stressors. Work stress is typically appraised as instrumental or inhibiting. High levels of work distress often lead to counterproductive work behaviors that adversely affect the employee and the organizations performance. Organizational strain also leads to damaging emotional, psychological, and physical responses. These destructive consequences can be avoided if individuals commit to balancing their work and personal life. Maintaining a relaxed and positive outlook creates boundaries between work and home life to prevent one spilling over into another. Organizations also play an enormous role in the prevention of work stress. Creating an ethical corporate culture that includes participation in decision-making positively influences both productivity and job satisfaction. Keywords: Work stress, productivity, well being, employees, organizations

The Effects Organizational Stress has on Organizational Productivity and Employee Well-BeingIntroductionWe live in society where people are increasingly spending more of their time at work. Northwestern National Life conducted a survey in which they found that twenty-five percent of people view work as the number one stressor in their life (Center for Disease Control & Prevention 1999). Therefore determining the effects that work has on an individual is more important now more than ever. By drawing on concrete evidence from research studies, I aim to demonstrate that high levels of work stress are detrimental to organizational performance, specifically organizational productivity. I will also illustrate how high levels of work stress will inevitably affect employee well being and provide strategies to prevent and reduce stress to foster a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle. DefinitionWork stress can be defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that ensue when the expectations of a job do not align with the abilities, resources, or needs of the employee (Posig 2008). The amount of stress upon and individual is believed to affect how productive the individual will be in the work place. Organizational productivity is concerned with the efficiency of production, or the amount of work an employee can perform in a given time (Zahra 2013). Employee well-being refers to the degree of satisfaction and fulfillment an employee experiences from his or her job and the general work condition (Sirgy & Lee 2008). Causes of Work StressTo better understand work stress, one must know what some common causes of work stress are. Factors often depend on the individuals situation including dispositional stress, situational stress, and stressful occupations all greatly affect work stress. Dispositional stress deals with the individual and how they uniquely appraise stress. Sources of dispositional stress are how susceptible and resistant one is to stress. Some people may be more resistant to health-damaging effects of stress while others may not be. Dispositional aspects also encompass personality, considering that some people may be more neurotic than others meaning they are more prone to anxiety, moodiness, and sadness. The situational component considers stress arising from certain conditions in the work environment, an employees personal life, or the combination of both (Kinnunen-Amoroso & Liira 2013). Stressful job characteristics greatly affect the level of stress one experiences. Tasks design considers work that does not utilize employees skills, tasks with no significance to employees, long hours, and shift work. These provide almost no control over ones situation and add to stress. Stressful job occupations can entail a heavy workload, poor working conditions, physical dangers, or difficult clients (Kinnunen-Amoroso & Liira 2013). Job stressors can also stem from economic conditions that pressure organizations to make changes in the workforce such as restructuring or downsizing. These changes often lead to increased work expectations and longer working hours simply to maintain ones job. According to Posigs encyclopedia entry about work stress in an increasingly competitive workforce, U.S. employees now work longer hours than employees in most other countries (Posig 2008). This suggests employees do not have much agency in their workload. Factors such as job insecurity and the lack of career opportunity heighten stress and force employees to stay with organizations they would normally leave (Posig 2008). Economic conditions intensify the stress an employee may already experience from the job itself. Management styles and organizational culture are also frequent sources of job stress. A top-down communication flow that does not promote interaction throughout the organization limits participation by employees. It may also urge them feel like they are not actively playing a significant role in the workplace. Organizational guidelines that do not incorporate family-friendly policies intensify work-life conflict and decrease ones perceived organizational support. A work environment where coworkers and supervisors do not support employees lead to increased stress levels (Posig 2008).How Stress Affects Organizational ProductivitySimply saying that work stress is bad for an individual is far from true. For there are two forms of work stress, challenge stressors and hindrance stressors. Lazarus and Folkman (1984) stated that people evaluate a situation as either potentially threatening, or as an opportunity to foster mastery. Jeffery Lepine, Nathan Podsakoff and Marcie Lepine conducted a meta-analysis that explained the two-dimensional stressor framework relationship with employee performance. The analysis based their findings of the type of demand along with the level of demand as opposed to simplifying stress to good or bad. Challenge stressors include high workload, time pressure, job scope, and high responsibility which are perceived as hurdles one must overcome to be successful in an organization (Lepine et al., 2005). Challenge stressors are positively associated with job satisfaction meaning they increase motivation and overall performance. Hindrance stressors derive from politics within an organization, ambiguity of ones role, and anxiety about the security of a job. As one can assume, hindrance stressors are negatively associated with job satisfaction yet positively associated with searching for another job. How a person appraises a situation will determine how they cope with the stress. Challenge stressors are perceived as an opportunity to stimulate personal growth, which elicits positive emotions towards the job, which motives people to solve problems. Hindrance stressors on the other hand trigger negative emotions along with a passive style of coping. These stressors are typically associated with low motivation, because the person does not believe meeting standards will produce instrumental outcomes (Lepine et al., 2005).Granted every individual appraises stress differently, the negative effects of work stress tend to be more predictable. Spectors 1997 organizational frustration model considers the cognitive and affective mediators that help explain why stressors are linked to adverse outcomes. The model argues that stressors that prevent individuals from attaining goals lead to cognitive appraisals about the situation. This cognitive evaluation sparks frustration, which will lead to negative behavior such as counterproductive or aggressive work behaviors. Counterproductive work behaviors are actions that interfere with the performance of an organization. Actions include unfriendliness towards other employees or hostility towards an organization. Examples of interpersonal conflicts are gossiping about an individual or downright being rude to coworkers within the organization. Hostility towards an organization can occur in different instances. An employee showing up late to work, leaving early, taking longer breaks, or damaging organizational property are all illustrations of counterproductive work behaviors that negatively affect the companys performance (Hershcovis & Reich 2010).How Stress Affects Well-BeingWork stress leads to harmful emotional and physical responses employees experience when they cannot fulfill expectations. Harmful consequences stem from stressors in the workplace such as time pressure, role overload, role ambiguity, and work environment. Early signs of work stress include headache, stomachache, difficulty sleeping and concentrating, low moral, and short temper. Research also proposes there is a link between job stress and cardiovascular disease, psychological disorders, and musculoskeletal disorders (Posig 2008). Job stress can also adversely affect work-life conflicts, home life, parenting roles, or spousal roles. There are three types of work-family conflict: time-based conflict, strained-based conflict, and behavior-based conflict. Role conflicts in relation to work stress lowers efficiency in the workplace and tends to lead to more tardiness, turnover, and stress related reductions in performance (Kirby, Wieland, and McBride 2013). Prevention and Reduction of Organizational Stress There are several ways individuals can decrease the detrimental effects of work stress. For starters one must make a conscious effort to balance their personal life with their work life. Maintaining supportive relationships with friends, family, and coworkers can help individuals cope with work stress. Cultivating a relaxed and positive outlook will also help prevent individuals from being consumed by their work (Posig 2008). Individuals must identify the sources of their job stress, whether it is job characteristics, an organizations management style, balancing work and family, or the work environment. Employees can do a lot to reduce their work stress, however the responsibility does not lie only on their shoulders. There is research that shows that employers can make the job less straining for their employees. Organizations should ask all employees about their work stress levels in order to determine if they can help to reduce them. Lightening employees workload, clarification on roles and responsibilities, creating meaningful jobs, promoting social interaction amongst workers, and encouraging participation in decision-making are all ways to alleviate stress (Posig 2008). Research has shown that ethical corporate culture can also positively influence productivity and job satisfaction. Identifying with an ethical company gives people a sense of meaning and purpose in their work (Sirgy & Lee 2008). Evidence based data has also shown that participation in decision-making contribute positively to work motivation and job satisfaction. Organizations should aim to instill a positive work culture that incorporates high-involvement programs to help employees express their thoughts on organizational decisions. High involvement programs serve to enhance person-environment fit in the work domain because it provides workers with more work resources to facilitate meeting work demands (Sirgy & Lee 2008). Matching worker's abilities, needs, and values with organizational demands, rewards, and values helps to eliminate job stress. ConclusionIt is clear that the type and amount of stress upon an individual will inevitably affect his or her performance in the work place. The cause of work stress can derive from the person, the job, economic conditions, or the work environment. Determining the right about of stress is crucial to the success of a company or business. For challenge stressors increase motivation and overall performance while hindrance stressors inhibit ones ability to reach optimal performance. High levels of hindrance stress have harmful effects on an employees physical and psychological state. It is important for both the organization and individual to address high levels of work stress early on, before they are able to detrimentally affect employees and the organizations overall performance. Supportive relationships, maintaining a positive outlook, and perpetuating a positive work culture are just a few ways to reduce and prevent excessive amounts of job stress for the benefit of the employee and their employer.

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