Chapter 11 Occupational Health Occupational Health The mental, emotional, & physical well-being of employees in relation to the conduct of their work As work is a central and defining characteristic of life for most people, it plays a major role in our sense of identity, self-esteem, esteem, & psychological well-being Positive Psychology - Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi (2000) suggest psychologist should try to understand what makes life worth living, not just how to cope with & heal from negative events - Finding a balance between material and socioemotional rewards (not necessarily mutually exclusive) Overview Stress and Mental Health Work-Life Interaction Prevention and Interventions Other Occupational Health Topics 1
Stress Stimulus/ Stressor Definitions The Individual s s perception of the Stressor determines: Eustress - Distress - Response Definitions Physiology Response Ideal level of Stress Yerkes-Dodson Law: inverted-u function Moderate Level Ideal Experience/Task Factors - Concept of Mental Health No single definition exists Warr (1987) suggest five major components: 1. Affective well-being derives from two separate dimensions of pleasure and arousal Four quadrants - low arousal, low pleasure bored, depressed, fatigued - high arousal, low pleasure afraid, tense, anxious - high arousal, high pleasure excited, happy, surprised - low arousal, high pleasure calm, relaxed, comfortable 2. Competence 2
Concept of Mental Health 3. Autonomy 4. Aspiration 5. Integrated functioning Cultivation of Dimensions Competence, autonomy, and aspiration affect. And Integrated functioning is the interaction of all four. Environmental Influences Warr (1987) proposed 9 determinants for psychological well-being Each is essential in understanding how environments affect mental health 1. Opportunity for control 1. Autonomy 2. Predictability 2. Opportunity for skill use Environmental Influences 3. Externally generated goals 4. Environmental variety 5. Environmental clarity 3
Environmental Influences 6. Availability of money 7. Physical security 8. Opportunity for interpersonal contact 9. Valued social position A Model of Stress (Kahn & Byosiere, 1992) Properties of the person as stress mediators Type A/B Self-esteem Locus of control Org antecedents to stress Stress markers Org characteristics Stressors in org life Physical Psychosocial Perception & cognition The appraisal process Response to stress Physiological Psychological Behavioral Consequences of stress Health & illness Org effectiveness Performance in other life roles Properties of the situation as stress mediators Supervisor social support Coworker social support A Model of Stress 1. Organizational antecedents to stress broad based and abstract factors induce stress a. Stress markers b. Org. characteristics 4
A Model of Stress 2. Stressors in organizational life a. Physical b. Task content c. Psychosocial A Model of Stress 3. Perception and cognition: The appraisal process people react differently to stressors that are objectively the same how a stressor is appraised plays an important role in predicting the outcome of job-generated stress Primary appraisal Secondary appraisal A Model of Stress 4. Response to stress a. Physiological b. Psychological Burnout - c. Behavioral the work role - anti-social behavior - flight from the job - degradation of other life roles - self-damaging behaviors - 5
A Model of Stress 5. Consequences of Stress a. Health and illness b. Organizational effectiveness C. Performance in other life roles A Model of Stress 6. Properties of the person as stress mediators a. Personality type a. type A b. type B b. Locus of control a. internal b. external 7. Properties of the situation as stress moderators a. social support b. predictability of stressor Work Family Conflict Work/ Family (Life) Conflict is increasing in importance Today more women, single parents, & dual-career couples 3 areas of research or perspectives: 3 models used to explain the relationship: 1. Spillover model 2. Compensation model 3. Segmentation model 6
Work Family Conflict Recent Statistics and Findings Those who reported experiencing work/family conflict were 30 % more likely to report a mental health problem 20% of workers will be responsible for aging parents Elder Care Needs - medical, legal, transportation, housekeeping, etc. 60% of wives work (and women still perform most of the family/home tasks) Mothers participating in homemaking activities spend an average of 77 hours a week at home Work Family Conflict Organizational Perspective On Site Day Care 1,400 on or near site day care centers Providing Resources Some companies provide the information about services (e.g., elder care), or assist in coordinating services (e.g., nursing, travel) Family Medical Leave Act (1993) Dual Career Families Definition: Families characterized by each adult having his/her own individual career and trying to balance those careers Benefits Disadvantages 7
Prevention and Intervention Prevention physical fitness, exercise, meditation, & time management programs Intervention 3 Approaches 2 Types of Strategies Stress Interventions Individual Strategies Focus is on the individual and assisting the individual s s stress management Wellness and Exercise (especially aerobic) Time Management Training Teaching Effective Coping Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs( EAPs) Stress Interventions Organizational Strategies Focus is on altering the organization to manage stress. Improve Physical Environment Remove hazardous or dangerous work conditions Person Job Fit Realistic Job Preview, Recruitment & Selection Role Analysis/ Clarification To combat role ambiguity/role conflict Job/task Design/Redesign Skill, variety, significance Social Support Groups 8
Other Strategies Bring your pet to work day Casual Friday Toys (bouncy balls, putty, stress balls) Book Club Work Schedules Shift Work Flexible Work Time Compressed Work Week Job Sharing Telecommuting Work Schedules Shift Work 25% of all working hours in U.S. are nontraditional e.g., police officers, firefighters, telephone operators Many companies rotate shifts Pros Cons Solutions Work Schedules Flexible Work Hours Gives employees flexibility in when they arrive at & leave work (mandatory hours) 73% of U.S. employers offer flextime Pros Cons 9
Work Schedules Compressed Workweek more hours per day & fewer days per week Pro s e.g.,.g., 4/40,, 12 hour shifts Con s Overall Work Schedules Job Sharing When two or more people share one job Three Types Pros Cons Work Schedules Telecommuting Performs regular responsibilities from home, via computer and modem Pros Cons 10
Other Related Topics Unemployment Consequences of employment (Jahoda,, 1981) Primary 5 latent/ unintended consequences Job Seeking/Search negative psychological effects Child Labor Child labor Awareness 11