Stress in the Workplace

Essay by momalley1B+, November 2014

download word file, 13 pages 0.0

Research Paper - MLA Format

Topic: Stress and Well-Being at Work

Part 1: Research

Who doesn't hate the feeling of stress? There is nothing that works me up more than when I feel like I have too many things to do, and not enough time to get them done. Stress is an unpleasant state of emotional arousal that people experience in situations that they perceive as threatening. Occupational stress in the American workplace is a growing and widespread problem. Recent surveys found that about 80% of workers experience stress at work, and 40% of the respondents feel this stress to an extreme extent. In our emerging global economy, the corporate workplace has become one of the most challenging and stressful places to find a balance between work, play, relationships, and family responsibilities. It is important for employers to be aware of stress levels in the workplace and to take stress seriously before it becomes a severe problem within an organization.

[1: Auerbach, Stephen M. "Stress." Encyclopedia of Counseling.][2: Newman, Jody L., and Dale R. Fuqua. "Occupational Stress." Encyclopedia ofCounseling.][3: "Stress and Burnout and Their Implication in the Work Environment." ILO Encyclopedia of Occupational Health & Safety.]

Workplace stress is defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that can occur when there is a conflict between job demands on the employee and the amount of control an employee has over meeting those demands. Stress occurs when the perceived demands exceed a person's perceived ability to cope and meet these demands. The degree to which the demand exceeds the perceived expectations and abilities reflects the amount of stress a person experiences. There are two types of stress that occur, eustress and distress. Eustress is a positive type of stress, and is the result of healthy pressure. Eustress helps increase energy levels,