3.5- Quality of Work Life

QUALITY OF WORK LIFEProf. John Kammeyer-MuellerMGT 4301

Unit 3, Lecture 5: Quality of Work Life

Plan Where we are

Understand what motivates workers in general Where we want to be

Understand how health and stress work into the picture of employee satisfaction and engagement

How we know how we’re doing How does stress tend to affect employee

performance? What are the consequences of employee safety

and health? What is OSHA and how does it regulate the

structure and function of the workplace?


Safety, Health, Stress and the Bottom Line Why should employers care

about employee safety and health as a performance management issue?

What responsibilities do employers have to look out for their employees’ well being?


Safety, Health, Stress and the Bottom Line Physiological

Increased use of sick days and vacations Low levels of energy and motivation Drug/alcohol abuse symptoms

Psychological Difficulty concentrating Reduced creative output Dissatisfaction and resentment

Behavioral Lower performance Anger and violence toward co-workers More grievances in union settings


Stress at Work

Think about the ways that the workplace or school can be stressful

How do you personally cope with these stressors?

What does your organization do to help reduce the extent to which you experience stress?


Integra’s 2000 Survey Showed

65% of workers said that workplace stress had caused difficulties 10% said they work in an atmosphere where physical violence has

occurred because of job stress 29% had yelled at co-workers because of workplace stress 14% said they work where machinery or equipment has been

damaged because of workplace rage 2% admitted that they had actually personally struck someone; 19% had quit a previous position because of job stress 62% routinely find that they end the day with work-related neck pain 44% reported stressed-out eyes 38% complained of hurting hands 34% reported difficulty in sleeping because they were too stressed-

out; 12% had called in sick because of job stress


What are the Most Prevalent Stressors in the Workplace? On the job

Job or task demands, like workload and responsibility

Interpersonal conflict Management practices Physical risks

Off the job Financial distress Childcare needs

Source: NIOSH Publication No. 2008–136, Exposure to Stress: Occupational Hazards in Hospitals


Work-Life Conflict as a Stressor

Definition Competing demands from work and family

roles Became a larger issue when dual career

couples and shifting expectations for family life increased

Examples of conflicts include scheduling problems, exhaustion, taking home to work with you, and taking work home with you

Stress isn’t compartmentalized Stress at work leads to stress at home Stress at home leads to stress at work



Research investigating negative work-family conflicts Examined over 18,000 Finnish workers Medically certified absences as an outcome variable,

with self-reported work-family conflict as a predictor Results

Those who reported high levels of work-family conflicts took 1.4 times more certified sickness absences than those who reported low levels of work-family conflicts

Effects were especially strong among blue-collar and lower level white-collar workers

Source: Vaananen et al., Work-Family Characteristics as a Predictor of Sickness Absence, JOHP, 2008



Research investigating work-life conflicts Examined database of 1,367 individuals working in 126

different occupations Surveys were conducted over a number of years

Occupational demands that increased work-life conflict Work that is highly interdependent Responsibility for others Inflexible schedules Strong time demands

Home demands that increase work-life conflict Number of children

Source: Dierdorff and Ellington, It’s the Nature of the Work, JAP, 2008



Physical Stages of the Stress Response

Stressor

Hypothalamus and pituitary

Adrenal

Thymus lymph node

Stomach White blood cells

Notice that the nervous system is not involved at all. The stress reaction described by Selye is entirely an action of the endocrine system.

•The biological stress response is studied by removing glands from animals and injecting them with hormones to determine when and how various physiological responses are produced

•These mechanisms have been found in all mammals, and analogous mechanisms found in many animals without these basic systems of response

Terminology for Stress Researchers Stress

A non-specific physical response to a large variety of both positive and negative environmental pressures

Eustress: good stress, associated with challenges and pressures that can be met

Distress: bad stress, associated with hindrances and problems that cannot be resolved in a satisfactory way

Stressor Something in the environment which is perceived as

either a threat or opportunity Strain

The negative physical and emotional consequences of exposure to stressors


Important Stress Concepts

Hindrance stressors Induced by hassles,

boredom, red tape, confusion about responsibilities, and other factors that reduce productive responses

Related to negative physical symptoms, dissatisfaction, and poor performance

Challenge stressors Induced by difficult

assignments, pressure to perform, autonomy, and other factors that increase productive responses

Related to satisfaction and positive performance


Both produce physiological arousal and psychological tension; the difference is in interpretation and resolution of stressors


Reacting to Stress: Coping

Primary appraisal•Severity of problem•Immediacy

Immediate effects•Physiological•Emotional•Behavioral

Enduring effects•Physical health•Mood/well-being•Social effects

Coping response•Problem-focused•Emotion-focused•Avoidance

Secondary appraisal•Personal resources•Available assistance

Lazarus, Delongis, Folkman and Gruen, 1985

What Makes Stress Less Stressful? Predictability

Individuals in central London during WWII experienced only low grade stress illness in response to bombings; those in the suburbs, who experienced infrequent and unpredictable bombings, had more stress-related illnesses

Individuals who are undergoing challenging working conditions (e.g., soldiers, police) initially show the full set of physiological shifts related to stress, but with repeated exposure, arousal decreases as the organism habituates


What Makes Stress Less Stressful? Control

Rats who have a lever to turn off shock experience much less stress than those who are shocked for the same duration without a lever

If you take the lever away from a rat who is used to it, stress goes through the roof

Similar results with humans exposed to very loud noises

Verified in occupational samples: demands are much less related to strain when control is high



Control and Stress Demands

Workload Time deadlines Physical demands

Control (lack of) Ambiguity Threat of termination Lack of participation

opportunitiesLevel of Demand

Level ofStress

High control

Low control

What Makes Stress Less Stressful? Outlets for stress

Rats who are shocked are less likely to get ulcers if they have a piece of wood to gnaw on

Rats who are shocked will attack other rats in present, which also reduces stress in the short run

This appears to satisfy the “fight or flight” urge Also found for physical exercise among humans:

the most reliable technique for reducing the relationship between stressors and physical symptoms of stress illness

Source: “Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers”


What Makes Stress Less Stressful? Social contact

Among baboons, the physiological response to stressors is much lower for those who have frequent social interactions

Similarly, among humans, responses to stress (including depression, heart disease, ulcers, and even mortality) are less acute among those who have a social support network



Discrete Reactions to Events: Social Support and Buffering

Level of Demand

Perceived Demand

High support

Low support

Perceived Demand

Level ofStress

High support

Low support

Buffer EffectDirect Effect

So, to Summarize…

If you can predict and control a situation, you’re less likely to experience strain

If you have an opportunity to express your stress, either physically or socially, you’re less likely to experience strain

How can this be useful to managers?


Coping Mechanisms to Reduce Stress

Problem focused coping Directly attempting to change the sources of stress Examples include working harder, discussing problems

with people who can fix the problem, or quitting Reappraisal/emotion coping

Focusing on changing the appraisals Focusing on your strengths and capabilities, trying to

consider the opportunities, and discussing issues with others just for a release

Avoidance Focus is entirely on reducing symptoms Trying not to think about the problem, fantasizing

about alternatives, drinking, drug use


NIOSH Recommendations for Stress Reduction Programs

Primary appraisal focus: Problem solving (i.e. cognitive psychology) Time management

Secondary appraisal focus: Relaxation training Interpersonal training

Coping focus: Training people about methods to reduce

stress


Creating a Stress Reduction Program Develop a program for reducing stress

among university students in small groups What will you do to improve primary appraisals

of stress? What will you do to improve secondary

appraisals of stress? How will you use social buffers?

Think back to measurement and training What are the things you want to improve? How will you measure the effects of this

program?


Important Reminders for Stress Reduction Conduct focus groups and surveys first

Don’t just copy what someone else needed to do Make certain you’re not just trend-hopping

Ensure that continuous monitoring is provided Is the intervention actually successful? Does the intervention work long-term?

Be prepared to modify the system over time Recognize that eliminating stress is a bad idea

Probably impossible to achieve Stress motivates action


Data on Occupational Safety and Health

In a typical year there are over 1 million cases of occupational

injury and illnesses requiring lost work time nearly 6,000 people have fatal occupational

injuries nearly half of all fatal workplace injuries are in

construction and extraction (i.e. mining) or transportation and material moving (e.g., trucking, driving, rail, flight) industries

there are between 400-500 homicides on the job note that per capita injury rates are declining

over time Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics



Differences in Injury Rates by Ethnicity and Gender


Differences in Injury Rates by Education Levels


Legal Requirements for Safety and Health: OSHA

Occupational Safety and Health Act (1970) To assure safe and healthful working conditions for working

men and women; by authorizing enforcement of the standards developed under the Act; by assisting and encouraging the States in their efforts to assure safe and healthful working conditions; by providing for research, information, education, and training in the field of occupational safety and health; and for other purposes.

The Congress finds that personal injuries and illnesses arising out of work situations impose a substantial burden upon, and are a hindrance to, interstate commerce in terms of lost production, wage loss, medical expenses, and disability compensation payments.

Offsets a potential legal and economic quagmire Companies can save money by investing less in safety and health

practices Because of the workers’ compensation system, employers cannot

be sued by workers who are injuredUnit 3, Lecture 5: Quality of Work Life

Legal Requirements for Safety and Health: OSHA

Some of the major workplace changes brought about by OSHA Guards on all moving parts of equipment Limits on employee exposure to chemicals

and requirement to inform employees about exposure to hazardous chemicals

Requirements for personal protecting equipment (e.g., respirators, gloves, goggles, ear protection)

Requirements to avoid bloodborne pathogens in healthcare


Some of Your Rights Under OSHA

You have the right to notify your employer or OSHA about workplace hazards. You may ask OSHA to keep your name confidential.

You have the right to request an OSHA inspection if you believe that there are unsafe and unhealthful conditions in your workplace.

You can file a complaint with OSHA within 30 days of retaliation or discrimination by your employer for making safety and health complaints or for exercising your rights under the OSH Act.

You have a right to see OSHA citations issued to your employer. Your employer must correct workplace hazards by the date

indicated on the citation and must certify that these hazards have been reduced or eliminated.

Source: OSHA Workplace PosterUnit 3, Lecture 5: Quality of Work Life

Reducing Hazards in the Workplace: Safety Interventions

Types of safety and health interventions commonly provided Ergonomic training Safe use of equipment Violence prevention Defensive driving Employee assistance programs Stress reduction


The Importance of Climate in Improving Safety Behavior

A climate for safety reflects employee responses to safety rules and regulations Do employees agree with the policies and procedures? Do they believe these policies are for their benefit? Do they see these policies and procedures as a hassle?

Climate for safety is a result of: Organizational attitudes towards safety and health Supervisor behavior encouraging safety Organizational routinization and formalization


Zohar and Luria Study

Research design Measure supervisor safety facilitation, organizational policies,

and observations of employee safety behaviors from 401 work units in 36 different companies

Results showed Climate for safety at a local level affects employee behaviors

BUT A strong organizational climate reduced variability across

work units Routinization and formalization of safety procedures also

reduce variability, but not as much as organizational climate What does this imply for managers?

Source: Zohar and Luria, Multilevel model of safety climate, JAP, 2005


Wrap Up Where we are

Understand how companies establish pay policies for jobs Understand how companies provide benefits for employees

Where we want to be Understand how pay can be modified to fit the individual

How we know how we’re doing What do each of the following theories say about incentive

compensation plans? Expectancy Agency Goal setting Cognitive evaluation Risk aversion


3.5- Quality of Work Life

Documents

healthful working conditions

injury rates

high support

employee safety

assure safe

legal requirements

life conflict

work life