Job Stressors
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RE: Job Stressors
DEFINITION
Can work make you sick? A meta-analysis of the relationships between
Job stressors and physical symptoms defines job stressors as those factors which cause organizational constraints, interpersonal conflict, role conflict, role ambiguity, workload, work hours, and lack of control.
Reference
Ashley, N., Mazzolla, J. & Kruger, J. (2011). Can work make you sick? A meta-analysis of the relationships between job stressors and physical symptom. An International Journal of Work, Health & Organisations (26).
Summary
This is a research, which was done by Ashley Nixon of the department of psychology in the University of South Florida, New York, Chicago ans London. Two other authors are Joseph Mazola of the department of psychology in the University of Tulsa as well as Kruger of the department of psychology in the University of South Florida. This makes their research to be much credible because intellectuals in the field of psychology and medicine have done it. The authors portray how the physical symptoms of illness are brought about by the constraints received from the place of work. They also indicate how those constraints in the workplace come about and how these stresses can be put in control for the maximum performance of every worker in a given organization.
Discussion
The article is a show of how the environment in which a person works in has a direct effect on their health. In an age where most of the organizations are looking for ways in which to maximize the employee potential and performance for the maximization of profits, there is one clear thing, which is how the organization will reduce the rate of absenteeism related to health problems. When the analysis was done to investigate, the number one reason for the under performance by the employees especially those who were used to be absent from work for several days, it was discovered that the causers of absenteeism were related to the health (Darr & Johns, 2008). The major cause of loss health being stress, which most of the respondents indicated that it was caused by fatigue.
Fatigue is one of the physical systems, which manifest job stressors. This fatigue is usually caused by the loss of time as well as overworking. This fatigue is mostly prevalent in areas where those employees who indicated that they experienced irritation because they felt that they were not competent in what they were doing. This made them to feel fatigue which led to their under performance. The report recommended that employer's assign their employees' tasks that they felt were competent. This is because; it aroused enthusiasm in them and it also made them excited which had a significant effect on the rate of absenteeism organizations were experiencing (Bendtsen, 2003).
Apart from fatigue, the other symptoms, which were associated with job stressors, are headache, which is usually experienced during the course of work. It is caused by overwork and stress factors and it is widely believed that pain-signaling pathways in the brain can become overly sensitive to painful stimuli when stress is experienced. The headache is usually experienced when the brain nerves are sensitive to pain signals. When this sensitivity is increased, it usually makes the brain to sense any increase in the muscle activity. This leads to increased muscle strain, which makes the brain active (Bendtsen, 2003).
The study concluded that for organizations to foster high level of productivity among their workers they have ensure that they create a work environment, which is devoid of causes of stress such as role ambiguity and interpersonal conflicts as well as overworking which are the greatest causes of stress in the work place. An organization that wants to keep stresses at bay must ensure that their workers interrelate well with each other. They must ensure that the workers have well explained roles, which they have to play in that organization. They also have to ensure that every employee is assigned tasks, which he or she is most competent.
References
Ashley, N., Mazzolla, J. & Kruger, J. (2011). Can work make you sick? A meta-analysis of the relationships between job stressors and physical symptom. An International Journal of Work, Health & Organizations (26).
Bendtsen, L. (2003). Central and peripheral sensitization in tension-type headache. Current Pain Headache Reports, (7), 460-465.
Darr, W. & Johns, G. (2008). Work strain, health, and absenteeism: A meta-analysis. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, (13), 293-318.