1. Is there a link between work and stress?

2. Write the meaning for the key words
Workplace stressors Physical stressors Psychological stressors Questionnaire Workload Control Role conflict

3. Write the meaning for the key words
Workplace stressors – stress related to your job
Physical stressors – noise and length of the day
Psychological stressors – relationships with co-workers and responsibility
Questionnaire – a research method that asks questions about behaviour/feelings
Workload – amount of work and demand of the job
Control – how much ‘power’ a person has
Role conflict – work-life balance

4. Learning objectives:
To know the meaning of key words
To understand the link between work and stress
Learning outcomes:
To be able to outline research into stress and work (AO1)
To be able to evaluate the research (AO2)

5. Questionnaire
What does it tell us about workplace stress?

6. Card sort
Research
Sort the cards into stressors – workload, control and role conflict
Complete the boxes on the sheet
Outline the research - How was it measured? What were the findings? (A01)
Evaluate the research – applications to the real world? Extraneous variables? Using questionnaires? (A02)

7. Answers – Workload (Marmot)
Civil servants
Job strain model
Link between work and stress, 1. High workload and 2. low job control
No link between high workload and stress
Job demand no a significant factor in stress

8. Answers – Workload (Johansson)
Effects of performing repetitive jobs require (high demand)
Swedish sawmill workers
Unrelenting tasks
High risk group= higher illness rates
Higher levels of adrenaline in their urine
Low risk group = less monotonous and more flexible jobs
Link between workload (high risk group) and stress

9. Answers – Control (Marmot)
Job strain model
Link between work and stress, 1. High workload and 2. low job control
Participants in higher grade jobs = had lower cardiovascular illness
Civil servants in higher grade jobs expressed high sense of job control
Lower grade civil servants have less job control
Link between lower grade civil servants and stress

10. Answers – Role conflict (Pomaki)
Experiences at work conflict with family life (vice versa)
Employees who take time off for childcare
Is associated with higher absenteeism and lower performance
226 hospital doctors
Direct link between role conflict and emotional depression symptoms

11. Essay
Outline and evaluate two or more factors that lead to stress in the workplace (12 marks)
Factor 2:
The role of workload
Factor 1:
The role of control

12. Review your understanding
Describe four findings from research into workplace stress, and for each state the conclusion (AO1)
e.g. Marmot found no link between high workload and stress. This concludes that job demand was not a significant factor in stress.

13. Review your understanding
2. Identify and explain four criticisms of research into workplace stressors (AO2) e.g. Lazarus found that different people were able to cope differently with stress. Individual differences.

14. Review your understanding - Scenarios
Jane Smith is a teacher she regularly suffers from colds and feels overworked. Use psychological understanding to make suggestions of how she could improve her situation

15. Review your understanding - Scenarios
Jake says that he feels stressed. He works as an accountant, he manages a team of accountants. He wants to give up his job. Use psychological understanding to prove that he should stay in his job