Psychology Applied to Work - Chapter 11 (Workplace Psychological Health)

Alcohol and Drug Abuse in the Workplace

"more than70% of current illicit drug users and heavy drinkers are employed full time.

work stressors in eight categories

1.physical stressors: stressful aspects of the enviornment. 2. Task-related stressors: Aspect's of one's task that create stress. 3. Role stressor: One's role 4. social stressor: interpersonal aspects associated with one's role Ex: bullying, sexual harassment, boss. 5. Work schedule-related stressors: someone's work time arrangement that creates stress, such as shift work and overtime. 6. Career- related stressors: aspects related to one's livelihood, including layoffs, unemployment, and lack of career opportunities. 7. Traumatic events: Major incidents that cause stress. Such as exposure to danger, natural disasters, and workplace homicide. 8. Stressful change processes: stress from huge change such as mergers, implementation of new technology.

Workplace psychological health

A broad-based concept that refers to the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of employees in relation to the conduct of their work

Work-family enrichment

A degree to which experiences in one role improve the quality of life in the other role, through the transfer of resources or positive affect from one role to the other.

Shift work

A non-traditional work pattern in which an operation functions 24 hours per day. Typical work shifts are 7:00am to 3:00pm, 3:00pm to 11:00pm, and 11:00pm to 7:00am 40% of Americans (men and minorities are more likely to shift work) social problems/ Shift workers experience many problems in physiological and social adjustments.

Psychological capital

A personal resource consisting of hope, optimism, self-efficacy, and resilience that impacts one's psychological health and helps combat occupational stress

Flextime

A schedule of work hours that permits employees flexibility in when they arrive at and leave work

Compressed workweek

A schedule of work hours that typically involves more hours per day and fewer days per week. compressed worksheets seems to increase job satisfaction, but do not lead to improvements in productivity compressed worksheet is related to lower emotional exhaustion, which led to better physical health and lower absenteeism.

Five Major Components:

Affective well-being: Competence: Autonomy: Aspiration: Integrated functioning:

Job demands-resources model

An explanatory model describing the ways in which resources can buffer the negative psychological and physical effects of job demands

Stressor

Anything that evokes a stress reaction

The Stigma of Dirty Work

Dirty Work = Work that most people would rather NOT perform due to some aspect of the job society finds repulsive, distasteful or degrading! - When they engage in work they appear "Tainted" - Tainted comes in Three Qualities: 1) Physical - Dirty or Deadly Environments 2) Social - Having contact w/ Stigmatized People 3) Moral Taint - Deviant or Immoral (Exotic Dancer) Stigmas = Characteristics or marks that are devalued in some social contexts, leading to prejudice against the person who possess the mark. - Theorized that each type of taint leaves a Stigmatized Mark on people which can stick with them long after they leave. - Occupations perceived as Choices rather than results of circumstances (age, sex, etc.)

Hindrance stressors

Job demands or characteristics that are demotivating and hinder one's ability to achieve his or her goals

Challenge stressors

Job demands or characteristics that create positive feelings of achievement or fulfillment

Substance abuse

The ingestion of a broad array of substances (such as alcohol, tobacco, or drugs) that are deemed to have a harmful effect on the individual more common among men than women workforce substance: use and impairment concerns alcohol and drug use away from work by members of the working population. Workplace substance: is the use and impairment, or consumption of alcohol or drugs immediately prior to coming to work or during work.

Work-family conflict

The result of conflicting demands between work and family making it difficult to effectively participate in both domains work-family conflict overtime may be related to increased well-being. Individuals may actually adapt to the conflict and become more resilient overtime.

Positive psychology

The study of the factors and conditions in life that lead to pleasurable and satisfying outcomes for individuals

employee assistance programs (EAP)

a referral service that employees can use to seek professional treatment for emotional problems or substance abuse

child labor and exploitation

child labor refers to economic activities carried out persons under 15 years of age. Child labor is the most common in developing countries can negatively affect a Childs social and psychological development 11.5 million children worldwide are forced to work in slave like conditions as domestic servants in private homes. Girls are primarily trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation, domestic services or forced marriage. Boys are for agriculture , mining, manufacturing.

Flexible Work Arrangements

flexible work arrangements allows individuals more discretionary control regarding when and where work is performed. Temporal flexibility(when work is done) Spatial flexibility(where work is done)

Flexible Work Hours

flexible working hours may alleviate problems with family commitments, recreation, second jobs, commuting, and stress. the availability of flextime policies is related to reduced work-family conflict whereas the actual use of such polices is unrelated to work-family conflict

Work-family interventions

individual and organizational interventions have been shown to be effective at reducing work-family conflict and helping enhance work-family enrichment. family supportive supervision can be influential in minimizing the negative effects of work-family conflict.

psychological effects of unemployment

intended: Earning a living is the most intended consequence of employment. unintended/latent: 1. imposition of a time structure 2. regular shared experiences and contacts with people outside the nuclear family. 3. The linking of individuals to goals and purposes. 4. personal status and identity 5. the enforcement of activity. job loss has shown to have a decrease in life satisfaction for both the individual and his or her partner.

stress-management Inverventions and wellness programs

is aimed at helping employees restore resources that have been diminished by their work enviornment. wellness programs: they address employee health and well-being. Wellness programs led to lower absenteeism and increased job satisfaction.

work-family conflict: work-to-family or family-to-work

work-to-family conflict: is more strongly associated with work-related outcomes such as lower job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and performance. family-to-work conflict: is more strongly associated with family-related outcomes, including lower satisfaction with one's marriage and family.