Work-related stress--it's time to act

Educational needs of employees in work-related stress management

BACKGROUND

Dynamic and intense socio-economic, scientific and technological development has both positive and negative effects on the business world. Due to increasing problems of work-related stress, the issue of stress management has arisen. Primary stress management and proactive interventions in work-related stress prevention are specifically activated. In this regard, the issue of educational needs of employees for the prevention of work-related stress is of particular importance.

OBJECTIVE

The basic concern that has drawn our attention is whether employees generally show the desire and need to adopt the knowledge in the field of work-related stress prevention and relief and whether they are supported by the management of their business organization.

METHODS

We used several methods to conduct this research: survey, scaling and comparative method. The comparative method was used for the analysis of legal documents in the field of occupational safety and health in six Balkan countries with the aim of determining the legal obligations of employers in managing workplace stress. The research population consisted of employees in small and medium-sized enterprises in the city of Kraljevo (the Republic of Serbia), while the research sample was determined by a random sampling method and included 450 respondents.

RESULTS

Despite the recommendations of international organizations, the employers in most countries are not legally bound to deal with work-related stress management. The results have shown that there is a correlation between work-related risks/stressors and educational needs of employees for learning or acquiring knowledge in the field of work-related stress prevention. Employees express the desire to become acquainted with the possibilities of overcoming work-related stress.

CONCLUSION

Employees' education and training have an invaluable role and considerable importance in primary, work-related stress management. The knowledge about the causes and mechanisms of work-related stress development is an important step towards its prevention. The research has shown that employees express the need for acquiring knowledge to prevent stress at work. In this regard, it is necessary to provide legally binding support of the manager in order to undertake the activities of work-related stress management. Interventions should target work-related stress at its source with a focus on prevention rather than an individual approach whose long-term benefits are uncertain.

Job control, perceptions of control, and cardiovascular activity: an analysis of ambulatory measures collected over the working day

OBJECTIVE

To assess the influence of job control as a personal characteristic, and momentary perceptions of lack of control, on blood pressure and heart rate monitored over the working day.

METHODS

The study was carried out with a sample of 122 school teachers (45 men, 77 women), divided into high and low job control groups on a standard questionnaire. Blood pressure and heart rate were measured every 20 min using ambulatory techniques, and ratings of concurrent perceived control were also obtained. Energy expenditure was assessed using accelerometers. Cardiovascular measures associated with low perceived control were averaged for each individual, as were readings associated with high perceived control.

RESULTS

Low perceived control ratings were infrequent overall. However, in the participants who reported episodes of both high and low perceived control, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were significantly greater during episodes of low control. These effects were independent of concurrent energy expenditure, gender, and time of day. High and low job control groups did not differ in cardiovascular responses to episodes of low perceived control. But low job control was associated with more frequent episodes of low perceived control and fewer periods of high perceived control.

CONCLUSION

The results suggest that laboratory observations concerning the impact of lack of control on cardiovascular activity are corroborated by naturalistic measures in everyday life. Differences in exposure to periods of low perceived control rather than differences in reactivity to uncontrollable situations may contribute to the elevation in cardiovascular risk associated with low job control.