Workplace stress

• Workplace stress?


  significant source of stress costing the UK £3.6 Billion annually.
• Karasek (1979)?


  a high level of demand can cause stress but a high level of control can buffer against his. most stressful jobs: high demand and low control
• Whitehall (1997)?


  prospective study, 10,000 civil servants, questionnaire assessed work and control, assessed for CHD and follow up after 1 1 years.
• Whitehall (1997) Findings?


  no correlation b/w workload and illness. those who reported low control more likely to have CHD 5 yrs later.
• Johansson et al 91978)?

  natural experiment in a Swedish sawmill. compared finishers (low control, high demand) with cleaner (high control, low demand)
• Johansson et al (1978) Findings?

  higher levels of stress hormones in finishers. Finishers had more absences and illnesses.