Stress in Organizations, Essay Example

Introduction

Stressful situations occur in every workplace, and it affects work behavior, attitudes, and performance. The East Haven Fire Department faced a challenging time when Hurricane Irene struck in the small town. While the teams were highly trained and the management was already prepared for the natural disaster, for many firefighters worrying about their loved ones, or dealing  with the public created extra stress.

Stress is defined as a psychological response to demands related to job or personal life. When the demands of the job (longer hours and more intensity) changed, firefighters had to adapt to the situation and ensure that they help the public and provide a hundred percent support for the department and the population of the town.

Stress Concepts and Theories

Several authors (Borman, Ilgen &  Klimoski, 2002) differentiate between four types of stress concepts: the stimulus, response, transactional, and discrepancy. Kahn & Byosiere (1992) define various stressors that can affect employees’ performance and job satisfaction. These can be single events, or traumatic life events. An example for a single event can be the strike of Hurricane Irene: the demand for services, alertness, performance, and effectiveness increased within the fire department. However, if the fire chief, interviewed in the film (Pearson, 2014) constantly demanded long shifts without a reason, or failed to provide essential training on managing the public, this would have created long term stress for firemen in the area.

Robbins & Judge (2014) state that there are two different types of sressors: challenge stressors and hindrance stressors. In the film (Pearson, 2014), the employees of the fire station faced challenge stressors. They had to get prepared for increased workload, intensity of work, and urgency to respond to cases. This problem could not have been simply addressed by human resources department. While the manager created a new schedule and increased availability of firefighters to reduce stress before the hurricane hit, it is also important to note that the station has provided essential training and services for firefighters on a constant basis to learn to cope with difficult and stressful situations. The firefighter in the film (Pearson, 2014) stated that he felt that he was never left alone. This indicates that nurturing organizational culture and team spirit is just as important as human resources intervention and training.

Stress Among First Responders

Patterson, Chung & Swan (2012)  created a systematic review about first responders’ (policemen) stress levels and related stress management policies. The authors found that stress can lead to psychological and physiological problems, therefore, it needs to be effectively managed. In case of first responders, it is extremely important that they are able to focus on the task at hand. The firefighter in the film (Pearson, 2014) stated that there were some cases when he knew there was a danger created by a damaged gas pipe, or an unstable building. However, thanks to the approach of the fire station’s management, it seems like he was aware of how to deal with the situation, and instead of losing focus and procrastinating, carried on “doing the most he could”.

Conclusion

The management of the East Haven Fire Department handled the situation by reducing organizational level of stress. The management clearly communicated the objectives and difficulties ahead with the firemen, and prepared for the hurricane. This, itself has reduced stress that could have originated from uncertainty and discrepancies. Further, by providing counseling and stress management services for firefighters on an anonymous basis, the management is able to support employees who deal with personal stress.

Unmanaged stress – as it has been stated above – can result in reduced ability to concentrate on the task, physiological problems, time off work, and conflicts with peers or supervisors. It negatively affects the organization’s culture. Latack and Halovic (1992, p. 480) states that every person has different coping strategies, and it is the organization’s responsibility to support each employee in their coping mechanism. The two main categories of coping strategies, described by the authors are problem-focused or emotion-focused, and behavioral, or cognitive. Some people would seek help, but others would try and distance themselves from the problem. This is the main reason why an organization needs to have various systems to support employees dealing with work-related stress. The intervention methods can vary from training though wellness programs to increased employee involvement in change management.

From the overview above, it is evident that high level of stress can have a negative impact on employee performance, and attitudes, as well. Consequently, it negatively affects organizational commitment. Providing support systems and policies within the organizations is, however, not enough. The example of the East Haven Fire Department has showed that organizational behavior and alignment of values does also help employees cope with stress. As an example: a firefighter whose family lived in town and was unaccounted for evidently was not able to focus on the job at hand, worrying about his loved ones. The organization’s culture and values included caring for each other, and the manager understood that by knowing that his family is safe, the firefighter can provide a better job performance for the organization. The decision was not made based on policies, but the principle to align organizational values with individual ones. Therefore, organizations need to create mental health support policies and provide services, ensuring that they are in line with the organizational culture.

References

Borman, W. C.  Ilgen, D. R. &  Klimoski, R. J. (Eds.) (2002). Comprehensive Handbook of Psychology, Volume Twelve: Industrial and Organizational Psychology. New York: Wiley

Kahn, R. L., & Byosiere, P. (1992). Stress in organizations. In M. D. Dunnette & L. M. Hough (Eds.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology 2nd ed., Vol. 3, pp. 571-650). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press

Patterson, G., Chung, I. & Swan, P. (2012) The effects of stress management interventions among police officers and recruits. Campbell Systematic Reviews 2012:7

Robbins, S.P., & Judge, T.A. (2015). Organizational behavior (16th ed.). Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson.