Stress And Well-Being In A South African Work Context

Introduction

People in the modern era are increasingly getting exposed to issues threatening their wellbeing. Chief amongst the issues is stress (burnout), it is the way in which our body reacts to pressures and illness that occurs when the pressure is too high. Stress is a reality of life, it is unavoidable in our everyday life, as well as work context. In this essay the author compares and contrasts stress and well-being relating to a South African work context. This document will first conceptualize stress (burnout) and well-being (engagement). Thereafter, Compare and contrast the two approaches in a work context. The writer will then substantiate the application of stress and well being in South African perspective and how organizations can promote wellbeing at work.

Conceptualising Stress/burnout and Wellbeing/engagement

Stress

It is an event or series of events that leads to strain, which often results in physical and psychological health problems. Stressors are factors that cause one to it is important to note that there are two types of stress: negative (eustress) and positive (distress). According to Corey and Corey, 2006, Eustress is the kind of stress that encourages or forces one to find new ways of doing things in everyday life, therefore when one meets these challenges they’ll feel a sense of fulfilment. On the other hand, distress refers to the negative aspect of stress, one which leads to feeling despondent and exhausted and often times resulting in negative physical and psychological state.

Burnout

It is the phenomenon that is caused as a result of distress, where by one experience emotional exhaustion, has a pessimistic attitude towards one’s efforts at work in that they feel their effort is never good enough. Employees experiencing burnout are characterized by absenteeism and higher turnover hence not being able to meet the demands of their work. According to Corey and Corey, 2006, setting unrealistic goals and repeated pressure is amongst major causes of burnout.

Wellbeing

According to Corey and Corey, 2006, wellness is the holistic view that the body and mind are not separate entities but an integral unit. The author of this document points that wellbeing doesn’t just refer to the state of being sickness free, it is being emotionally, spiritually and physically well.

Engagement

Work engagement is another example of wellbeing, in that it is the result of positive stress characterized by a positive mindset towards work. Employees who show work engagement display, persistent state of mind. Now that the terms have been conceptualized, the author seeks to compare and contrast disease prevention with health promotion in work context.

Comparing and contrasting stress and burnout with wellbeing and engagement

Before proceeding further into comparing and contrasting these two approaches, the author seeks to discuss the theoretical positions of the two approaches in analyzing the strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths and weaknesses of Stress Prevention

The author of this document suggests that there are more and more studies and researches done on stress and burnout than wellbeing and engagement, research is focusing more on the negative aspect of stress than looking at promotion of wellbeing.

Demand-control-support model

The DCS is a model that emphasizes on workplace stress. Moreover, this model points that it is important to have social support system at work, as a way of reducing the strain of stress. This model discovered that social support is crucial shield against strains resulting from psychological issues. Furthermore, the model identified that people who work in jobs with high demands had higher strain as well as little social support and control.

Contrary to the strengths of the above model is its criticism; that it assumes that one general demands, control and support is perfect for everyone.

Job demand -resources model

This model is the most recent model with emphasis on stress and wellbeing. This model is a broader version of the DCS, accommodating both the negative and positive side of stress and their relatedness to job demands. One can point to the strengths of this model being, the holistic approach it takes in viewing stress in an organization. When demands increases, stress and burnout increase, when people have the resources, there will be decrease in exhaustion and engagement.

Comparing and contrasting the two approaches using components of burnout and engagement

Exhaustion

Is the very first component of burnout, which is a result of negative stress. It is a state of being drained from repeated pressure. People experiencing exhaustion fall short of completing their assigned tasks as they can no longer stand the pressure. In comparison with exhaustion, vigour is also the first component of engagement. However, it is the exact opposite of exhaustion in that it refers to individuals who are energetic and passionate about the work they do and invest all their efforts in it.

Cynicism

It is the pessimistic and distant attitude towards work. This kind of attitude steams from negative stress. Cynicism is considered to be the major representation of burnout. In contrast to cynicism, the second component of engagement is dedication. It comprises of one deriving joy in the effort they put in the work and take pride in it, while with cynicism one feels their effort is not good enough.

Professional Efficacy

It is the last component of burnout, refers to how productive the person feels in the job. The writer acknowledges that there are two types of professional efficacy: High and low professional efficacy, with individuals with high professional efficacy feeling more effective and productive while those with low professional efficacy feel ineffective. In contrast to low professional efficacy, the last component of engagement: absorption refers to the deep attachment and being fully concentrated in work that one finds it hard to leave the job. Therefor the author suggests that absorption is more similar to high professional efficacy.

South African Perspective

Causes of stress in South African work places

The writer seeks to use an example of a furniture company operating in the country, to discuss the possible causes of stress in that specific work place. Employees of this company may be stressed for the following reasons:

• The current economic situation in the country, inflation and interest rate rising
• Fear of retrenchment
• Fear of individual objectives or goals won’t be reached
• Unhealthy competition among employees
• Unhealthy work environment
• Lack of proper structures (unhealthy relationship with employers)
• Excessive workload
• Constant change in the policy, procedures and or schedules or even supervisors
• Deadline pressures.

The cost of stress in South Africa (Organization /GDP)

The unswerving consequences of stress and its effect on performance are expressed in various ways. Several researches have identified that people experiencing stress make errors, often times get absent therefore needing to be replaced, they get involved in work accidents, civil strikes as well as slowdowns. It has been estimated that South Africa loses roughly R500 million each year just in absenteeism and to a loss in productivity. All this is the consequence of stress on organizations as well as the country as a whole.

The stigma attached to mental health in work placeThe writer points that the perception the general public and including people at the workplace have of mental illness is yet to change. People get discriminated against and segregated as a result of recognizing that they have mental health issues such as stress and burnout, anxiety and depression.

Health Promotion intervention In South African context

The author of this document promotes the idea that as a result of the stigma attached to mental health and the fear of being victims of being segregated at work, organizations tend to focus more on promoting wellbeing than reducing stress. The writer acknowledges that organizations need to recognize the importance of well-being of employees to the org, in so doing come up with ways to promote wellbeing:

• Strategizing coping mechanisms (well-being programs, e. g. yoga session before work, having staff outings and more)
• Creating ergonomically comfortable setting of work (providing employees with comfortable seating and worktables)
• Running rehabilitation programs to support staff that maybe returning to work after a health issue such as depression or stress)
• Facilitating programs for all staff to eliminate stigmas around mental illness.

Conclusion

Conclusively, Stress is inevitable in any work context as the work setting is evolving and the world is getting more advanced by day. The dire consequences of stress on performance at work should be taken as serious as the productivity of an organization. Therefore, organizations should feel responsible to oversee the wellbeing of their employees and strategize to run disease prevention/ health promotion programs.