UMY

Manajemen Industri
#7 Workload and Stress

Gunawan Setia Prihandana, PhD.

Universitas
Muhammadiyah
Yogyakarta
www.umy.ac.id

1995

Workload and Stress

What is stress?
Hans Selye introduced the term in the 1930s
Eustress reaction to good situations
Distress reaction to bad situations

Engineers consider stress as an impulse that causes stress on

the receiving structure
Ex. A heavy load creates stress for your vertebral column

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Stress at work
Stress causes emotions

The basic experience of stress is emotional

Emotions can cause changes in the body functions
Can cause physical disease
Increases muscle tension creating bodily pains

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Stress at work
Stress at work and leisure
Mind-body interaction: psychological problems can create
physical ailments and physical problems can lead to
psychological issues
Stress at work depends on:
Interactions of the individual with the work environment
Problems outside of work

Individual reactions to the same stressors will be different

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Stress at work
Coping with stress
Distress, anger, depression and anxiety can result from a
stressful situation
Stress is subjective so the management approach must be
specific to the individual:
Management techniques can be aimed directly at the work
demands

Time management
Work style adaptation
Communication styles
Setting limits
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Stress at work
Stress management techniques may also focus on individual
emotions:

Re-evaluation of the situation

Use of humor
Relaxation exercises
Hobbies outside of work

Lifestyle changes may have to occur

Physical fitness
Nutrition
Smoking and drinking
Quitting stressful job if another is available
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Stress at work
Eliminating stress at work

Common stressors in the workplace

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Job content
Demand intensity
Workload complexity
Repetitive monotonous work
Excessive responsibility
Unreasonable supervisor
Environment (noise, temperature, crowded space)
Lack of recognition for work done
Lack of control over ones job
Lack of job security
Lack of social support
Bullying boss or coworkers
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Stress at work
Effects of stress
Changes in feelings and behavior
Irritability, dissatisfaction, decreased attention, anxiety, depression,
damaged relationships

Health issues
Disturbed sleep, musculoskeletal problems, decreased immune
response

Maladaptive behaviors
Smoking, alcohol, drug abuse

Negative effects on the organization

Increase employee absence, poor work attitude, reduced
productivity
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Stress at work
Is stress always harmful?

Life without stressors would be boring

The amount of stress determines if it is harmful
The line between healthy and pathological stress varies
Challenging tasks can be captivating and satisfying

Measurement of stress
Variety of psychological techniques:
Well-being surveys, stress arousal checklists, mood assessments,
emotional intelligence questionnaires, assessments of coping
capabilities
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Stress at work
Computer adaptation syndrome
Introduction of computers into the workplace created high levels
of stress for employees
Worried they didnt have enough technical knowledge to operate
computers
Concerned about radiation from the monitor

Ended quickly due to improved software and training

Older workers adapted to the increased ease of tasks and young
personnel grew up with computers, so CAS disappeared rapidly

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Mental workload
Blue and white collared work
Common distinction used to exist between physical laborers (blue
collared) and mental laborers (white collared)
The division no longer exists because there is such a cross over
Ex increased use of electronics in automobile repair

Some jobs still do rely mainly on mental capabilities

Teachers, doctors, pilots

Need to be able to evaluate both types of jobs

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Mental workload
Overload vs. Underload
Overload
Performance is incomplete
Operator may suffer physically and psychologically
Measuring the quality of performance determines degree of
overload

Underload
Operator can perform better and produce more
Measuring the residual determines the degree of underload

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Mental workload
Task performance
Depends on task demands (intensity, complexity, time) and
workload (depends on individual capabilities, motivation, fatigue)

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Physical workload
Heavy work requires high energy usage and demands on
the heart
Energy ability set limits on the amount of physical work
performed
Machines have decreased the need for heavy work in many
jobs
Physical labor is still seen in farming, mining, agriculture
Still a major ergonomic issue in developing countries
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Underload and overload

Too little, too much
Some jobs demand too much effort and some require too little
Employees can be underloaded and become bored or overloaded
and stressed
A balance needs to exist between load and demand
Task performance suffers under both underload and overload
conditions

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Psychosocial assessments of the workload

Workload depends on:
1. The intensity of the task
2. The capabilities of a person to perform the job
Demand and ability also depends on willingness and perceived
stress

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Summary
Work related stress is an individuals emotional reaction to
work demands, environment and organization
People react differently to stress
Stress results from a mismatch between demands and
abilities
Makes more sense to change demands than to change the
person

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The most stressful jobs 2014

Based on CareerCast rankings, the 10 most stressful jobs for 2014
and their median salary are:
Enlisted military personnel: $28,840
Military general: $196,300
Firefighter: $45,250
Airline pilot: $114,200
Event coordinator: $45,810
Public relations executive: $54,170
Corporate executive (senior): $168,140
Newspaper reporter: $35,870
Police officer: $55,270
1995
Taxi driver: $22,820

Tugas Presentasi
Presentasi dengan tema (pilih salah satu):
Just in Time, Stock Reduction, Kanban
Taiichi Ohnos 7 Wastes
Kaizen, Continuous Improvement
5S (Sort/segregate, simplify/straighten, Shine/sweep, Standardize,
Sustain/self-discipline)
Total Quality Management (TQM)
Poka Yoke, Error Proofing
Six Sigma

1 kelompok 2-3 mahasiswa

Presentasi setelah UK 3 (minggu ke 2 Desember, mengikut
jadwal kuliah MI di tiap kelas)
1995