Job stress and its negative effect on both employees and the organization are a growing concern for managers and supervisors. As the text discusses, employee distress costs employers staggering amounts of money in lost productivity, absenteeism, turnover, increased workers’ compensation claims, and healthcare costs. The cost of distress on the personal lives of employees is unmeasurable. Not surprisingly, stress management is an important aspect of any manager’s job.
Stress management programs typically focus on three things to reduce workplace stress:
(1) They identify factors in jobs that create stress.
(2) They discuss specific techniques and managerial practices that help elevate workplace stress.
(3) They help individuals identify personal characteristics that serve to increase or decrease stress for them.

Assignment
1. Working in groups of four to six individuals, identify personal experiences that caused workplace stress. Explain exactly why these incidents were stressful. Suggest ways to reduce or eliminate these stressful conditions.
2. Stress management often begins by having individuals identify their skills and abilities and jobs that will help them succeed. Assessing our preferences and skills can help us understand why some tasks or roles are more stressful than others. Identify work-related stress by answering these questions:
• What skills that I enjoy using am I currently using in my job?
• What skills that I enjoy using am I currently not using?
• What specific things about my job do I really like?
• What are things about my job that I dislike?
• Based on my personal skills and abilities, what would my perfect job be?