Stress Management in Work Settings

The contributors to this volume address current issues and problems in the field of stress management and provide guidance toward the development, implementation, evaluation, and maintenance of stress management programs in work settings. The authors' aim is to shift the present mind set of brief stress workshops toward more comprehensive actions which target both the organization and the individual worker as intervention points for stress reduction. Collectively labeled as stress management, methods such as muscle relaxation, meditation, biofeedback, and cognitive strategies have been taught to workers as a means of reducing psycho-physiological and subjective distress. These preventative strategies have focused exclusively on the healthy individual worker. As presently defined, stress management has a negligible role in reducing organizational stress. The authors suggest that a more appropriate application would be a complement to job redesign or organizational change intervention. They also argue that conceptual issues are as important as logistical ones in determining program success.

The book is divided into three parts. Part I deals with organizational stress and its assessment. Part II describes aspects of stress management as applied in work settings, and the third part is a collection of resources for training materials, products, and equipment. Stress Management in Work Settings is a professional book aimed at the users who will ultimately make the decision to offer a stress reduction program, decide what type of action will be taken, and actually implement the action.

LAWRENCE R. MURPHY has written numerous articles on occupational stress and stress management. He is a Research Psychologist in the Applied Psychology and Ergonomics Branch, a division of Biomedical & Behavior Science, NIOSH and is an adjunct faculty member at Xavier University and Mt. St. Joseph College.

THEODORE F. SCHOENBORN is with the Technical Information Branch of the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH).