8.4 Stress

Question 1

There are three types of effects that excessive stress can have on a person. What are they?

Answer 1

Physical effects

Psychological effects

Behavioural effects

Question 2

There are six ‘management standards’ to help managers deal with the problem of stress in the workplace. Can you name them?

Answer 2

Demands

Control

Support

Relationships

Role

Change

Question 3

Which of the management standards for stress is being described below:

issues related to workload, work patterns and the work environment

Answer 3

Demands

Question 4

Which of the management standards for stress is being described below:

how much say the person has in the way they do their work

Answer 4

Control

Question 5

Which of the management standards for stress is being described below:

levels of encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the
organisation, line management and colleagues

Answer 5

Support

Question 6

Which of the management standards for stress is being described below:

promoting positive working to avoid conflict and dealing with
unacceptable behaviour

Answer 6

Relationships

Question 7

Which of the management standards for stress is being described below:

whether people understand their role within the organisation and whether
the organisation ensures they do not have conflicting roles

Answer 7

Role

Question 8

Which of the management standards for stress is being described below:

how organisational change is managed and communicated in the
organisation

Answer 8

Change

Question 9

Which of the management standards for stress are being improved by the following conditions:

 policies and procedures are in place to
adequately support employees;
 systems enable and encourage managers
to support their staff;
 systems enable and encourage employees
to support their colleagues;
 employees know what support is available
and how to access it;
 employees know how to access resources
to do their job; and
 employees receive regular and
constructive feedback.

Answer 9

Support

Question 10

Which of the management standards for stress are being improved by the following conditions:

 the organisation promotes positive
behaviours at work to avoid conflict and
ensure fairness;
 employees share information relevant to
their work;
 policies and procedures are in place to
prevent or resolve unacceptable
behaviour;
 systems enable and encourage managers
to deal with unacceptable behaviour; and
 systems enable and encourage employees
to report unacceptable behaviour.

Answer 10

Relationships

Question 11

Which of the management standards for stress are being improved by the following conditions:

 the organisation ensures that the different
requirements it places upon employees
are compatible;
 employees are clearly informed of their
role and responsibilities;
 the organisation ensures that, as far as
possible, the requirements it places upon
employees are clear; and
 employees are able to raise concerns
about any uncertainties or conflicts they
regarding role or responsibilities.

Answer 11

Role

Question 12

Which of the management standards for stress are being improved by the following conditions:

 timely information is provided to enable 
employees to understand the reasons for 
proposed changes; 
 employees are adequately consulted on 
changes and given opportunities to 
influence proposals; 
 employees are aware of the probable 
impact of any changes to their jobs and 
given necessary support and training to 
adapt; 
 employees are aware of timetables for 
changes; and 
 employees have access to relevant 
support during changes.

Answer 12

Change

Question 13

Which of the management standards for stress are being improved by the following conditions:

 realistic and achievable demands for the 
agreed hours of work; 
 skills and abilities are matched to the job 
demands; 
 jobs are designed to be within the 
capabilities of employees; and 
 employees’ concerns about their work 
environment are addressed.

Answer 13

Demands

Question 14

Which of the management standards for stress are being improved by the following conditions:

 employees have control over their pace of
work;
 employees are encouraged to use their
skills and initiative;
 the organisation encourages employees
are encouraged to develop new skills and
undertake new challenges
 employees have a say over when breaks
can be taken; and
 employees are consulted over their work
patterns.

Answer 14

Control