Work Flashcards
Alienation
The feeling that results when workers believe that what they are doing is worthless and that their efforts are devalued, or when they do not see the connection between what they do and the final product
Age discrimination
Denying employment or promotion to someone on the basis of age
Burnout
The feeling that results when the pace and pressure of one’s occupation becomes more than one can bear, involving a depletion of one’s energy and motivation, loss of occupational idealism, and a feeling of exploitation
Career plateauing
The lack of promotional opportunity within an organization or one’s decision not to seek advancement
Comparable worth
The notion of equalizing pay in occupations that are determined to be equivalent in importance but differ in the gender distribution of the people doing the jobs
Glass ceiling
An invisible but real barrier to the occupational development of women that allows them to advance to a certain level in an organization and no higher
Glass elevator
The means by which men in traditionally female occupations rise at a faster rate than their female counterparts
Inter-role conflict
A clash between competing or incompatible sets of roles, most often seen in work and family settings
Job satisfaction
How happy one is with one’a job. The positive feeling that results from a self-appraisal of one’s work
Job strain
The balance between the psychological demands of a job (eg. Workload) and the amount of control a worker had in that job
Mentor
A person who provides a newer employee with the informal training required in a given occupation, as well as the unwritten rules of an organization
Occupational priorities
The reasons why one works, and how one views them, reflect the culture and the time in which one lives, as well as the characteristics of the job and the quality of the workplace
Preretirement education program
A program aimed at educating workers about the broad range if issues they will face in retirement, including health, adjustment, and finances
Reality shock
The realization of the complexities and difficulties of the real world, encountered first by most during the transition from school to the work force
Reasonable woman standard
The appropriate basis for defining sexual harassment. Defined as the standard by which a reasonable woman would consider a behaviour offensive
Sex discrimination
Denying a person a position or a promotion solely on the basis of gender
Vocational maturity
A continuum of maturity through one’a working years. The more congruent one’a occupational behaviour is with what is expected at different ages, the more vocationally mature one is
Work-family conflict
Incompatible demands from one’a work and one’a family
Compare the experience of job strain among those in managerial, technical, or professional jobs with those with service and blue collar applications. Why is this?
Job strain affected retirement decision in managerial, technical, or professional jobs, but not those in service and blue collar applications. Those experiencing more strain were more likely to make a decision to retire. This relationship in the high group has grown stronger in the last decade.
The reason for this is bc lower paying jobs may not have the option or resources to choose their retirement date. Professional workers may have dif expectations of work and when these aren’t met, have resources to retire. Managers and professionals also have more options to find post-retirement employment and thus are more likely to leave an unsatisfactory job
Explain the changing nature of work
The traditional view of work assumes that one’s job consists of a certain set of tasks that must be performed. But now, global competition means that Canadian workers are competing for jobs in the same industries as those in China, Mexico and India.
Whereas traditional organizational careers consisted of meeting the needs of the organization, now the emphasis is on occasional flexibility and learning as organizations respond to rapidly changing market conditions. Workers must assume more autonomy and decision making and have a variety of technical skillsn
Holland’s theory of occupational choice (without the lists)
People choose their occupations to optimize the fit bw their individual traits and their occupational interests. He categorizes occupations in 2 ways and identified 6 work environments in which people can express their vocational personalities. Each work environment is best suited to a specific set of occupations. This theory exists at the level of interest, not performance requirements.
Holland categorizes occupations in what 2 ways
- Interpersonal settings in which people function
2. Associated lifestyle
Holland’s 6 work environments in which people can express their vocational personalities
- Realistic
- Investigative
- Social
- Conventional
- Enterprising
- Artistic
Super’s theory
Theory of occupational development based on self concept. People are located along a continuum of vocational maturity through their working years. During adulthood, people progress through 5 distinct stages during adulthood, resulting from changes in people’s self concept and adaptation to an occupational role
Super’s 5 distinct stages that people progress through in adulthood
- Implementation
- Establishment
- Maintenance
- Deceleration
- Retirement
Describe the meaning and role of crystallization and specification in super’s theory
Crystallization and specification are the initial 2 phases of super’s theory. They occur primarily during late adolescence, and the first adulthood phase may have it’s origins then as well. Crystallization refers to identity development as a source of career ideas and specification refers to focusing on and training in specific lines of work
Implementation stage
Begins in late adolescence or early 20s. People take a series of temporary jobs to learn firsthand about work roles and to try out some possible career choices
Establishment
Begins with selecting a specific occupation during young adulthood. Continues as the person advances up the career ladder in the same occupation
Maintenance
Transition during middle as. As workers maximize their efficiency, they begin to reduce the amount of time they spend fulfilling work roles
Deceleration
Begins as workers begin planning in earnest for their upcoming retirement and separating themselves from their work
Retirement
Begins when people stop working full-time
Shortcomings to Super’s theory
Downsizing of public and private organizations since the late 1980s has all but eliminated the notion of lifetime job security. Doesn’t fit with women’s work experiences. Doesn’t fit with lived experiences of most adults bc they move in and out of the labour force
A mentor fulfills what 2 main functions
- Improving the protege’s chances for advancement
2. Promoting his or her psychological and social well-being
How is playing the role of a mentor a developmental phase in one’s occupation
It fulfills aspects of Generativity and makes sure that there is some continuity in the field
Explain sex differences in mentoring
Women have a greater need for a mentor than men do bc they receive less socialization in the skills necessary to do well in the workplace. Women with mentors have higher expectations about career advancement. Women have a harder time finding adequate mentors bc there are few female models who could serve the mentoring function. Women who have female mentors significantly more productive than women with make mentors. Make mentor-female protege relationships may involve conflict and tension resulting from possible sexual overtones, even when there has been no overtly sexual Behavior on anyone’s part
The 4 stage sequence of a mentor-protege relationship
- Initiation
- Cultivation
- Separation
- Redefinition
Initiation
6-12 month period. Protege selects a mentor and they begin to develop their relationship
Cultivation
2-5 years. The most active phase of the mentoring relationship. Mentor provides occupational assistance and serves as a confidant
Separation
The most difficult stage. Begins when the protege received a promotion, often to the level of the mentor. Protege must emerge from the protection of the mentor to demonstrate his or her competence. Both parties experience feelings of loneliness and separation
Re-definition
Protege and mentor re-establish their relationship but with a new set of rules based more on friendship bw peers
Describe 7 findings that describe the complex relationship bw worker age and job satisfaction
Satisfaction doesn’t increase in all areas and job types with age.
1. Older workers more satisfied with the intrinsic personal aspects of their jobs than they are with extrinsic aspects like pay.
- White- collar professionals show increase in job satisfaction, whereas blue-collard do not.
- Increases in job satisfaction may not result from age all me but rather from the degree to which there is a good fit bw worker and job.
- Older workers have had more time to find a job they like or may have resigned themselves to the fact that things are unlikely to improve, resulting in better congruence.
- As workers get older, they make work less of a focus in their lives, perhaps bc they’ve achieved occupational success. Or have begun transition to retirement
- Type of job and the degree of family responsibilities at different career stages may influence the relationship bw age and job satisfaction.
- Job satisfaction may be cyclical
4 ways employers can avoid creating alienated workers
- Involve workers in the decision making process
- Create flexible work schedules
- Institute employee development and enhancement programs
- Work toward democratization of the workplace, giving workers control over organizational planning
Burnout is most common among people in what kind of professions? Why?
Helping professions bc they deal with people’s complex problems, usually under difficult time constraints. Experience these pressures every day along with beurocratic paper work
4 defenses against burnout
- Practicing stress reduction techniques
- Lowering workers’ expectations of themselves
- Enhancing communication and personal control within organizations
- Longer rest periods bw shifts
Consider the differences be women’s and men’s occupational expectations
Occupational achievement is stressed as a core element of masculinity. Traditionally, women haven’t been trained in this manner. They’ve been trained to be accommodating, deferential, quiet, and supportive. Girls expect that they will be able to balance work and family life, particularly if their mothers worked outside the home. Major structural barriers to women’s occupational selection remain
Why are there fewer women than men in academic positions
Women believe mothers face barriers to advancement and choose not to enter academia
Most often, who are the victims of sexual harassment in the workplace?
Single or divorced women under age 35
The degree to which behaviour is offensive depends on what 5 factors
- Victim behaviour
- Supervisory status
- Harasser’s I tensions
- Frequency of occurrence
3 ways in which age discrimination occurs
- Making certain types of physical or mental performance a job requirement
- Attempting to get rid of older workers by using retirement
- Using age as a factor in performance evaluations for raises or in promotions or in decisions about which employees are eligible for additional training
Consider the reasons people change occupations
Whether the person likes the occupation, obsolete skills, and economic trends determine who will remain in job and who will change. Forced occupational changes can also have benefits bc adults can take advantage of educational benefits offered as part of a separation package, others pursue educational opportunities to learn new skills, and others look to advance elsewhere
Examine the benefits of worker retraining for all and for old specifically
Unless they keep their skills up to date, may be hard for older workers to maintain their jobs or land new jobs. Retraining may be appropriate response. Retrained workers make more money than those who don’t get retrained. Older workers benefited more if they stayed with the same employer, whereas younger workers better off switching employers. Some older workers may perceive fewer benefits in participating in retraining and have lower self efficacy for skill development. Older adults may have less self confidence in developing career relevant skills
What people showed significant improvements in mental health after job loss?
Poole who were satisfied in their new jobs
Mental health of people who experienced job loss and were still unemployed
No change
Unemployed people vary among what 5 dimensions
- Financial concerns
- Employment commitment
- Job-seeking confidence level
- Degree of time structure
- Adaptation to unemployment
4 clusters of unemployed people
- Confident but concerned about getting another job
- Distressed about being unemployed
- Unconcerned and indifferent about being unemployed
- Optimistic about the future and coping with unemployment
For mothers who return to work after having children, what is their motivation related to?
How attached they are to ther work
Regarding mothers who return to work after having children, what reasons were given among those with low work attachment? Moderate work attachment? High work attachment?
Low - pressing financial needs
Moderate - intrinsic and financial reasons
High - intrinsic personal achievement reasons
