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FORUM on Corrections Research
Stress and Burnout
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Employers believe that stress is the basis of more than one quarter of sick time reported by employees,
a finding reported in a 1991 survey by the Canadian Institute of Stress. From 10% to 15% of Canada's
work force is beleaguered by serious or chronic personal problems that affect job performance, estimates
the Canadian Mental Health Association. These are two of the stress research findings profiled in a recent report on stress among senior managers. Produced by the Program Development (Staffing) Branch of the Public Service Commission, the report was based on findings of current stress research and on information gathered from observations of senior executive counsellors at the Diagnostic and Career Counselling Service of the Public Service Commission. More than 187 managers in the public service have sought advice and consultation from these counsellors. Stress may be defined as the body's response to any physiological or psychological demand. Although a certain amount of stress is necessary for healthy functioning, too much stress or inappropriate reactions to it can negatively affect the individual. An individual's ability to tolerate stress depends on the frequency, severity and types of stressors confronted. It also depends on intrinsic or personal characteristics, including:
As with stress, burnout may manifest itself psychologically - with emotional exhaustion or overreaction; behaviourally - with lower job productiveness; and physically - with exhaustion. Stress and Senior Managers Until recently, few people believed that senior managers experienced anything beyond a minimal level of stress. After all, they have control of the decision-making process, so what stressors could have more than a minimal impact on them? Recent changes in management principles are now being seen as possible stressors for senior managers and as factors that may increase the intensity of already-existing stressors. One such example is the relatively new expectation that employers meet the human needs of employees. Expected to conform to emerging social principles, managers must develop policies on such issues as employment and pay equity. Further, with a change in management style, managers are expected to loosen control and emphasize effective "people" management rather than systems management. Added to these developments is the changing face of the work force itself. With the increased number of working women, new sources of stress can be found in the complexities and commitments of dual-career and single-parent families. These changes demand more flexibility and consideration on the part of managers. In fact, work overload and family conflict have been cited as primary stressors for executives. Some sources of stress are more common in the public sector than in the private sector. With the climate of fiscal restraint, managers are expected to do more with less, an expectation clearly evident in Public Service 2000: The Renewal of the Public Service of Canada. Although valuable, recommendations for delayering, altered management styles and increased accountability and innovation may be seen as additional sources of stress. The political nature of the public service is the root of another source of stress for senior managers. Because of the electoral process, the time and scope necessary to envision and work toward long-term objectives within departments are cut short by the potential for a change in leadership every four years. The trend toward decentralization may also be a stressor for those managers who question its value. More specifically, in the private sector, decentralization may be seen as necessary to improve service to a company's clients, but in government, some decentralization may take place to satisfy other objectives. But What Can Be Done? Initiatives that have been implemented in the private sector to reduce stress may be appropriate and adaptable to the public service. These include onsite day-care facilities, changes to the physical plant, job sharing, in-house exercise classes and extensive individual training and development packages. Other suggestions offer tangible support to the senior management cadre, such as providing time to executives to balance work overload, family responsibilities and leisure activity. This means recognizing, for example, that frequent travel costs a manager in personal time and that taking holidays and annual leave are essential to a healthy lifestyle. It also means considering the impact of relocation on the manager's family, which may involve providing some form of job-search assistance to the spouse. Finally, ensuring that appropriate training and development programs are available and accessible may help reduce the stress that some managers experience in their work roles. Public Service Commission, "Stress and Executive Burnout." Unpublished report, 1991. |
