Job Stress
By Judy Sabalauskas, Undergraduate Advisor, University of Baltimore

Fiscal and Academic year 2003-2004 is like no other. Budget cuts and new technology are affecting all USME campuses, students, faculty and staff. While none of us need to read another stress management article, we do need to know how to identify and manage job stress. This is not personal. It is epidemic and here to stay for some time. Job stress does not discriminate and does not affect only one portion of the work force. It affects our entire universities including students.

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) job stress is harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker. Job stress can lead to poor health and even injury.

The concept of job stress is often confused with challenge, but these concepts are different. Challenge energizes and motivates us to learn new skills and master our jobs while job stress demoralizes us.

Nearly everyone agrees that job stress results from the interaction of the worker and the conditions of work. Views differ, however, on the importance of worker characteristics versus working conditions as the primary cause of job stress. These differing viewpoints are important because they suggest different ways to prevent stress at work. To read more of NIOSH's Stress at Work visit http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/stresswk.html.