Question 1

One way to address worker stress from promotions or challenging job assignments is for managers to take steps to raise employee ________.

Accepted Answer

By raising employee self-efficacy, managers can help their employees feel more confident in their ability to handle challenging job assignments and promotions. This can lead to a reduction in stress levels and an increase in overall job satisfaction. Extroversion, locus of control, and neuroticism may also be important factors to consider, but they are not directly related to addressing worker stress from promotions or challenging job assignments.

Question 2

A manager notices his employees have been working very hard lately. Even the employees who are most cheerful have been snapping at others. The manager wants to stop this. The LEAST helpful strategy would be to ________.

Accepted Answer

While providing snacks and refreshments in the lounge is a nice gesture, it addresses the symptoms rather than the root cause of stress and overwork. Options A, B, and C offer more direct approaches to reducing stress and improving work efficiency and support among employees.

Question 3

All of the following are approaches managers and organizations can take to ensure group and organizational-level stressors do not get out of hand EXCEPT ________.

Accepted Answer

Shielding employees from bad news is not an effective approach to managing group and organizational-level stressors. It is important to keep employees informed and involved in decision-making processes to reduce stress and increase their sense of control over their work environment. Providing training, ensuring comfortable working conditions, and managing risks are all effective strategies for managing group and organizational-level stressors.

Question 4

The employees at the Dunder Law Firm have been under a great deal of stress due to a very busy season. What is LEAST likely to occur?

Accepted Answer

It is unlikely that the employees will have a decrease in rates of absenteeism during a busy season, as they may be required to work longer hours and have less time for personal or sick leave. The other options are more likely outcomes of high levels of stress and workload.

Question 5

Not having enough work to do, ________, can be stressful for employees.

Accepted Answer

Underload refers to not having enough work to do, which can be stressful for employees. Slack time and break time refer to periods of time when employees are not working, and job rotation refers to a method of job design that involves rotating employees between different roles or tasks.

Question 6

________ is the uncertainty that occurs when employees are not sure about what is expected of them and how they should perform their jobs.

Accepted Answer

Role ambiguity is the uncertainty that employees experience when they are unclear about what is expected of them and how they should perform their jobs. This can happen when job responsibilities and tasks are not clearly defined, or when there is a lack of communication or guidance from supervisors. Role ambiguity can lead to job dissatisfaction, stress, and low productivity.

Question 7

Why does problem-focused coping reduce stress levels?

Accepted Answer

Problem-focused coping deals directly with the source of stress by finding solutions and taking action to solve the problem. By addressing the problem, the stressor is reduced and ultimately, stress levels decrease.

Question 8

David Nichols is a quality assurance manager at one of the ABC Company's manufacturing plants. His job requires him to head up the plant's quality committee. This committee has recently become critical of the job being done by the instrumentation lab, a department that reports to David. His need to deal with the committee's criticism of the lab and his management role at the lab may generate stress that would be due to ________.

Accepted Answer

The situation described involves a conflict between David's role as the head of the quality committee and his role as the manager of the instrumentation lab. This is an example of role conflict, which can lead to stress. The other options (B, C, D) do not accurately describe the situation presented.

Question 9

One way to view personal stressors is by categorizing them as ________.

Accepted Answer

Categorizing personal stressors as major or minor life events is a common and effective way to understand stressors. Major life events are significant changes or transitions in a person's life, such as marriage, divorce, or the death of a loved one. Minor life events are less significant but can still cause stress, such as transportation difficulties or minor health issues. This categorization helps individuals to understand and manage their stress levels accordingly.

Question 10

What BEST describes the relationship between life responsibilities and job performance?

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that stress and challenges in one's personal life can have a negative impact on job performance. However, it is important to note that everyone's situation is different, and it is not always the case that personal life challenges always negatively affect one's job performance.

Question 11

Douglas is a great hockey player. Before each game, he gets extremely nervous and feels very sick. The more nervous he gets, the better he plays. A manager can use this knowledge to ________.

Accepted Answer

This knowledge suggests that some level of stress can actually enhance performance, so a manager may want to allow for certain sources of stress in order to achieve high levels of performance from their employees.

Question 12

Why do organizations use emotion-focused coping strategies?

Accepted Answer

Emotion-focused coping strategies are used to equip employees with ways to better handle stress by managing emotions like anxiety, depression, and frustration. These strategies do not make the problems go away, but rather help individuals to cope with the situation better.

Question 13

________ occurs when the set of behaviors or tasks a person in an organization is expected to perform are at odds with each other.

Accepted Answer

Role conflict occurs when the tasks or behaviors a person is expected to perform are at odds with each other. For instance, if a manager is responsible for motivating employees but is also tasked with enforcing strict performance standards, they may experience role conflict because motivating employees may require a more lenient approach.

Question 14

A company hires two new employees. While Ellen is training Seth, she gives him a detailed explanation of what he has to do and what he should do if he wants to be promoted in the company. Jenny, who has been working at the company for years, has a very different position than Thomas, the new employee whom she is training. She tells him all about her job and expectations, but has little information to give him on what his job will entail. What is Thomas MOST LIKELY to feel?

Accepted Answer

Thomas is most likely to feel role ambiguity because he has little information on what his job will entail, which makes it difficult for him to understand what his role is within the company.

Question 15

A doctor is asked to improve her relationship with her patients. She usually has little time to spend with them due to other obligations of her job. She is also expected to take on more patients because another doctor is taking an extended leave. She will most MOST LIKELY feel ________.

Accepted Answer

The doctor is likely to feel "overload" because she is expected to take on more patients in addition to her existing duties, which already leave her with little time for each patient. This situation increases her workload beyond her current capacity, leading to a sense of being overwhelmed or overloaded.

Question 16

Which of the following is LEAST LIKELY to be a negative workplace stress?

Accepted Answer

Flexible working hours are less likely to be a negative workplace stressor as it allows employees to have more control over their work-life balance and schedule. Cross-cultural misunderstandings, uncomfortable and unsafe working conditions are more likely to cause stress and affect employee well-being.

Question 17

Sara Chan is unsure about what is expected of her and how she should perform her job. Therefore, she is experiencing ________.

Accepted Answer

Role ambiguity refers to a lack of clarity regarding job responsibilities, performance expectations, and goals. Sara Chan is uncertain about what is expected of her, which fits the definition of role ambiguity. Role conflict, on the other hand, occurs when a person has conflicting expectations from different roles (e.g., work and family). Work-life balance stress refers to the difficulty of balancing work and personal responsibilities. Underload refers to a situation where an individual has too little work to do.

Question 18

________ are not job-related stressors.

Accepted Answer

Serious illnesses are personal stressors and not directly related to job responsibilities or interactions with coworkers or customers.

Question 19

Which of the following actions by a manager would MOST LIKELY create stress for employees?

Accepted Answer

Giving employees conflicting expectations can create uncertainty, confusion, and performance anxiety, leading to increased stress levels. This can also diminish employees' trust in the manager and the organization as a whole, resulting in decreased job satisfaction and productivity.

Question 20

Jay Ross is in charge of producing the catalogs for Look @ U, Inc. The number of catalogs produced has almost doubled over the previous year. At the same time, his production assistant was laid off due to downsizing, and his editor is on long-term sick leave. Jay is now spending over 80 hours a week producing the catalogs. Jay is MOST LIKELY to feel stress from ________.

Accepted Answer

Jay is experiencing overload because he is producing almost double the amount of catalogs with only himself as the main producer. His workload has increased dramatically, and he is working over 80 hours a week, which is likely causing him stress.

Quiz 9: Managing Stress and Work Life Balance