Deck 4: Workplace Stress

Question 1

Mindfulness is a way of paying attention in a particular way, purposefully and in the present moment.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Stress can and does facilitate higher performance and productivity.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Focused automated behavior is one of the antidotes for choking.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

What makes choking so fascinating is that it happens only to star performers.

Question 5

Psychologically hardy individuals view change as a stumbling block, not a stepping-stone.

Question 6

Multitasking is a secret to productivity.

Question 7

Which company is known for offering 16 weeks of paid maternity leave to its employees?

A)Patagonia
B)Lululemon
C)Disney
D)Google
E)Apple

Question 8

One stress-management strategy closely aligned with control is that of seeking big achievements.

Question 9

One of the antidotes for choking is pressure-free practice.

Question 10

Employee/employer relations is one of the five key organizational practices that help to improve the overall health and well-being of organizations.

Question 11

Primary appraisal is the individual's assessment of what he or she can do in response to the threat of stress.

Question 12

When under intense stress, we naturally ask for help from our network of family and friends.

Question 13

The two-minute rule states that any time demand that will take less than two minutes should be done now.

Question 14

Good time management means starting with written goals.

Question 15

Good time management means being an efficient workaholic.

Question 16

Great managers are aware of different sources of stress and seek ways to proactively manage it to avoid its harmful effects.

Question 17

Recognition is one of the five key organizational practices that help to improve the overall health and well-being of organizations.

Question 18

Different stressors call for different coping strategies.

Question 19

What you choose not to do can be as important as what you do.

Question 20

Stressful events by themselves generate stress in individuals.

Question 21

When people encounter something potentially stressful in the environment, they first go through

A)fight or flight mode.
B)primary appraisal.
C)physiological responses.
D)coping strategies.
E)primary assessment.

Question 22

________ people sometimes dislike working in teams or with other people.

A)Type A
B)Type B
C)Type D
D)Hardy
E)Mindful

Question 23

Which company is known for giving employees a "20% Time Project Rule" as a way of managing their stress?

A)Patagonia
B)Lululemon
C)Disney
D)Google
E)Apple

Question 24

A meta-analysis shows that ________ are far more likely to have increased stress, lower job satisfaction, increased work-family conflict, burnout and poorer health.

A)type A personalities
B)workaholics
C)experts
D)novices
E)procrastinators

Question 25

Which is not a key organizational practice to help improve the well-being of the organization?

A)health and safety
B)work-life balance
C)acknowledgment
D)recognition
E)employee involvement

Question 26

A type of hindrance stressor in which small but frequent demands slow you down is known as

A)role overload.
B)role conflict.
C)work-family conflict.
D)daily hassles.
E)role ambiguity.

Question 27

Which value is typically very important to Type A personalities?

A)achievement
B)affiliation
C)integrity
D)loyalty
E)membership

Question 28

Which construct in the chapter is most closely related to yoga and Tai Chi?

A)mood repair
B)greater awareness of your thoughts
C)greater awareness of your needs
D)mindfulness
E)demand/control scenarios

Question 29

________ appears to buffer many of the negative effects of hindrance stressors.

A)Social support
B)Peer support
C)Mindfulness
D)Meditation
E)Control

Question 30

An employee who must answer to two managers who have different expectations would likely be experiencing role

A)reversal.
B)overload.
C)conflict.
D)ambiguity.
E)uncertainty.

Question 31

Which of the following is not a common stress-related physical problem?

A)heart disease
B)stroke
C)depression
D)diabetes
E)cancer

Question 32

One stress-management strategy closely aligned with control is seeking

A)to increase psychological hardiness
B)to increase social connectedness.
C)to increase challenge.
D)small wins.
E)large wins.

Question 33

Which of the following is not a likely behavior for a manager experiencing high levels of stress?

A)underestimation of how fast time passes
B)selective information perception
C)fixation on single solutions to problems
D)reversion to old habits for problem solving
E)decreased creativity

Question 34

________ stressors are associated with increased safety lapses and lower job satisfaction at work.

A)Psychological
B)Physiological
C)Mental
D)Hindrance
E)Challenge

Question 35

There are five key organizational practices that help to improve the overall health and well-being of organizations. Which one below is not associated with increased job satisfaction?

A)work-life balance
B)health and safety
C)Employee growth and development
D)recognition
E)employee involvement

Question 36

When it comes to perceiving stress, individuals tend to

A)underestimate the effects of daily hassles.
B)overestimate the effects of daily hassles.
C)overestimate the effects of large events.
D)underestimate the effects of strain.
E)overestimate the effects of strain.

Question 37

When we do not know how to fill a role or what we are supposed to do in it, we experience role

A)overload.
B)conflict.
C)ambiguity.
D)uncertainty.
E)hesitation.

Question 38

"Eustress" is defined as

A)maximum psychological pressure.
B)a productive stress.
C)an autoimmune response.
D)a response to uncertain conditions.
E)a response pattern to perceived threat.

Question 39

Which is not one of the four recurring factors that characterize those with psychological hardiness?

A)psychological fitness
B)physical fitness
C)control
D)challenge
E)mindfulness

Question 40

Psychological ________ is the ability to remain psychologically stable and healthy in the face of significant stressors.

A)mindfulness
B)hardiness
C)resistance
D)avoidance
E)stamina

Question 41

Duffy Smith started having nightmares and chest pains and losing car keys and theater tickets. His wife urged him: "Take a vacation. See a physician. Do something!" So Duffy went to work on a Sunday afternoon. He threw out old files and glanced at the stack of weekly work logs accumulating next to the rubber tree plant. He sat down to eat the pizza he had ordered and looked at the work logs again. Then he retrieved the rest of them for a thorough study. Over the last quarter, the time spent on paperwork and reporting tasks had grown from 20 percent to 80 percent. He usually began to prepare the item status and inquiry report on Monday. Coworkers delivered rumors, management changed weekly priorities three or four times during the week, and balance estimates fluctuated constantly. So Duffy revised the report daily through the week until submitting it to management on Friday afternoon. The productive work of outside client contacts, which used to account for most of his time, was now squeezed into long lunches. Duffy decided to make some changes and left the building feeling better than he had in months. He told his wife, "If my new work plan works next quarter, we'll go to Calgary for a week in July." He started to prepare the item status and inquiry report on Thursday mornings, turning it in by noon on Friday. He scheduled contact meetings a week or two in advance, doing preparation work by phone and email to increase client contact value. He followed up earlier and more thoroughly with each client. Duffy quickly returned to his old patterns of peaceful sleep and feeling good. Tomorrow Duffy and his wife go to Canada. Please answer the following question based on this scenario.Duffy's stress source at the start of the scenario was

A)daily hassles.
B)big events.
C)family pressures.
D)daily uplifts.
E)eustress.

Question 42

An important challenge in effective time management is to

A)exercise willpower.
B)implement time management skills.
C)resist temptation.
D)evaluate plan options.
E)exercise restraint.

Question 43

"Do it now if you are ever going to do it at all" is an application of the ________ time management technique.

A)Swiss cheese
B)two-minute rule
C)ABC
D)matrix management
E)prime internal goal monitor

Question 44

___________ is defined as performance decrements under pressure circumstances.

A)Choking
B)Loss of control
C)Burnout
D)Emotional labor
E)Fraying

Question 45

Identify some common myths about stress and time management.

Question 46

Multitasking is

A)an effective way to manage strain.
B)an effective way to manage stress.
C)not the secret to productivity.
D)more efficient than doing tasks serially.
E)capable of making the brain work faster.

Question 47

________ is defined as the feeling we experience when our personal resources are depleted.

A)Choking
B)Burnout
C)Emotional labor
D)Stress
E)Strain

Question 48

What is stress and how is it different from strain?

Question 49

Which combination below typically produces the highest stress levels?

A)low demands/high control
B)low demands/low control
C)high demands/high control
D)high demands/low control
E)Neither demands nor control are related to stress.

Question 50

When it comes to managing stress, which of the following is false?

A)Events by themselves do not cause stress; rather, it's the way we experience them.
B)Seeking out large wins tends to be an effective stress management strategy.
C)Managing stress is about taking control of your thoughts, emotions, and schedule.
D)There is no stress management strategy that works for all people all the time.
E)The social support and encouragement of those who are important to us is a good stress remedy.

Question 51

________ positively influence(s)learning, job performance, and job engagement.

A)Time pressure
B)Challenge stressors
C)Mindfulness
D)Eustress
E)Role clarity

Question 52

Which is not a specific benefit of mindfulness?

A)a different attitude about stress
B)sharper focus
C)mood repair
D)awareness of your own needs
E)awareness of external stressors

Question 53

People who experience high levels of ________ are at increased risk for substance abuse, anxiety disorders and emotional exhaustion.

A)hindrance stressors
B)burnout
C)role ambiguity
D)work-family conflict
E)role overload

Question 54

Which is not a recurring factor related to psychological hardiness?

A)physical fitness
B)commitment
C)control
D)social connectedness
E)self-actualization

Question 55

The paradox of stress is that

A)what's stressful for you may or may not be for me.
B)too much will limit performance, but so will too little.
C)it has both psychological and physiological components.
D)it is not always bad.
E)it can be alleviated via time management techniques.

Question 56

Which organizational approach to reducing stress increases motivation and productivity, while decreasing job stress and turnover?

A)work-life balance
B)recognition
C)health and safety
D)employee involvement
E)employee growth and development

Question 57

Which organizational approach to reducing stress increases morale and job satisfaction, while decreasing absenteeism and turnover?

A)work-life balance
B)recognition
C)health and safety
D)employee involvement
E)employee growth and development

Question 58

Which of the following is a specific time management suggestion?

A)saying no more often
B)lengthening workday
C)multitasking
D)working on weekends
E)checking email in the morning

Question 59

Employees who have ________ exhibit better energy and resistance to depression, tension, and stress.

A)role conflict
B)psychological strength
C)physical fitness
D)many daily hassles
E)good time management skills

Question 60

The ________ theory suggests that the negative effects of stress on a person are a function of the interaction between the person and his/her environment.

A)relational
B)transactional
C)transformational
D)relativist
E)behaviorist

Question 61

Your friend Myra recently appeared for an interview for her dream job. She later described the interview to you as a washout. Although she had prepared really well, she could not think straight and her mind went blank during the interview. What is this phenomenon called? Suggest and discuss two antidotes for this.

Question 62

What is psychological hardiness? What are the factors that distinguish those with psychological hardiness?

Question 63

Describe how best to improve your time management skills

Question 64

What are demands? What is control? Describe how demand and control interact to create more- or less-stressful work environments. How is social support relevant in this model?

Question 65

List and discuss common physical, mental, and work-related problems associated with long-term stress.

Question 66

Henry, a top sales executive at Personalized Inc., a personal care product company, is described around his workplace as a type A individual. What are the characteristics of a type A individual?

Question 67

List and describe several strategies for coping with stress. Which personality trait affects people's appraisal of and reaction to potential stressors? Describe this personality trait, and how it reacts to stress.

Question 68

Your friend Alice has an important exam coming up. She desperately needs to score high in this exam. She is experiencing extreme stress. She concludes that all stress is bad. Do you agree with her? Elaborate.

Question 69

Describe the major components to the stress process.

Question 70

What level of stress is best for performance? Your answer should appeal to and explain the stress/performance curve.

Question 71

All stressors are not created equal. Give three examples of sources of stress (stressors)for yourself. Now list out top three stressors for the person you know best apart from yourself (could be a friend, parent, or sibling). Do these two lists match?

Question 72

Distinguish between hindrance stressors and challenge stressors. List and describe three types of hindrance and challenge stressors. How might you use consideration of each type of stressor to redesign a job?

Question 73

List and define the five strategies for reducing workplace stress. For each, give examples of positive outcomes (e.g., satisfaction)that it increases and negative outcomes (absenteeism)that it decreases.