Policy Deliberations

More often than not, when we think about occupational hazards, stress does not feature much but available scientific evidence suggests that stress should be a cause of concern for administrators and employees alike since it affects output.

One of the more prominent models that explains stress in the workplace is the Effort-Reward Imbalance model discussed during lecture. The model explains stress in terms of the discrepancy that exists between effort expended in getting work done versus the resultant rewards that the employee receives (Kuper et al., 2002.) There are certain positions that are physically and psychologically taxing as perceived by the individual but the available rewards in monetary terms, esteem, opportunities for advancement and even on-the-job support are often lacking. The unavailability of equal reward for equal work tends to lead to increased stress which later on proves to be the source of various health problems related to the cardiovascular system (Kuper et al., 2002.)

Data to support the Effort-Reward Imbalance model was drawn from the Whitehall study. The study consisted of six thousand eight hundred and ninety-five (6895) male and three thousand four hundred and thirteen (3413) female British civil servants. The choice of civil servants was the perfect means to test the model due to the fact that the organization of Whitehall was hierarchical in nature – the lower down an employee found himself, the more work he was responsible for not to mention the more people he/she was answerable to (Shaheen Parwaz, 2013.) Rewards for work was few and far between whereas stress levels were through the roof due to the sheer workload expected to be completed. Indeed, after data collation, it came to light that poor mental health had an odds ratio of 2.24 among the civil servants; and it is no secret that an odds ratio of 2.24 – greater than 1 – implies a high probability of having a certain outcome which in this case is poor mental health.

There are efforts to change the status quo with incentives given to employees and more opportunities to advance through the ranks in the workplace. Having worked at two different mental health related institutions, I can vouch for the changes taking place and that is promising.