"Stress in the workplace will become the epidemic of the 21st century." Outline and evaluate the contribution of two or more factors to stress in the workplace.

Socio-economic status (SES) is a measure of the kind of job a person does, how much money they have etc. People who are of low SES are more likely to smoke, live in more stressful environments and have poorer diets which are all factors linked to cardiovascular problems. This means that low grade civil servants may have more cardiovascular problems than high-grade civil servants because of factors related to ow SES rather than because they lack job control. However, Marmot et al argue that other studies have demonstrated that lack of control does increase stress.

In addition, the conclusions of this study asre based on the sample studes – civil servants. The responses of such individuals may not be typical of all adults as they are urban dwellers who are probably job-orientated. On estudy found that ambitious individuals were more affected by workplace stressors (Caplan et al 1975). Therefore the ocnlcusion may be that not everyone will be affected by low control in the way that the civil servants were.

The study by Marmot et al found that job demand was not a factor in stress. Howver other studies have examined different aspects of demand and workload. Johannsson et al (1978) looked at the effects of performing repetitive jobs and that require continuous attention and responsibility. The sawyers in a Swedish sawnmill have stressful jobs – a repetitive task with unrelenting pace and sense of responsibility for the whole company as if they fall behind, the entire production falls behind. The high risk group was found to have higher illness rates  and also higher levels of adrenaline, with higher hormone levels.  This is evidence that there is a direct link between job demand, stress hormones and illness. The study also suggests that a sense of control increases stress in contrast with Marmot et al.

The study by Marmot et al suggested that lack of control was a source of stress in the workplace. However there may be individual differences. Schaubroeck et al (2001) found that some workers respond differently to lack of control – they are less stressed by having no control or responsibility. They measured saliva from which they could assess immune system functioning directly. They found that some people had higher immune responses in low control situations. Some people view negative work outcomes as being their fault. For these employees control can actually exacerbate the unhealthful effects of stress.