Work,%20well-being,%20and%20health:%20The%20

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Title: Work,%20well-being,%20and%20health:%20The%20

1
Work, well-being, and health The
Stress-as-Offense-to-Self perspective
5. danske stressforskningskonference 3.
november 2008
Norbert K. Semmer
University of Bern Switzerland
Acknowledging the collaboration with
Nicola Jacobshagen Laurenz MeierAchim
Elfering Fabienne T. Amstad Simone
Grebner Wolfgang Kälin Martial Berset Pascale
Widmer
2
Work, well-being, and health The
Stress-as-Offense-to-Self perspective
5. danske stressforskningskonference 3.
november 2008
Norbert K. Semmer
University of Bern Switzerland

or
The social meaning of heat

3
Point of Departure Stress as balance
betweenstressors and resources

Stressors
Demands (e.g., time pressure, conflicting
demands, unclear demands)
Constraints (e.g., poor material)
Physical environment (e.g., heat)
Social environment (e.g., conflicts)
Organizational environment (e.g. communication
culture)
Clients (e.g. emotion work)
etc.

Resources
External Control (Autonomy), Social Support
Internal Optimism, Locus of Control,
Self-efficacy, Hardiness, Sense of Coherence

4
Focus of Stress Research

Main question
Is it bearable? Can it be managed?

5
New DevelopmentsSocial exchange aspects of
stress and health

Outcomes depend
not only on stressors
but also on a fair balance between input and
output
on fair treatment in general

Effort-Reward Imbalance (e.g., Siegrist, 2002)
Inequity model of burnout (e.g., Schaufeli, 2006)
Lack of fairness as a stressor (e.g., DeCremer
Tyler, 2005 Kivimäki et al., 2005)

Siegrist, J. (2002). Effort-reward imbalance at
work and health..Research in occupational stress
and well being, 2, 261-291. Schaufeli, W.B.
(2006). The balance of give and take Toward a
social exchange model of burnout. International
Review of Social Psychology, 19, 87-131. De
Cremer, D., Tyler, T.R. (2005). Am I respected
or not? Inclusion and reputation as issues in
group membership. Social Justice Research, 18,
121-152. Kivimäki, M., Ferrie, J.E., Brunner, E.,
Head, J., Shipley, M.J., Vahtera, J., Marmot,
M.G. (2005). Justice at work and reduced risk of
coronary heart disease among employees. Archives
of Internal Medicine, 165, 2245-2251. I7
6
Balance between Effort and Reward
Recognition, SupportPay, promotion Job security
External Demands
Internal Demands Motivation (Over-)Commitment
Effort
Rewards

Fair Balance
Siegrist, J. (2002). Effort-reward imbalance at
work and health. In P. L. Perrewé D. C. Ganster
(Eds.), Historical and current perspectives on
stress and health (Research in occupational
stress and well being, vol., 2, pp. 261-291).
Amsterdam JAI.
7
Imbalance between Effort and Reward
Recognition, SupportPay, promotion Job security
Rewards
Internal Demands Motivation (Over-)Commitment
External Demands

Effort
Siegrist, J. (2002). Effort-reward imbalance at
work and health. In P. L. Perrewé D. C. Ganster
(Eds.), Historical and current perspectives on
stress and health (Research in occupational
stress and well being, vol., 2, pp. 261-291).
Amsterdam JAI.
Imbalance
Imbalance Higher Risk for Illness e.g., CVD
Odds Ratios between 2 and 6
8
Focus of Stress Research

Main question traditionally
Is it bearable? Can it be managed?

Social exchange approaches Additional
question Is it worth bearing / managing?
The social meaning of stressors comes into focus
9
A positive self-evaluation and a positive
evaluation by others

Constitute basic needs (e.g. Epstein, 1998)
Self-esteem can be regarded as an indicator of
well-being - people with low self-esteem tend to
be depressive
Social isolation and lack of social support are
associated with
higher morbidity (Visweswaran et al., 1999)
and
lower life expectancy (e.g. House, 2001)

Epstein, S. (1998). Cognitive-experiential
self-theory. In D.F. Barone, M. Hersen, V.B.
van Hasselt (Eds.), Advanced personality (pp.
211-238). New York Plenum. House, J.S. (2001).
Social isolation kills, but how and why?
Psychosomatic Medicine 63,273274 Viswesvaran,
C., Sanchez, J., Fisher, J. (1999). The role of
social support in the process of work stress A
meta analysis. Journal of Vocational Behavior,
54, 314-334
10
People go to great pains to protect or enhance
their self-worth

Affective reactions to negative feedback (e.g.,
Farr, 1993 Ilgen Davis, 2000 Kluger De
Nisi, 1996)
Self-handicapping Undermining ones own
performance so that failure can be attributed to
external factors (e.g., Rhodewalt Tragakis,
2002 Zuckerman Tsai, 2002)
Avoidance of feedback if expectations are
negative (Ashford, Blatt, VandeWalle, 2003)
Devaluing others and undermining their success if
that sucess is threatening to ones self-esteem
(e.g., Tesser, 1988)
Ego-protective Attribution (e.g., Staw, 1975)
Avoiding social support because admitting a
problem may convey the impression of weakness or
incompetence (e.g., Fisher, Nadler,
Whitcher-Alagna, 1982 Deelstra et al., 2003)

11
References to previous slide

Ashford, S..J., Blatt, R., VandeWalle, D. (2003).
Reflections on the looking glass A review of
research of feedback-seeking behavior in
organizations. Journal of Management, 29,
773-799.
Deelstra, J.T., Peeters, M.C.W., Schaufeli, W.B.,
Stroebe, W., Zijlstra, F.R.H., van Doornen, L.P.
(2003). Receiving instrumental social support at
work When help is not welcome. Journal of
Applied Psychology, 2003, 88, 324-331
Farr, J.L. (1993). Informal performance feedback
Seeking and giving. In H. Schuler, J.L. Farr,
M. Smith (Eds.), Personnel selection and
assessment Individual and organizational
perspectives (pp. 163-180). Hillsdale, NJ
Lawrence Erlbaum.
Fisher, J. D., Nadler, A., Whitcher-Alagna, S.
(1982). Recipient reactions to aid. Psychological
Bulletin, 91, 27-54.
Ilgen, D.R. Davis, C.A. (2000). Bearing bad
news Reactions to negative performance feedback.
Applied Psychology An International Review, 49,
550-565
Kluger, A. N. DeNisi, A. (1996). The Effects of
Feedback Interventions on Performance A
Historical Review, a Meta-Analysis, and a
Preliminary Feedback Intervention Theory.
Psychological Bulletin, 119, 254-284.
Rhodewalt, F., Tragakis, M. (2002).
Self-handicapping and the social self The cost
and rewards of interpersonal self-construction.
In J. P. Forgas K. D. Williams (Eds.), The
social self Cognitive, interpersonal, and
intergroup perspectives (pp. 121140). New York
Psychology Press
Staw, B.E. (1975). Attribution of the causes of
performance A general alternative interpretation
of cross-sectional research in organizations.
Orgaizational Behavior and Human Performance, 13,
414-432.
Tesser, A. (1988). Toward a self-evaluation
maintenance model of social behavior. In L.
Berkowitz (ed.), Advances in Experimental Social
Psychology, vol. 21 (pp. 181-227). San Diego
Academic Press.
Zuckerman, M, F.F. Tsai (2005). Costs of
self-handicapping. Journal of Personality, 73,
411-442.

12
References to previous slide

De Cremer, D., Tyler, T.R. (2005). Am I
respected or not? Inclusion and reputation as
issues in group membership. Social Justice
Research, 18, 121-152.
Kahn, R. L. Byosiere, P. (1992). Stress in
organizations. In M. D. Dunnette L. M. Hough
(Eds.), Handbook of industrial and organizational
psychology (Bd. 3, S. 571-650). Palo Alto, CA
Consulting Psychologists Press (2nd ed.).
Karasek, R. A. Theorell, T. (1990). Healthy
work. Stress, productivity, and the
reconstruction of working life. New York, NY
Basic Books.
Kivimäki, M., Ferrie, J.E., Brunner, E., Head,
J., Shipley, M.J., Vahtera, J., Marmot, M.G.
(2005). Justice at work and reduced risk of
coronary heart disease among employees. Archives
of Internal Medicine, 165, 2245-2251. I7
Nadler, A. (1990). Help-seeking behavior as a
coping resource. In M. Rosenbaum (Ed.), Learned
resourcefulness On coping skills, self-control,
and adaptive behavior (pp. 127-162). New York
Springer.
Schaufeli, W.B. (2006). The balance of give and
take Toward a social exchange model of burnout.
International Review of Social Psychology, 19,
87-131.
Siegrist, J. (2002). Effort-reward imbalance at
work and health. In P. L. Perrewé D. C. Ganster
(Eds.), Historical and current perspectives on
stress and health (Research in occupational
stress and well being, vol., 2, pp. 261-291).
Amsterdam JAI.

13
Stress as Offense to Self (SOS)

Self-evaluation
Failure / Wrongdoing
Internal Attribution

Evaluation by others
Legitimacy of
Acts
Stressors
Task Demands

Stress through INsufficiency (SIN)
Stress As Disrespect (SAD)
Semmer, N.K., Jacobshagen, N., Meier, L.L.,
Elfering, A. (2007). Occupational stress
research The Stress-As-Offense-To-Self
perspective. In S. McIntyre, J. Houdmont,
(Eds.), Occupational health psychology European
perspectives on research, education and practice,
Vol. 2 (pp. 43-60). Maia, Portugal ISMAI
Publishing Semmer, N.K., McGrath, J.E., Beehr,
T.A. (2005). Conceptual issues in research on
stress and health. In C.L. Cooper (Ed.), Handbook
of Stress and Health (2nd ed., pp. 1-43). New
York CRC Press.
14
Stress as Offense to Self (SOS) Implikationen
Stress through INsufficiency (SIN)
Stress As Disrespect (SAD)

Experiences of
Success / Failure
should be related to
well-being / strain
Stressors have a stronger impact if they signal
failure

Evaluation by others
Legitimacy of
Acts
Stressors
Task Demands

Evaluation by others
Legitimacy of
Acts
Stressors
Task Demands

Experiences of Success / Failure should be
related to well-being / strain
Stressors have a stronger impact if they signal
failure
Semmer, N.K., Jacobshagen, N., Meier, L.L.,
Elfering, A. (2007). Occupational stress
research The Stress-As-Offense-To-Self
perspective. In S. McIntyre, J. Houdmont,
(Eds.), Occupational health psychology European
perspectives on research, education and practice,
Vol. 2 (pp. 43-60). Maia, Portugal ISMAI
Publishing Semmer, N.K., McGrath, J.E., Beehr,
T.A. (2005). Conceptual issues in research on
stress and health. In C.L. Cooper (Ed.), Handbook
of Stress and Health (2nd ed., pp. 1-43). New
York CRC Press.
16
Success and Well-Being I SUCCESS-Scale
Self-evaluation Stress through INsufficiency (SIN)

Success in terms of
Goal attainment
Pro-social success
Positive Feedback
Career Success
Correlates with well-being / strain
Frequently predicts over and above other
resources (structural, e.g., social support
personal, e.g. self-efficacy)
e.g. Job satisfaction (three studies)
r .33 - 47
? R2 .03 - .16

Grenber, S., Elfering, A., Achermann, E., Knecht,
R., Semmer, N.K. (2006, November). Subjective
occupational success A resource? Paper presented
at the 7th Conference of the European Academy of
Occupational Health Psychology, Dublin, Ireland.
17
Success and Well-Being II Situational Analyses
Self-evaluation Stress through INsufficiency (SIN)

Daily uplifts in terms of
experiencing success
reaching a goal
accomplishing something (aggregated over 2 days)
Correlate with
Job satisfaction r .20
Disengagement r -.21
Positive Outlook on Life r .26

Amstad, F., Jacobshagen, N., Semmer, N.K.
(2005). Situational analyses of success
experiences. Working Paper, University of Bern,
Psychology of Work and Organizations
18
Failure experiences and guiltMultilevel analysis
(Poisson) N 48 (of 163 who reported at least 1
failure experience)
Grund, S., et al. (in prep.) Failure experiences
at work and their relationship with emotions and
behavioral tendencies A multilevel analysis.
University of Berne, Dept. of Psychology.
19
Experiences of failure Direct, indirect, and
moderated relationshipsMultilevel analysis
(Poisson) N 48 (of 163 who reported at least 1
failure experience)
guilt
shame
incompetence
social support seeking (-)
Grund, S., et al. (in prep.) Failure experiences
at work and their relationship with emotions and
behavioral tendencies A multilevel analysis.
University of Berne, Dept. of Psychology.
20
Stress as Offense to Self (SOS) Implikationen
Stress through INsufficiency (SIN)
Stress As Disrespect (SAD)
Experiences of success / failure should be
related to well-being / strain

Evaluation by others
Legitimacy of
Acts
Stressors
Task Demands

Stressors have a stronger impact if they signal
failure
Semmer, N.K., Jacobshagen, N., Meier, L.L.,
Elfering, A. (2007). Occupational stress
research The Stress-As-Offense-To-Self
perspective. In S. McIntyre, J. Houdmont,
(Eds.), Occupational health psychology European
perspectives on research, education and practice,
Vol. 2 (pp. 43-60). Maia, Portugal ISMAI
Publishing Semmer, N.K., McGrath, J.E., Beehr,
T.A. (2005). Conceptual issues in research on
stress and health. In C.L. Cooper (Ed.), Handbook
of Stress and Health (2nd ed., pp. 1-43). New
York CRC Press.
21
Quality impairment through time pressure

Time pressure at work ...
... is so great that quality sometimes
suffers
... is so great that even the best emplpyees
cannot bear it for a long time
... makes it so that people have to muddle
through somewoh
Answering format not true (1) to very true
(5)
a .79 / .78 (t1 / t2)

Kälin, W., Semmer, N.K., Elfering, A. (2008).
When time pressure really hurts The case of
performance impairment. Paper given at the 2008
Conference of he European Academy of Occupational
Health Psychology, Valencia, Spain, 12-14 November
22
Quality Impairment through Time Pressure and Poor
Unwinding
T1
T2
Quality impairment through time pressure
.16
.37
Poor unwinding
Poor unwinding
controlling for Resources (control, social
support, self-efficacy), Stressors (uncertainty,
performance constraints, interruptions,
concentration demands), Time Pressure (n.s.),
Unwinding t1
Kälin, W., Semmer, N.K., Elfering, A. (2008).
When time pressure really hurts The case of
performance impairment. Paper given at the 2008
Conference of he European Academy of Occupational
Health Psychology, Valencia, Spain, 12-14 November
23
Stress as Offense to Self (SOS) Implikationen
Stress through INsufficiency (SIN)
Stress As Disrespect (SAD)

Evaluation by others
Legitimacy of
Acts
Stressors
Task Demands

Experiences of Success / Failure should be
related to well-being / strain Stressors have a
stronger impact if they signal failure
Semmer, N.K., Jacobshagen, N., Meier, L.L.,
Elfering, A. (2007). Occupational stress
research The Stress-As-Offense-To-Self
perspective. In S. McIntyre, J. Houdmont,
(Eds.), Occupational health psychology European
perspectives on research, education and practice,
Vol. 2 (pp. 43-60). Maia, Portugal ISMAI
Publishing Semmer, N.K., McGrath, J.E., Beehr,
T.A. (2005). Conceptual issues in research on
stress and health. In C.L. Cooper (Ed.), Handbook
of Stress and Health (2nd ed., pp. 1-43). New
York CRC Press.
24
Stress as Disrespect (SAD)

Legitimacy of Acts
Violating rules of social conduct.
Examples Unfair feedback, ridicule,
accusations Depreciation
Legitimacy of Stressors
Attributed to others intention or negligence ?
perception as avoidable.
Example Breakdown of machinery because the
company does not invest enough
Legitimacy of Tasks
Task assignments perceived as unreasonable
(violating ones core identity) or unnecessary
Example non-nursing activities

Semmer, N.K., Jacobshagen, N., Meier, L.L.
(2008). Illegitimate tasks as a source of
stresss. Manuscript submitted for
publication. Semmer, N.K., Jacobshagen, N.,
Meier, L.L., Elfering, A. (2007). Occupational
stress research The Stress-As-Offense-To-Self
perspective. In S. McIntyre, J. Houdmont,
(Eds.), Occupational health psychology European
perspectives on research, education and practice,
Vol. 2 (pp. 43-60). Maia, Portugal ISMAI
Publishing
25
Stress as Offense to Self (SOS) Implications
Stress through INsufficiency (SIN)
Stress As Disrespect (SAD)

Experiences of
Success / Failure
should be related to
well-being / strain
Stressors have a stronger impact if they signal
failure

Social stressors should be especially potent
Social support should be a stressor if it does
not com-municate appreciation and empathy
Illegitimate Tasks should be a source of stress
Stressors that are perceived as illegitimate
should have an especially strong impact

Social stressors should be especially potent
Social support should be a stressor if it does
not communicate appreciation and empathy
Illegitimate Tasks should be a source of stress
Stressors that are perceived as illegitimate
should have an especially strong impact

Experiences of
Success / Failure
should be related to
well-being / strain
Stressors have a strongerimpact if they signal
failure

Social stressors should be especially potent
Social support should be a stressor if it does
not communicate appreciation and empathy
Illegitimate Tasks should be a source of stress
Stressors that are perceived as illegitimate
should have an especially strong impact

Experiences of
Success / Failure
should be related to
well-being / strain
Stressors have a strongerimpact if they signal
failure

... combine this with reproaches
... support you reluctantly
... expect infinite thankfulness
... do not support in a way that is
matter-of-factly
... do so with a reproachful tone or gaze
... indicate that you should have dealt with the
problem yourself

Corrrelations Social Support r -.43 Social
Stressors r .61 Well-being r between .28
and .52 Explains variance over and above other
stressors resources in many cases
Scale values a .93 AM 1.78 SD .94
Response from (1) very few to (7) very many
Semmer, N.K., Amstad, F., Elfering, A.. (2006,
March). Dysfunctional social support. Paper
presented at the 6th International Conference on
Occupational Stress and Health, Miami, Florida.
31
Undermining of social supportby dysfunctional
supportDependent Variable Irritation
Stress As Disrespect (SAD)
Irritation
Low dysfunctional support
-1 SD
1 SD
Controlling for Task-related stressors Social
stressors
Social support
Semmer, N.K., Amstad, F., Elfering, A.. (2006,
March). Dysfunctional social support. Paper
presented at the 6th International Conference on
Occupational Stress and Health, Miami, Florida.
32
Stress as Offense to Self (SOS) Implications
Stress through INsufficiency (SIN)
Stress As Disrespect (SAD)

Social stressors should be especially potent
Social support should be a stressor if it does
not communicate appreciation and empathy
Illegitimate Tasks should be a source of stress
Stressors that are perceived as illegitimate
should have an especially strong impact

Experiences of
Success / Failure
should be related to
well-being / strain
Stressors have a strongerimpact if they signal
failure

Semmer, N.K., Jacobshagen, N., Meier, L.L.,
Elfering, A. (2007). Occupational stress
research The Stress-As-Offense-To-Self
perspective. In S. McIntyre, J. Houdmont,
(Eds.), Occupational health psychology European
perspectives on research, education and practice,
Vol. 2 (pp. 43-60). Maia, Portugal ISMAI
Publishing Semmer, N.K., McGrath, J.E., Beehr,
T.A. (2005). Conceptual issues in research on
stress and health. In C.L. Cooper (Ed.), Handbook
of Stress and Health (2nd ed., pp. 1-43). New
York CRC Press.
33
Bern Illegitimate Task Scale (BITS)
never (1) to frequently (5)
Unnecessary Tasks
Stress As Disrespect (SAD)
Do you have to carry out tasks where you keep
wondering if (1) ... they have to be done at
all? (2) ... they make sense at all? (3) ...
they would not have to be done (or could be done
with less effort), if things would be
organized differently? (4) ... they would not
have to be done (or could be done with less
effort), if other people would make less
mistakes? (5) they just exist because some
people simply demand it this way?
Unreasonable Tasks
Do you have to carry out tasks of which you
believe (6) ... they should be done by someone
else? (7) they are asking more than can be
expected from you? (8) ... they put you into an
awkward position? (9) ... it is unfair that you
have to deal with them?
a .79 - .90 in several studies
Semmer, N.K., Jacobshagen, N., Meier, L.L.
(2008). Illegitimate tasks as a source of
stresss. Manuscript submitted for publication.
34
Illegitimate Tasks as Predictors of strain
Regression analyses
Controled for Taskt-related stressors / social
stressors / Effort-Reward Imbalance / age /
gender / organizational justice (only Study 2)
Study 1
Dependent variables Self esteem Resentments
towards ones organisation Emotional
exhaustion Disengagement
Study 2
n.s.
Semmer, N.K., Jacobshagen, N., Meier, L.L.
(2008). Illegitimate tasks as a source of
stresss. Manuscript submitted for publication.
35
Illegitimate Tasksand Resentments towards ones
OrganizationLongitudinal analyses
6 months
6 monsths
T 1
T 2
T 3
BITS
BITS
ß . 28
ß . 26
Resentments
Resentments
Resentments
Jacobshagen, N., Semmer, N. K., Meier, L. L.,
Kälin, W. (2008) Illegitimate Tasks Effects on
well-being over time. Paper presented at the
2008 Conference of the European Academy of
Occupational Health Psychology, Valencia, Spain,
Nov. 12-14
Controlling for Age, gender, DV t-1
36
Predicting ResentmentRegression model IV
Stress As Disrespect (SAD)
Semmer, N.K., Jacobshagen, N., Meier, L.L.
(2008). Illegitimate tasks as a source of
stresss. Manuscript submitted for publication.
p lt.001, p lt.01, p lt.05
37
Predicting Counterproductive Work Behavior
towards the Organization
I II III IV
Age -.26 -.29 -.27 -.26
Gender - - - -
Leadership position - - - -
Conscientiousness -.34 -.32 -.36 -.33
Org. Justice -.19 - -
Effort-Reward Imbalance .20 -
Illegitimate Tasks .20
Semmer, N. K., Tschan, F., Meier, L. L.,
Facchin, S. (2008). Illegitimate tasks and
counterproductive work behavior. Paper presented
at the IWP Conference 2008 Work, Well-being and
Performance. Sheffield, May 2008
38
Illegitimate tasks and Ressentments towards
ones organization
Percentage of managers with relatively high
ressentiments(upper third)

Illegitimate tasks
Task appraised as
unreasonable
unnecessary

Ressentments Indignation Anger Unfairness Disappo
intment Hurt etc.
Low
Intermediate
HigH
Illegitimate tasks
146 Senior Manager Swiss Company
r .48
39
Stress as Offense to Self (SOS) Implications
Stress through INsufficiency (SIN)
Stress As Disrespect (SAD)

Experiences of
Success / Failure
should be related to
well-being / strain
Stressors have a strongerimpact if they signal
failure

Social stressors should be especially potent
Social support should be a stressor if it does
not communicate appreciation and empathy
Illegitimate Tasks should be a source of stress
Stressors that are perceived as illegitimate
should have an especially strong impact

Semmer, N.K., Jacobshagen, N. (2006,
September). Legitimität von Belastungen und
Befinden während der Arbeit Eine situative
Analyse Legitimacy of Stressors and well-being
at work A situational analysis Paper presented
at the 45th Congress of the German Psychological
Society, Nuremberg,
40
Legitimacy of Stressful Situations
Stress As Disrespect (SAD)
Multilevel-analysis Dependent variable
Situational well-being
Person-Level Task-related stressors/ Social
stressors / Effort-Reward-Imbalance /
Decision latitude / Bern Illegitimate Tasks
Scale (BITS) Age / sex

Situational Level

Stressfulness

Illegitimacy
Semmer, N.K., Jacobshagen, N. (2006,
September). Legitimität von Belastungen und
Befinden während der Arbeit Eine situative
Analyse Legitimacy of Stressors and well-being
at work A situational analysis Paper presented
at the 45th Congress of the German Psychological
Society, Nuremberg,
41
Legitimacy of Stressful Situations Study 2
Specific emotions
Stress As Disrespect (SAD)
Multilevel-analysis

Controllling for
person variables (e.g., self-esteem, age, sex)
Situational variables (e.g.,stressfulness of the
situation)

Illegitimacy of stressful situations predicts
Social esteem (e.g., I feel treated in a
derogatory way)
Feelings of revenge

Examplex
Superiors (8 items, a .87 / .90)
My supervisor praises me when I execute my tasks
well
If I do a task well, other challenging tasks are
assigned to me.
Colleagues (7 Items, a .82 / .85)
Some co-workers try to get in touch when they
havent heard from me in a while
My co-workers appreciate it when they are facing
difficult situations and I try to helpC
Customers / clients (5 Items, a .80)
My customers / cients talk in a positive way
about me to my supervisor

Intercorrelation subscales .32 - .54
Answering format not at all true (1) to very
true (7)
Stettler, E. Liechti, S. (in Vorb.).
Wertschätzung am Arbeitplatz (Appreciation at
Work). Unpublished Masters Thesis, University
of Bern, Dept. of Psychology
44
Appreciation at workand Resentments towards
ones organisation
Longitudinal analyses
2 months
T 1
T 2
Appreciation
ß -.15
Resentments
Resentments
Controlled for Age, Gender, DV t-1, Autonomy t1,
Social Support t-1, Interactional Justice t-1
Stettler, E. Liechti, S. (in prep.).
Wertschätzung am Arbeitplatz (Appreciation at
Work). Unpublished Masters Thesis, University
of Bern, Dept. of Psychology
45
Appreciation and Job SatisfactionCumulative
EffectsN 423, 4 measurement between 1997 and
2002
Stress As Disrespect (SAD)
5.0
7.0
Job Satisfaction last year (Mean)
4.64
4.53
4.5
4.17
Controlling for Job satisfaction t1, Region, sex,
occupation
4.04
4.0
3.71
cf. Semmer, N.K., Tschan, F., Elfering, A.,
Kälin, W., Grebner, S. (2005). Young adults
entering the workforce in Switzerland Working
Conditions and Well-Being. In H. Kriesi, P.
Farago, M. Kohli, M. Zarin-Nejadan (Eds.),
Contemporary Switzerland Revisiting the special
case (pp. 163-189). Houndmills, UK Palgrave
Macmillan.
3.5
1.0
3.0
0 of 4
1 of 4
2 of 4
3 of 4
4 of 4
No. of measurements with high appreciation
(Median split)
46
Summary of Findings
Stress through INsufficiency (SIN)
Stress As Disrespect (SAD)

Experiences of success at work are
associated with well-being
Experiencing failure is associated with
guilt, shame, feeling incompe- tent, and
seeking less social support
Time pressure has an especially strong
impact if it dimishes chances for succes

Social stressors at work are very potent
Dysfunctional Social Support is associated
with strain
Perceived Illegitimacy of Tasks is a source
of stress
Perceived Illegitimacy of Stressors
aggravetes their impact on immediate strain
Perceived Appreciation predicts well-being
longitudinally

47
Practical implications

Show appreciation and respect in social behavior
by being kind and appreciative in social behavior
by giving feedback in a respectful and
considerate way
by being fair
by not being defensive and acknowledging own
errors
saying sorry is difficult (bad to our own ego)
but often helpful

Beware of subtle cues People are very sensitive
to subtle signsof offense or neglect
48
Practical implications

Show appreciation and respect through work design
by the way tasks are assigned
Take issues of legitimacy into account
by the way tasks are organized
Autonomy is more than a good way to work it is
also a sign of trust in ones competence and
dependability
by acknowledging peoples point of view in case
of decisions that go against their wishes
by avoiding unnecessary hardhips
e.g., ergonomics, physical environment
by demands that are high but sustainable
not wearing out people

49
Practical implications2

Help people to experience success
By assigning tasks that are challenging but
possible
By organizing work efficiently
By acknowledging good work
By giving support in difficult situations
in a way that signals understanding and
appreciation

50
If it only were that easy
There may be differences in perspectives

between cultures
Does a foreman have to be ready to make his hands
dirty?
between social groups
Are the nurses too important to do this cleaning
job?

Such issues are potentially issues of
conflict and, accordingly, often not easy to solve
51
If it only were that easy2

There may be organizational necessities
If its important, and there is shortage of
personnel,it just has to be done
Since it is not only what you demand, but also
what you communicate by it be explicit
Acknowledge peoples view
Explain why you have to decide against it

Acknowledging peoples views and rights often
attenuates, or even eliminates, perceptions of
negligence, or bad intent - and thus,
perceptions of illegitimacy
52
If it only were that easy3

Sometimes it is impossible not to offend somebody
if someone is offended by any kind of negative
feedback
if someone boost his / her ego at the expense of
others
if someone avoids any kind of challenge /
learning out of fear of failure / losing face
if giving in to one persons claims may be unfair
to others
In such cases, it may be necessary to decide
for feedback that is considerate but clear
for stopping someone from abusing others, even if
he / she is offended
for putting pressure on someone
for making a decision that some perceive as
negative

53
Its not so easy

but we dont need to be perfect

Making some progress towards less offense to
peoples self is worth the effort
54
Conclusion

It does seem worthwhile
to investigate stress at work
from the perspective of

Stress as Offense to Self
55
Conclusion2
Stress is to a considerable degree a matter of
Human Dignity
56
Work, well-being, and health The
stress-as-Offense-to-Self Perspective Norbert
K. Semmer
5. danske stressforskningskonference 3.
november 2008

Thank you!

57
References to previous slide

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