Categories
Uncategorized

Stress Management and Coping

The Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory: I scored well below 150 points, meaning I have experienced a relatively low amount of life change within the last year and have a low susceptibility to a stress-induced health breakdown. The results of this test were not really surprising to me, as the last year has actually been quite nice for me in regards to stress. 

The Coping and Stress Management Skills Test: My snapshot resort showed a “Problem-Focused Coping” score of 53 (on what appears to be a scale of 100?). This score indicates that I often use problem-focused strategies in order to cope with stress, although these methods are often ineffective when dealing with situations that are out of my control. I find this result to ring true in that I am often more stressed, and less likely to be able to control my stress, when the situation at hand is beyond my control. 

The “Type A” Personality Test: This snapshot showed an “impatience/irritability” score of 34 (also out of 100). This score also was not surprising to me, because although I can be impatient sometimes, I often find the ability to be tolerant and patient on the outside. I do not wish to create conflict with others, especially in situations where my impatience and irritability can very well be my own fault. 

As I continue through my professional career, I think that I will take the steps to strengthen my already existing coping mechanisms in managing stress. I think that a combination of problem-focused coping skills and caring for my physical well-being will allow me to manage my stress in healthy ways throughout my professional and personal life. 

Currently, organizations across the U.S. are increasingly concerned about stress-related conditions like burnout, anxiety, depression, cardiovascular issues, and substance abuse (DHHS, 2024). In order to address these concerns, many organizations are adopting The Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being (HHS, 2024). Centered on the work’s voice and equity, this framework focuses on protection from harm, connection and community, work-life harmony, mattering at work, and opportunity for growth in the workplace (HHS, 2024). 

References

Department of Health & Human Services. (2024.). Work-related stress. Better Health Channel. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/work-related-stress 

General, O. of the S. (2024, June 28). Workplace Mental Health & Well-being. HHS.gov. https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/workplace-well-being/index.html#:~:text=Insufficient%20rest%2C%20possibly%20from%20long,the%20risk%20of%20burnout%20soars. 

Categories
Uncategorized

Compensation: the impact of negative inequity

As a teenager I worked multiple jobs within the food industry and retail, as many do. Each of these jobs had their ups and downs, but I want to talk about one in particular: my very first job. I was freshly sixteen years old, and had landed a job with a business that sold carnival food (think elephant ears, corn dogs, cotton candy, and cheese burgers). I was excited to be making my own money, and to be learning a new skill. 

It was only a matter of weeks before I started taking on extra responsibilities at this job. It started with working opening and closing shifts by myself, which led to writing the schedules, taking Sysco and Pepsi orders, and many other things that were listed in the job description of a manager. The problem was- I was not receiving management pay, training, or even simply the title. Although I was rather naive, I had a lot of questions. I was only sixteen, was that why they were not willing to promote me as a manager? Why were the managers around me able to have the title and the raise, when I was the one doing their work? Will I lose my job if I confront them? Will they eventually promote me? 

Well, I did ask for a raise, and they told me no. So, I left for a company that would better compensate me for my time (and my job description). The monetary compensation that I was receiving at this job wasn’t horrible for a young teenager, but it wasn’t enough for the amount of work that I was putting into the business. In other words, the output/input ratio of my colleagues was greater than mine- almost as if they knew I would do the work regardless.

Ultimately, the presence of negative inequities, and lack of compensation, was what led me to leave my first-ever job, and I would do it again. 

Categories
Uncategorized

Training Effectiveness: My Experience

A training that I have attended that I found to be especially beneficial was my CPR and First Aid training. This training was beneficial to me, and my classmates, for a multitude of reasons- the first being that it taught us life saving skills that can be used throughout our lives. The other ways that this training proved to be beneficial was through its effectiveness. This hands-on training experience was well-coordinated and administered, provided opportunities for practice, communicated the relevance of the training, and created a sense of meaningfulness (Week 6, Lecture One: Developing Training Programs). All of the information within this training proved to be meaningful, valid, and reliable (Week 6, Lecture Two: Evaluating Training Effectiveness).

While I have attended many trainings and courses that were both effective and beneficial, I have attended a few that were not. The first that comes to mind was a training that was meant to be a team-building exercise at one of my previous places of employment. We were required to take a personality assessment prior to the training, and then during the training itself we discussed the four (yes, only four) different types of personalities, and how they fit into the workplace. I did not find this training to be beneficial because it did not have an impact on employee performance, it didn’t teach any new skills, and the content simply did not feel meaningful (W6 Lecture One). Many of my colleagues felt the same way: that categorizing an otherwise large and diverse group of people into four, vague categories was not the most effective group-building exercise.

Ultimately, I’ve found that the key to training effectiveness is to include at least three factors: 

  1. Teach a useful skill, or obtain new knowledge (why is the training relevant)
  2. Make the content meaningful
  3. Be well-coordinated and administered
References

Lecture 1: Developing Training Programs (W6 Lecture 1 – Training.pptx)

Lecture 2: Evaluating Training Effectiveness (W6 Lecture 2 – Evaluating Training Effectiveness.pptx)