Peer Influence: A Method to Help Manage Stress

<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The purpose of this project was to find a difference between middle managers’ and blue-collar workers’ episodic non-work related and work related stress events. The information that was found was to be developed into a “peer influence” program to help prevent the workers from experiencing chronic stress symptoms.</p> <p><strong>Method:</strong> From research it was determined that there is a significant difference between middle managers’ and blue-collar workers’ episodic non-work and work related stress events. The material that was reviewed showed a difference in five areas: threat of job loss, lack of authority, new social values (sociability), personal life (satisfaction), and stressful life events.</p> <p>A Survey by the use of a questionnaire was distributed to middle managers and blue-collar workers at two large corporations. When they were returned, they were coded, and an analysis by the Mann-Whitney U-Test was done. This methodology found six events where middle managers and blue-collar workers showed a trend toward, or a significant difference at the</p> <p>Because of the low blue-collar response and the Mann-Whitney U-Test findings, the questionnaire was also used as a needs analysis. This was done to find any relationship between the samples. Three events were found to show this relationship.</p> <p>These findings, from both methodologies, were researched and the results were recorded.</p> <p><strong>Results: </strong>The results of this project are that the middle manager is affected by stress when confronted with work related events (activity level of work, change in work schedule). The blue-collar worker is affected by stress when confronted by non-work events (serious illness, arguments with spouse, marriage). Both samples experience stress when confronted by three events that can cause stress for the individual concerned (death of a family member, serious illness suffered by a family member, being transferred to a new position or assignment).</p> <p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Two conclusions can be drawn from this project: (1) The problems (events) that occur away from the work environment can affect middle managers’ and blue-collar workers’ performance on the job if something is not done to help the individual, chronic stress symptoms could surface. (2) The blue-collar stress is part of the worker’s home environment. Without a release of some kind, the result could be: absenteeism, drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, etc. Because of these results and conclusions, the Peer Influence Program (PIP) was developed.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S. Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis- Public Access

Year dc:date.available

1985

Author dc:creator

• Zurcher, Ronald Cameron

• stress management
• blue-collar workers
• Management
• Counseling
• Industrial and Organizational Psychology
• Social and Behavioral Sciences

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/95

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.nl.edu:diss-1098