Pamela L. Perrewé – författare

Political skill is a characteristic that can facilitate good things for individuals and their organizations. Yes, it is possible that political skill can be used and to get away with self-serving acts at the expense of others, but contrary to the stereotypical perceptions of being political, political skill is about more than manipulation. In fact, political skill enables people to build trust and forge positive relationships, and leaders often need it to influence others and access resources critical to their teams'' success. This edition has been revised and updated with more than 15 years of additional research on political skill, as well as new examples that demonstrate why, in today''s organizations, career success depends more on political skill than on almost any other characteristic.

Continuous activity and high job demands surround corporate environments. These demands are considered to be key triggers for workers’ stress-related symptoms and poor health. It has been estimated by the American Institute of Stress (AIS) that US$ 300 billion/year are spent on conditions related to excessive stress levels. Of course, occupational stressors are an unavoidable part of working life. Experienced stress has helped us to survive for thousands of years and keeps us vigilant under critical situations. Of course, too much experienced stress can lead to serious psychological and physical health problems. This book is devoted to examining important issues related to coping with and preventing elevated occupational stress. This book also examines individual differences and organizational cultures that might exacerbate or mitigate experienced stress.

If we consider all choices available, it is better to prevent than to treat. Prevention can be primary, when we prevent the stress-generating situation from occurring; secondary, when we provide alternatives to minimize the damage caused by the problem and tertiary, which involves containing losses that have occurred to prevent them from becoming more serious. This book on stress prevention and coping with stress is intended to assist occupational health professionals and academics to improve their abilities to help employees managing stress, but it also can be helpful for individual workers as they learn to better handle stressors at work. The research findings and views presented by these well-respected leaders in stress research provide tools for those currently experiencing workplace stress and supplies information concerning how stress can be prevented before it occurs.

According to the American Institute of Stress (AIS), job stress is far and away the primary source of stress for American adults. The relationship between job stress and heart attacks, hypertension, and other disorders is well understood. Further, the cost of job stress in the United States is estimated to be over $300 billion due to outcomes such as accidents, turnover, and lost productivity. Perhaps the most consistent findings connecting job stress to health outcomes confirm that employees who perceive a high level of job demands without the appropriate control over job demands are at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

In Brazil, the loss is estimated at 3.5% of the gross domestic product per year. Occupational diseases are related to the activities performed by workers and to working conditions and can trigger new or worsen already existing symptoms. Proper diagnosis and relevant information are essential for managers and workers to become aware of stressors and to take efficient measures to manage stress. Although quality of life is the responsibility of every individual, companies will definitely be able to benefit from the implementation of preventive actions, thus avoiding to pay a high price as a result of absenteeism, sick leaves, and drops in productivity and low work quality.

This book is designed to be an additional tool to provide information and to suggest ways to deal with pressures and work demands, because stress levels are still on the rise. We believe that through information – and here you will be able to find the experience and opinions of recognized professionals in this area – workers will be able to live better and more balanced lives.

It is an unfortunate reality that many employees experience elevated levels of stress at work. Feeling stressed has impacts beyond mere emotions. For example, a survey of European Union member states found that 28% of employees reported stress-related illness or health issues, and studies in the USA have found that over 25% of employees reported that they are often or very often burned out by their work. Also, not all stress should be or can be eliminated, as many industries and jobs are highly demanding in their nature. Therefore, it is important that employees, employers, clinicians, and researchers endeavor to develop a better understanding of workplace stressors and how employee health and well-being can be improved.

This book can help individuals and organizations better appreciate stressors faced by employees. It showcases research by over two dozen authors in twelve chapters, focusing on the interpersonal and occupation-based sources of workplace stress, as well as how to alleviate work stress. Coworkers, supervisors, and others with whom a person works can have a dramatic influence on the degree of stress a worker experiences, and it is often the interpersonal conflict that is unrelated to one’s job that is the most difficult to manage. In addition, the context of a person’s work also influences the degree and type of stressors they encounter at work, and this book examines several occupations and their associated stress. We hope that these findings provide ways for individuals and organizations to enhance the well-being of employees.