A Stressful Job

Read the case “A Stressful Job” on page 193 of your “Management of Occupational Health and Safety” text.  As the HR Representative in this case, explain what you think is possibly going on here.  Are Joan’s concerns likely to be a result of stress? What stressors are present in this environment?  If Joan is the only one complaining in this department, does this mean that her complaints are not real?

Joan is an emergency room nurse at a busy city hospital. She has always enjoyed
the hustle of working in the ER and the challenges of dealing with the unexpected.
However, lately, Joan has been worried about her own well-being. She has been very
abrupt with her coworkers on several occasions and has had difficulty concentrating
on her job. Though there have been no problems to date, Joan is worried that her
deteriorating performance might cause a problem, given the critical nature of her
work. Her doctor suggested that she take an extended leave because of her “nerves.”
As the HR representative, what do you think is going on here? Are Joan’s concerns
likely to be a result of stress? What stressors are present in the environment? If there
are 20 employees in ER and Joan is the only one complaining, does this mean that
her complaints are not real?