Work, well-being, and health: The «Stress-as-Offense-to-Self» perspective

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

2. 5. danske stressforskningskonference 3. november 2008 Norbert K. Semmer University of Bern Switzerland Work, well-being, and health: The «Stress-as-Offense-to-Self» perspective …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) • Organizationalenvironment (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 Developments:Social 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 meaningof 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 63,273–274 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 one‘s 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 one‘s 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. Self-evaluation: Failure / Wrongdoing + Internal Attribution Evaluation by others: Legitimacy of Acts Stressors Task Demands Stress as Offense to Self (SOS) 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.

12. 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 Stress as Offense to Self (SOS) Implikationen 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.

13. Stress as Offense to Self (SOS) Implikationen Evaluation by others: Legitimacy of Acts Stressors Task Demands 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 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. 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.

15. 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

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. Stress as Offense to Self (SOS) Implikationen Evaluation byothers: Legitimacyof Acts Stressors TaskDemands 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 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.

19. 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) α = .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

20. 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), TimePressure (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

21. Stress as Offense to Self (SOS) Implikationen Evaluation by others: Legitimacy of Acts Stressors Task Demands Stress through INsufficiency (SIN) Stress As Disrespect (SAD) Experiences of Success / Failure shouldberelated to well-being / strain Stressors have a strongerimpactiftheysignalfailure 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.

22. 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 one‘s „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

23. Experiences of Success / Failure shouldberelated to well-being / strain Stressors have a strongerimpactiftheysignalfailure 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 Stress as Offense to Self (SOS) Implications 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.

24. Experiences of Success / Failure shouldberelated to well-being / strain Stressors have a strongerimpactiftheysignalfailure 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 Stress as Offense to Self (SOS) Implications 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.

25. Social stressors and SBP-RecoveryMultilevel-analysis; 240 BP-readings, evening, 40 men Stress As Disrespect (SAD) SBP mmHg Interaction social stressors x day: p < .05 controlled for task-related stressors (observer rating), job control, age, bmi, nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, number of critical life events, stressful events at work and at home, and wave Work Day Day Off Day Off Work Day high Social Stressors low Grebner, S., Elfering, A., & Semmer, N. K. (2006, March). Social stressors at work predict well-being and health beyond negative affectivity, social support, and job content. Paper presented at the 6th International Conference on Occupational Stress and Health, Miami, Florida.

26. Experiences of Success / Failure shouldberelated to well-being / strain Stressors have a strongerimpactiftheysignalfailure 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 Stress as Offense to Self (SOS) Implications 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.

27. Description Meaning Description Meaning Description Meaning Episodes of Social Support:Description of Behavior vs. Evaluation of MeaningN = 109 EMOTIONAL INSTRUMENTAL MIXED 24 33 10 EMO EMO EMO 26 67 16 1 15 2 Mixed Mixed Mixed 1 19 4 INSTR INSTR INSTR pure: 93%mixed: 4% Total: 97% pure: 49%mixed: 22% Total: 71% pure: 63%mixed: 13% Total: 75% Emotionalmeaning: Emotionalmeaning: Emotionalmeaning: Semmer, N. K., Elfering, A. Jacobshagen, N., Perrot, T., Beehr, T.A., & Boos, N. (2008). The emotional meaning of instrumental social support. International Journal of Stress Management, 15, 235-251. χ2 = 14.92, df = 4, p < .01

28. „Dysfunctional Social Support“Items How many people are in your work environment who do help you in difficult situation, but... • ... 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:α = .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.

29. High dysfunctional support 3.34 2.94 2.89 2.14 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.

30. Experiences of Success / Failure shouldberelated to well-being / strain Stressors have a strongerimpactiftheysignalfailure 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 Stress as Offense to Self (SOS) Implications 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.

31. 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? α = .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.

32. 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: Selfesteem Resentmentstowardsone‘sorganisation 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.

33. Illegitimate Tasksand Resentments towards one‘s OrganizationLongitudinal analyses 6 months 6 monsths T 1 T 2 T 3 BITS BITS β= . 28 β= . 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

34. Predicting Counterproductive Work Behavior towards the Organization 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

35. Illegitimate tasks and Ressentments towards one‘s organization Percentage of managers with relatively high ressentiments(upper third) • Illegitimate tasks: • Task appraised as • unreasonable • unnecessary Ressentments: Indignation Anger Unfairness Disappointment Hurt etc. Low Intermediate HigH Illegitimate tasks* 146 Senior Manager Swiss Company r = .48***

36. Experiences of Success / Failure shouldberelated to well-being / strain Stressors have a strongerimpactiftheysignalfailure 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 Stress as Offense to Self (SOS) Implications Stress through INsufficiency (SIN) Stress As Disrespect (SAD) 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,

37. Situational Level: 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 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,

38. 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 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,

39. The positive Side: Appreciation

40. Appreciation at Work Appreciation 20 Items, 3 Subscales α = .88 / .90 • Examplex • Superiors (8 items, α = .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, α = .82 / .85) • Some co-workers try to get in touch when they haven’t 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, α = .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 Master‘s Thesis, University of Bern, Dept. of Psychology

41. Appreciation at workandResentments towards one‘s organisation Longitudinal analyses 2 months T 1 T 2 Appreciation β= -.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 Master‘s Thesis, University of Bern, Dept. of Psychology

42. Stress As Disrespect (SAD) Appreciation and Job Satisfaction:Cumulative EffectsN = 423, 4 measurement between 1997 and 2002 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)

43. 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 Socialstressors at work are very potent DysfunctionalSocialSupport is associated with strain Perceived Illegitimacy of Tasks is a source of stress Perceived Illegitimacy ofStressors aggravetes their impact on immediate strain Perceived Appreciation predicts well-being longitudinally Summary of Findings Stress through INsufficiency (SIN) Stress As Disrespect (SAD)

44. 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 subtlecues People arevery sensitive to subtlesignsof offenseorneglect

45. 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 one‘s competence and dependability • by acknowledging people‘s 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

46. 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

47. If it only were that easy… Theremaybedifferences 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 issuesarepotentiallyissues of conflict and, accordingly, often not easy to solve

48. If it only were that easy…2 Theremaybeorganizationalnecessities • Ifit‘simportant, and thereisshortage of personnel,it just has to bedone • Sinceitis not onlywhatyoudemand, but also whatyoucommunicatebyit – beexplicit: • Acknowledgepeople‘sview • Explainwhyyouhave to decideagainstit Acknowledgingpeople‘sviews and rights oftenattenuates, oreveneliminates, perceptions of negligence, or bad intent - and thus, perceptions of illegitimacy

49. If it only were that easy…3 • 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

50. It‘s not so easy… … but we don‘t need to be perfect Makingsomeprogress towardslessoffense to people‘sself isworththeeffort