1. To what do you attribute Sandy's health problems? What are some possible extraorganizational, organizational, group, and individual stressors?
2. Is there anything that this company could do to alleviate stress for its supervisors? What individual coping strategies could Sandy try?
Organizational Behavior Case: Drinking Up the Paycheck
James Emery is the father of four children. He was raised in a hardworking immigrant family. His needs for achievement and power were developed while he was growing up. Now he finds himself in a low-paying, dead-end assembly line job with a large manufacturing firm. It is all he can do to get through the day, so he has started daydreaming on the job. On payday he often goes to the tavern across the street and generally spends a lot of money. The next day he is not only hungover but also very depressed because he knows that his wife cannot make ends meet and his children often go without the essentials.
Now he cannot take it any longer. At first he thought of going to his boss for some help and advice, but he really does not understand himself well enough, and he certainly does not know or trust his boss enough to discuss his problems openly with him. Instead, he went to his union steward and told him about his financial problems and how much he hated his job. The steward told James exactly what he wanted to hear. "This darn company is the source of all your problems. The working conditions are not suited for a slave, let alone us. The pay also stinks. We are all going to have to stick together when our present contract runs out and get what we deserve- better working conditions and more money."