What is a current event that relates to this article? provide the connection and how they relate.

The Impact of the Great Recession on Workplace Stress Several months after the official onset of the Great Re- Hiring and salary freezes, layoffs, and bonus cession in December 2007,' Elizabeth Bernstein, writing reductions-all in an attempt to cut conts-can lead to in The Wall Street feurnal, observed that "as the econ- an increase in employees" workloads and adversely affect omy falters and layoffs sweep certain industries, many their abiliry to deal with work related stress." Paula Alpeople are more worried than ever about job securi. Ien, vicepresident of organizational solutioni and trainty-in addition to fretting over the value of their homes, ing at Shepell-fgi in Toronto, Canadn, sys that with the the cost of college, and a host of other issues. Making increased demands on employees, many of them are not matters worse: Stressed-out bosses and co-workers taking care of themelves with mppect to taking stock of tend to pass tension on to others."2 Moreover, as ob- the situation and solving problens or with regatd to gerserved by Angela Scappatura, writing for the Caxadian ting enough shep and relasation. She continues, "[t]here's HR Reporter, when "[t]here is a lot of uncertainty in always the fecling, if things are rough, [that] you should be the workplace... [.] [i]t is important for the organiza- working 24 hours a day. If you ane doing that, it's poing to tion to focus on climinating anxiety among employees take a toll. You'te going to build resentment, fatigae., th because heightened emotions can be detrimental to the Commenting in October 2010 after the official end workplace. 1 of the Great Recession in June 2009, "10 Sarah Dobson, "Put yout ear to the ground nowadays and you writing in the Camdian HR Reporter, expressed a vicw bear a steady rumble of "stress-stress-stress-stress', like shared by many people in Nonth America: "The recent a herd of bison in the distance. Whether it's a conse- recession was grueling, no doabe, and it's not ever yet. quence of recessionary cost-ctuting and dewnsizing or So, if\} no surprise rmployees are coenplaining of higher the ever more cut-throat pace of change in the global stress and heavier workloads." 11 Acconding to Carole Spemarketplace,... huge chunks of the workforce seem to ers, an occupational stress consuleant, the Grear Recesbe stressed out by their jobs-and it's getting worse."4 sion created dangerous, new levels of workplace ancictyNumerous reasons are cited for these elevated stress lev- "People are more insecure in their jobs, so they're putting els: lack of job security, shrinking pensions, microman. up with things they oxherwise wouldn't necessarily pur up agement and overcontrol of employees, de-skilled jobs, with. ... As a ressalt, employen are not gatting the best routine abuse by ill-informed and ungrateful custom- out of their cmployes. 12 Spicrs observes that when emers, long work bours, and virtually nosexistent suppont ployees do not feel they are valued by their emplopers, or from management." employees are working long hours or feel rhey are being One of the common corporate solutions for dealing. treated like numbers, shese employers will noe be loyal at least partially, with the impact of the Great Reces- to the orgamization. In addition, employee performance sion bas been downsizing. Although downsizing can will suffec, and company productivity and profitability belp companies with cost reductions, such an action will decline. 13 bas substantial negative impacts on employee attitudes. Employees perceive the layolfs as a rupturing of the employer-employee contract and these who survive Discussion Questions the layoffs typically suffer from low morale and lack of 1. How has the Great Recession directly affocted the trust in and loyalry to their employer. "Yet all too often employers do aot understand the impact of employee stress on companies' success, particularly the overall customer experience and amainment of overall business objectives. 7 2. How have the responies of busineswes to the Grear Recession affected employess' stress levebs? 3. How can the Yerkes-Dodscen law help is under standing the impact of the Great Recesion on people's stress levels