Downsizing, role demands, and job stress

This is a cross-sectional study consisting of self-administered survey inst ruments to measure psychological distress and stress-inducing work demands after 6 months of rumors about an upcoming corporate downsizing event. The workforce consisted predominantly of white males who were marred, college-e ducated, and nonsmokers. Higher stress levels were seen among older, more e ducated workers, who had longer company tenure. Role boundary problems, nox ious physical environments, and company tenure were retained in the final m ultivariable model predicting distress level. The ongoing time delay for ma nagement to implement the threatened layoff and beer rankings for a new job performance appraisal contributed to a decline in worker solidarity becaus e of concerns about career and job security. These uncertainties reduced wo rker productivity and effective teamwork.