Occupational stress and employment strain in retail work

Psychology of Employment Relations

The management in industries that hire low-skill workers, including retail industries, have a duty and responsibility to provide a decent, reasonably stress-free work environment, and the workers they hire are more and more expected to have some skills and competencies in advance of being hired. This paper reviews the changes and challenges that relate to the retail employees and their work dynamics, and how management is responding to those challenges

Low-skill employment is in flux -- Stress is commonplace

One of the most serious issues that low-skill workers face is of course earning enough money to put food on the table, pay the rent, clothe the children and put gasoline in the auto. In many instances, low-skill workers in the retail industry have more than one job, and this pressure to earn sufficient money for a family causes stress. These retail workers often face "…job insecurity, short -- and split-shifts, unpredictability of hours, low wages and benefits," and moreover these workers often must "juggle multiple jobs" in order to survive (Zeytinoglu, et al., 2004).

Recent surveys in Canada reflect the fact that "occupational health" is negatively impacted by "casual work"; and roughly 20% of workers in this research paper are "stressed" (Zeytinoglu, 517). The stress increased when poor management decisions are made that impact workers, Zeytinoglu explains; for example, in the retail trade worker benefits and earnings have been on a downward trajectory, and employers are consistently "reducing hours or work" while they extend the hours that the stores are open (521). For workers who have young children, arranging child care and helping children with school-related issues are especially challenging when "split shifts" and "intermittent scheduling of work" are the norm (Zeytinoglu, 521).

And for female retail workers, because many low-wage / retail environments are "male-dominated," they often face "…harassment, prejudice and sex stereotyping," all of which increase stress symptoms (Zeytinoglu, 522). Beyond the occupational stress that is commonplace among retail workers, the authors explain that there is "employment strain," which relates to the "uncertainty" in jobs, earnings, scheduling, location of employment and the "precariousness of the household demands" (Zeytinoglu, 523). These conditions and issues for low-skill workers are not going to go away any time soon, but employers should be aware of the difficulties retail workers (especially part-time workers) constantly face.

On the subject of stress in the retail workplace, Professor Carmen Chasovschi explains that the last century has brought "…major and revolutionary changes in the daily life rhythm," and as a result "all of us" are under the pressure of "physical and psychical stressors" in the workplace (Chasovschi, 2013). As a result, stress is being considered an "occupational health issue" and in the retail workplace there are specific conditions and issues that lead to stress, the author explains.

In this peer-reviewed research paper, the author interviewed 64 people in a large retail store in Balti, Republic of Moldova, and a questionnaire was also part of the research. About 10% of the retail workers said they were "very satisfied"; 29.68% were "quite satisfied"; 51.56% were "satisfied"; and 7.81% were "quite dissatisfied" (Chasovschi). The most common stress factors included poor communication, behavior of supervisors, "demanding physical tasks" and the author asserts that "direct managerial measures" should be put in place to reduce the stressors experienced by employees (Chasovschi). Work itself should not be linked to stress, the author asserts, but stress eventually leads to "burnout and exhaustion," and management must recognize these factors and use "soft measures" to reduce stress.

Healthy work organization interventions -- possible solutions?

In a scholarly article published by the British Psychological Society (Journal of Occupational and Organisational Psychology) the authors report on establishing "teams" in 11 retail stores in order to test interventions that would improve work organization in those sites (Dejoy, et al., 2010). Using those eleven stores as places for the interventions and ten other stores as controls, and by conducting employee surveys at 12-month intervals, the researchers' goal was to promote "…improved…and healthier work organizations" (Dejoy, 142). The "ACTion" teams -- led by "trained facilitators" created a "five-phase problem-solving process" that included "action plans" embracing these components: "familiarization, skill building, prioritization, action, and reaction" (Dejoy, 144).

Each of the five categories mentioned in the sentence above was thoroughly reviewed with employees and duties were assigned in each step. Along the way measures that assessed employee health and well-being, including five measures of "work adjustment" (organizational climate; job future; psychological work adjustment; employee well-being; and business performance) were employed (Dejoy, 157). The results showed that workers in the intervention stores perceived that they were "healthier and safer at work" than those at the control sites (Dejoy, 160). Over the two-year cycle of the intervention, "stronger performance" in terms of employee turnover and "sales per labor hour" was recorded, Dejoy continued (160).

In conclusion, this paper reviews some of the problems inherent in retail and low-skill jobs, including stress and family-related struggles. The paper also points to potential intervention projects that, according to Dejoy, serve to be a "positive experience" as well as a "useful professional development experience" (161). In other words, with encouragement and hands-on training, retail work can be more productive and less stressful on the employees.