health is found in conditions where both work–family and family–work facilitation is
high and work–family conflict is low. We await further research to find out how we
can achieve this optimal state.
RECOVERY FROM WORK STRESS
In recent years, interest in the work–family interface has led to a focus on recovery from
work stress. Jobs that are high in demand and low in control (i.e. high strain jobs), for
example, have been found to be linked to a high need for recovery (Sonnentag and
Zijlstra, 2006). Sonnentag and Zijlstra define ‘need for recovery’ as ‘a person’s desire
for being – temporarily – relieved from exposure to stressors in order to replenish
his or her resources’ (2006: 330). This in turn was linked to poorer well-being and
fatigue (i.e. recovery mediates the relationship between demands and control and
well-being outcomes). Psychological detachment, relaxation, mastery and control
experi ences in time off work have been show to help recovery (e.g. Sonnentag,
Binnewies and Mojza, 2008). Engaging in pleasant activities is also related to greater
recovery (Van Hooff et al., 2011), as is physical activity (Rook and Zijlstra, 2006). The
presence of children in the family, not surprisingly, helps detachment (Hahn and
Dormann, 2013). Researchers are starting to look at whether training can help
recovery. A recovery training program with modules promoting psychological
detachment, relaxation, mastery and control (Hahn et al., 2011) led to increased recovery
experiences during time off-work time and improved sleep quality and reduced
perceptions of work stress.
More commonly, interventions for work stress deal with reducing or managing the
stress in the workplace. These are examined in the next section.
PREVENTING AND REDUCING STRESS IN THE WORKPLACE
A number of different types of intervention have been used in the work setting.
Organizational change and job design interventions reduce stress by modifying the job
to remove stressors. Other types of intervention aim at modifying the individual’s ability
to cope with stress, for example, by training, counselling or by changing the individual’s
physical fitness. These are described in further detail in the following sections.
Preventing or reducing stress by changing the work
environment
Removing or reducing stressors at source wherever possible seems both sensible and
ethically desirable. Furthermore, the focus of the work stress models discussed above
is to determine sources of stressors with, by implication, a view to intervening to change
the nature of jobs. This may be done by, for example, changing task characteristics
such as job control as suggested by the JDC model.
This type of intervention has gained in importance with the increased public and
governmental pressure to reduce work stressors throughout Europe, Australia
and North America. For example, in the UK, the Health and Safety at Work Act
STRESS AND HEALTH IN CONTEXT 81