A CASE TO CONSIDER:WHO HAS STRESS, ANYWAY?“I’ll admit that 8:30 on a Saturday morning is a strange time to ask my three oldest friends to come over for coffee and talk,” comments Lindsey Ferrara, “But this is the only time we could get together, and I need help fast!”Lindsey is a young registered nurse in the intensive care unit of Metropolitan Hospital who has been jarred into reality by a comment her shift supervisor had just made. The comment was something like, “Lindsey, are you feeling okay? I’ve noticed for several days now that your performance just hasn’t been up to standard. What’s the problem?”Lindsey’s only explanation was that she just hadn’t been feeling well recently. As she drove home from work, she realized that she has been feeling depressed and discontented. For several months, she has sensed this feeling creeping up on her. Maybe she needs to take a vacation and get out of town for a few days. Maybe she should get a physical examination. If she could just sleep better, everything else might look brighter.Lindsey is a very conscientious member of the intensive care team at Metropolitan. She began work in the ICU when she graduated from nursing school and became a qualified RN almost three years ago. She was originally attracted to intensive care because she recognized the impact she could have on other people’s lives. She immediately found her work to be gratifying. In the past few months, however, she hasn’t felt enthusiastic about her job—or anything else. She always seems to be tired, physically and psychologically depleted. Her job seems so demanding.“I just don’t know where to turn next,” she says to Jill, Buddy, and Fred. “I know you have problems of your own, but you’re the only people I can really talk to. After all, we’ve been close friends since high school and have gone through a lot—good and bad—together. What’s wrong with me, anyway? I never used to be like this. I was a carefree, happy-go-lucky person. But now. . . .”Jill knits her brow and tries to concentrate. But it’s hard. She does have problems of her own. Jill was promoted two months ago to district manager for marketing in a large consumer products company. Since her promotion, Jill’s life has changed considerably. Before the promotion, her job seemed simple—she was merely responsible for contacting customers and selling them the company’s offerings. Now she has many decisions to make—important decisions that involve big money. Her job entails developing an advertising budget, analyzing markets to determine new territories for expansion, and hiring new personnel. Her nights and days are fraught with apprehension.“Am I doing the right thing? Will I succeed or will I fail? If only I had someone to talk to who understands marketing!” These are the thoughts flooding Jill’s mind as she tries to concentrate on what Lindsey is saying.Buddy’s dilemma is just the opposite. His job as corporate accountant for a building supply company is so boring that he can hardly make himself go to work each day. When he graduated from a university two years ago with an accounting degree, he was eager to apply his knowledge and develop his abilities. He took what he felt was a job with a great deal of promise with a new, growing company. Buddy has been with the same business since graduation, and all he has been assigned to do has been simple bookkeeping work. He’s had no opportunity to make decisions, implement new procedures, or use his training in any constructive way. He hates going into the office. But there’s an economic slowdown in the area, and opportunities in other firms are simply nonexistent.“I guess I’m a fool not to pack up and move somewhere else—somewhere with better opportunities. But what about my family? The folks are getting older, and they need help. My sister is ill. I can’t just walk out.” These are the thoughts on Buddy’s mind as he listens to Lindsey.Fred is a draftsman in a large manufacturing organization. He is very confused and frightfully hesitant about his boss. One day, the boss will be very open and supportive in his dealings with Fred; the next day, the boss will be very autocratic and restrictive toward him. As a result of the inconsistencies and the sometimes very negative actions of his boss, Fred has become increasingly reluctant to show any initiative and indeed has stopped almost all activities except those demanded by his boss on a given day.“There are times I’d just like to punch him in the jaw,” thinks Fred as he tries to concentrate on what Lindsey is saying. “But I can’t. Everyone says I’ve got a super job in terms of money, prestige, benefits. . . . I can’t just walk out on something like that—or can I?” Case Questions1. From the details given in the above paragraphs, what clues are available concerning the probable cause of Lindsey’s performance and feelings about herself and her job? [4]2. What can Lindsey do at this point that would be constructive and beneficial? What can her supervisor do? What can her friends do? [6]3. What about Jill, Buddy, and Fred? How are their problems similar to Lindsey’s? How are they different? [5]

Question

A CASE TO CONSIDER:WHO HAS STRESS, ANYWAY?“I’ll admit that 8:30 on a Saturday morning is a strange time to ask my three oldest friends to come over for coffee and talk,” comments Lindsey Ferrara, “But this is the only time we could get together, and I need help fast!”Lindsey is a young registered nurse in the intensive care unit of Metropolitan Hospital who has been jarred into reality by a comment her shift supervisor had just made. The comment was something like, “Lindsey, are you feeling okay? I’ve noticed for several days now that your performance just hasn’t been up to standard. What’s the problem?”Lindsey’s only explanation was that she just hadn’t been feeling well recently. As she drove home from work, she realized that she has been feeling depressed and discontented. For several months, she has sensed this feeling creeping up on her. Maybe she needs to take a vacation and get out of town for a few days. Maybe she should get a physical examination. If she could just sleep better, everything else might look brighter.Lindsey is a very conscientious member of the intensive care team at Metropolitan. She began work in the ICU when she graduated from nursing school and became a qualified RN almost three years ago. She was originally attracted to intensive care because she recognized the impact she could have on other people’s lives. She immediately found her work to be gratifying. In the past few months, however, she hasn’t felt enthusiastic about her job—or anything else. She always seems to be tired, physically and psychologically depleted. Her job seems so demanding.“I just don’t know where to turn next,” she says to Jill, Buddy, and Fred. “I know you have problems of your own, but you’re the only people I can really talk to. After all, we’ve been close friends since high school and have gone through a lot—good and bad—together. What’s wrong with me, anyway? I never used to be like this. I was a carefree, happy-go-lucky person. But now. . . .”Jill knits her brow and tries to concentrate. But it’s hard. She does have problems of her own. Jill was promoted two months ago to district manager for marketing in a large consumer products company. Since her promotion, Jill’s life has changed considerably. Before the promotion, her job seemed simple—she was merely responsible for contacting customers and selling them the company’s offerings. Now she has many decisions to make—important decisions that involve big money. Her job entails developing an advertising budget, analyzing markets to determine new territories for expansion, and hiring new personnel. Her nights and days are fraught with apprehension.“Am I doing the right thing? Will I succeed or will I fail? If only I had someone to talk to who understands marketing!” These are the thoughts flooding Jill’s mind as she tries to concentrate on what Lindsey is saying.Buddy’s dilemma is just the opposite. His job as corporate accountant for a building supply company is so boring that he can hardly make himself go to work each day. When he graduated from a university two years ago with an accounting degree, he was eager to apply his knowledge and develop his abilities. He took what he felt was a job with a great deal of promise with a new, growing company. Buddy has been with the same business since graduation, and all he has been assigned to do has been simple bookkeeping work. He’s had no opportunity to make decisions, implement new procedures, or use his training in any constructive way. He hates going into the office. But there’s an economic slowdown in the area, and opportunities in other firms are simply nonexistent.“I guess I’m a fool not to pack up and move somewhere else—somewhere with better opportunities. But what about my family? The folks are getting older, and they need help. My sister is ill. I can’t just walk out.” These are the thoughts on Buddy’s mind as he listens to Lindsey.Fred is a draftsman in a large manufacturing organization. He is very confused and frightfully hesitant about his boss. One day, the boss will be very open and supportive in his dealings with Fred; the next day, the boss will be very autocratic and restrictive toward him. As a result of the inconsistencies and the sometimes very negative actions of his boss, Fred has become increasingly reluctant to show any initiative and indeed has stopped almost all activities except those demanded by his boss on a given day.“There are times I’d just like to punch him in the jaw,” thinks Fred as he tries to concentrate on what Lindsey is saying. “But I can’t. Everyone says I’ve got a super job in terms of money, prestige, benefits. . . . I can’t just walk out on something like that—or can I?” Case Questions1. From the details given in the above paragraphs, what clues are available concerning the probable cause of Lindsey’s performance and feelings about herself and her job?​​ [4]2. What can Lindsey do at this point that would be constructive and beneficial? What can her supervisor do? What can her friends do? ​​​​​​​ [6]3. What about Jill, Buddy, and Fred? How are their problems similar to Lindsey’s? How are they different? ​​​​​​​​​​ [5]

Accepted Answer

he case presented revolves around the challenges faced by individuals in their professional lives,…