Content area
Full Text
If you ask what the single most important key to longevity is, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didn’t ask me, I’d still have to say it. − The late comedian George Burns, who lived to 100
If you don’t think your anxiety, depression, sadness and stress impact your physical health, think again. All of these emotions trigger chemical reactions in your body, which can lead to inflammation and a weakened immune system. Learn how to cope, sweet friend. There will always be dark days. Kris Carr (Bestselling Author)
1. Introduction
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health defines stress as “harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker” (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, 2016). Stress is a weapon of mass destruction. In fact, three out of every four employees describe their work as stressful (AIS, 2016). The World Health Organization called stress the “Health epidemic of the 21st century” (Said, 2016). It contributes to 120,000 deaths every year (Blanding, 2015). Stress is estimated to cost businesses up to $300 billion a year (Smith, 2012). Workplace stress is responsible for $190 billion in US health care cost alone (Blanding, 2015).
Organizations rely on the most valuable resource, their employees, to solve problems and successfully achieve financial goals. As customer demands are increasingly diverse, boundary-spanning employees – i.e. sales personnel – who make direct contact with the public or employees of other firms, must develop novel strategies to increase efficiency, effectiveness and local responsiveness to meet customer expectations and enhance their service satisfaction, performance quality and sales revenue (Eisingerich et al., 2014; Jiang et al., 2017). Stress, work-related stress, in particular, affects boundary spanners’ satisfaction – life satisfaction and job satisfaction (Srivastava and Sager, 1999; Tang et al., 2017; Tang and Hammontree, 1992). These boundary spanners play an important role in the success of the organizations (Edmondson and Boyer, 2013; Jolson et al., 1993; Singh, 1993, Singh et al., 1996) as they bridge the gap between the customer’s need and their company’s products. They interact with the customers, develop a relationship of trust...