Broadening the scope of worksite stress programs: A guiding framework

Worksite stress programs have proliferated in recent years. A large proportion of these programs focus on helping individual employees learn about stress and develop better coping skills. Few programs attempt to reduce the stressful aspects of the job or the organizational context. In order to facilitate the development of a broader array of stress reduction programs, the authors provide: 1) a conceptual framework upon which worksite stress programs should be based, 2) a guide to the variety of decision points in the program development process, 3) an exploration of the reasons why a broader range of stress programs have not heretofore been developed, and 4) suggestions for creating a context amenable to innovative worksite stress programs.