Job Stress Survey

Assesses Intensity and Frequency of Occurrence of 30 Stressor Events Related to Job Stress for Individuals or Groups

The Job Stress Survey (JSS) is an organizational health assessment designed to identify generic sources of work-related stress and measure how often and how severely they impact employees. Written at a 6th-grade reading level, this 30-item evaluation takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete using a paper-and-pencil or software format. Rather than measuring a person’s general anxiety or personality flaws, the tool tracks specific operational pressures—such as heavy workloads, toxic customer interactions, poor equipment, or unsupportive managers—to give company leadership objective data for reshaping work environments.

The Job Stress Survey was developed to assess sources of work-related stress. It provides valuable information about the specific aspects of a particular job or work environment that may be good targets for job redesign, organizational change, or other interventions. The client indicates on a scale of 0 to 9+ days how often each JSS stressor event has occurred during the preceding 6 months.

Numerous studies have linked stress to impaired performance in the workplace. Occupational stress affects productivity, absenteeism, accidents, worker turnover and stress-related health problems that all cost companies large amounts of money every year. By identifying major sources of stress in a workplace, management can help to identify changes in the work environment and other interventions that will reduce stress and increase productivity.

Features and benefits

• Appropriate for individuals in a wide variety of business, industrial, and educational settings.
• Severity and Frequency scales provide information on the average level of perceived severity and frequency of occurrence.
• The Stress Index assesses the client’s overall level of stress based on the combined severity and frequency ratings.
• The 10-item JSS subscales measure components of occupational stress associated with the job itself (i.e., Job Pressure) and with supervisors, coworkers, or the policies and procedures of the organization (i.e., Lack of Organizational Support).
• In addition to providing information about specific work-related stressors that adversely affect individual employees, the JSS can also be utilized to identify sources of occupational stress for groups of workers and to evaluate and compare the stress levels of employees in different departments or divisions within the same organization.

What It’s Best Used For

• Targeting organizational redesigns: Pinpointing exact elements within a work environment that cause high stress to guide physical workspace changes, structural interventions, or policy modifications.
• Isolating job pressure vs. structural support issues: Utilizing 10-item subscales to mathematically separate day-to-day work tasks (Job Pressure) from problems tied to team cooperation and supervisor management (Lack of Organizational Support).
• Reducing business turnover and absenteeism: Lowering the hidden corporate costs associated with employee burnout, high sick-leave usage, workspace accidents, and general productivity declines.
• Comparing inter-departmental strain: Evaluating and contrasting the collective stress baselines of different corporate departments, job divisions, or branch offices within the same enterprise.
• Measuring stress event frequency and severity: Scoring individuals on how intensely a workplace problem bothers them, paired with a 6-month historical log tracking exactly how often the problem occurred.

The JSS Includes:

• Severity and Frequency scales provide information on the average level of perceived severity and frequency of occurrence.
• The Stress Index assesses the client’s overall level of stress based on the combined severity and frequency ratings.
• The 10-item JSS subscales measure components of occupational stress associated with the job itself (i.e., Job Pressure) and with supervisors, coworkers, or the policies and procedures of the organization (i.e., Lack of Organizational Support).

The Job Stress Survey was developed to assess generic sources of work-related stress experienced by men and women in a wide variety of business, industrial and educational settings. It can help you compare stress levels among employees in different departments or divisions within the same organization.

The JSS Measures the Following Factors:

• Assignment of disagreeable duties
• Working overtime
• Lack of opportunity for advancement
• Assignment of new or unfamiliar duties
• Fellow workers not doing their jobs
• Inadequate support by supervisor
• Dealing with crisis situations
• Lack of recognition for good work
• Performing tasks not in job description
• Inadequate or poor quality equipment
• Assignment of increased responsibility
• Periods of inactivity
• Difficulty getting along with supervisor
• Experiencing negative attitudes toward the organization
• Insufficient personnel to handle an assignment
• Making critical on-the-spot decisions
• Personal insult from customer/consumer/colleague
• Lack of participation in policy-making decisions
• Inadequate salary
• Competition for advancement
• Poor or inadequate supervision
• Noisy work area
• Frequent interruptions
• Frequent changes from boring to demanding duties
• Excessive paperwork
• Meeting deadlines
• Insufficient personal time
• Covering work for another employee
• Poorly motivated coworkers
• Conflicts with other department
• Severity and Frequency scales – providing information on the average level of perceived severity and frequency of occurrence of the 30 JSS stressor events.
• Stress Index – assesses the overall level of stress based on the combined severity and frequency ratings of all 30 stressor events.
• 10-Item Subscales – measure components of occupational stress associated with the job itself (Job Pressure) and the lack of support from co-workers or the policies and procedures of the organization (Lack of Organizational Support).

Other details about this test:

• It assesses 30 job-related stressor events,
• It is written at the grade 6 reading level,
• A 9-point rating scale assesses the perceived severity of the stressor event,
• Respondents indicate on a 0 – 9 day scale, how often each event has occurred during the preceding 6 months,
• The test can be computer or hand scored,
• Norms are provided based on adults employed in business, industry, university and military settings,
• Gender-specific and gender-combined norms are provided

The JSS is a B-Level Product:

A degree from an accredited 4-year college or university in Psychology, Counseling, or a closely related field PLUS satisfactory completion of coursework in Test Interpretation, Psychometrics and Measurement Theory, Educational Statistics, or a closely related area; OR license or certification from an agency that requires appropriate training and experience in the ethical and competent use of psychological tests.