workload and stress

The concept of evaluating mental stress is essentially based on the theoretical background of the stress-strain concept.

"Mental stress is the totality of all detectable influences that come from outside and have a psychological effect on a person" (ÖNORM EN ISO 10075-1). Such influences primarily affect three areas of the individual: the physiological-somatic level, the psychological level and the behavioral level. At all three levels, short-term, current reactions and medium to long-term, chronic reactions can be distinguished. Stress in the workplace can be associated with different aspects of work. These aspects include the work tasks themselves, the work organization, the environmental conditions, the social conditions and the organizational framework conditions (see Schuler 2007, p. 174, or ISO 10075-1 and -2).

Mental strain is defined as "the immediate (not long-term) effect of mental stress on the individual depending on his or her respective long-term and current conditions, including individual coping strategies" (DIN EN ISO 10075-1). The mental stress that leads to mental strain can, depending on how an individual absorbs and processes this strain, lead to incorrect strain (DIN EN ISO 10075-1, p. 4ff.). This means that stress must be understood as a neutral term; (incorrect) stress can only arise in the process of processing, whereby both the persistence and the intensity of the impact of the stress are decisive for these processes (DIN EN ISO 10075-1, p. 4ff.).

This means that stress does not necessarily lead to negative strain (under- or overload), but that the stress can be seen as a challenge in connection with the individual performance requirements By providing resources in the design of work environments, i.e. external conditions, potential critical effects of stress can be counteracted. Organizational and personal resources must be taken into account (cf. Kallus & Uhlig, 2000).

For stress and strain, sometimes the term "workload" is used, that covers both aspects in the working context. For more information, see following definitions and norms:

• DIN EN ISO 10075-1 (2000). Ergonomic principles relating to mental workload. Part 1: General and terminology. Berlin: Beuth.
• DIN EN ISO 10075-2 (2000). Ergonomic principles relating to mental workload. Part 2: Design principles. Berlin: Beuth.
• Kallus, K. W., & Uhlig, T. (2000). Recovery research: New perspectives for understanding stress. In R. Silgereisen & M. Reitzle (Eds.), Psychology 2000. Report on the 42nd Congress of the German Psychological Society in Jena 2000 (pp. 364-379).
• Schuler, H. (2007). Textbook Organizational Psychology. 4th ed., Bern: Verlag Hans-Huber, Hogrefe AG.