What are some of the malstressors that you have observed in a justice agency or organization? Describe the consequences of organizational stress in the agency or organization. What personality traits do you need as a manager to reduce malstress?
Police officers are professionals who are exposed to events such as contact with problematic situations both human and material, continued exposure to suffering, threats to their own safety and that of colleagues, the use of weapons, performance in emergency operations, and exposure to traumatic events such as death; these exposures result in distress. For these reasons, police officers are considered
employees with high levels of exposure to acute and chronic stressors and lower levels of well-being compared with other similar occupations and with the general population. The importance of improving working conditions for the health and psychological health of police officers creates added value in terms
of organizational performance and the quality of life of those in the organization. Protecting the psychological health of police officers could have a positive impact not only on the private lives of employees but also on the quality of the relations between police officers and the users of police services, which, in turn, may lead to an improvement in the services offered to citizens. It is therefore desirable that all police organizations become aware of the importance of psychosocial risk assessment for not only the protection of police officers’ health but also for the optimization of their responses to citizens’ requests (Maran, 2022). Malstressors in justice organizations can include a lack of resources, high workloads, limited support, workplace bullying, negative attitudes from supervisors, tight deadlines, shift work, organizational changes, lack of recognition, inflexible hours, and inconsistent workloads. The consequences of organizational stress can include decreased morale, high turnover rates, increased absenteeism, decreased productivity, impaired decision-making, strained relationships, increased conflicts, impaired communication, reduced creativity, and decreased motivation and creativity. Personality traits that can help managers reduce malstress in justice organizations include empathy, communication skills, active listening, problem solving, trust and respect for team members, flexibility, responsiveness, and a positive
attitude. Managers should also strive to create an environment of trust and respect, have an open-door policy, and be aware of potential sources of stress.
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