Employee wellbeing, economic stress research, strategies

VANCOUVER, Wash. – “Economic Stress and Job Insecurity: Implications for Employees and Organizations,” the final installment of the annual Chancellor’s Seminar Series at Washington State University Vancouver, will be presented at 11:45 a.m. Friday, April 29, in the Firstenburg Student Commons.
 
Tickets to the public series cost $25 and include lunch and parking. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.vancouver.wsu.edu/community and click on Chancellor’s Seminar Series or call 360-546-9580.
 
Eye-catching headlines concerning high unemployment rates locally and nationally, weak economic forecasts and seemingly never-ending waves of layoffs are a continuous reminder of the gravity and extent of the economic crisis facing the United States. Far less attention has been paid to the short- and long-term implications of economic stress, job insecurity and layoffs on employee wellbeing and organizational innovation and productivity.

Tahira Probst, professor of psychology at WSU Vancouver, will share results from her research spanning more than a decade on the impact of economic stress on employee attitudes, health, safety, productivity and creativity. She will follow with useful strategies to mitigate some of the adverse effects of economic stress and job insecurity.
 
Probst received her Ph.D. in industrial/organizational psychology from the University of Illinois in 1998. In conducting her research on job insecurity and economic stress, she has worked with dozens of organizations in numerous countries representing many different industries, including manufacturing, mining, construction, health care and the public sector.
She was a visiting scholar at the United Nation’s International Labor Organization and served as a research consultant for the National Academies Institute of Medicine on its project to evaluate workplace wellness programs at NASA. She is associate editor of Stress & Health and sits on the editorial boards of Military Psychology and the Journal of Business and Psychology.
 
WSU Vancouver’s Chancellor’s Seminar Series thoughtfully examines timely topics and extends an invitation to exchange ideas. The series gathers students, faculty, staff, business leaders, elected officials and community members for an in-depth conversation about a topic of current interest or concern. Guests are encouraged to ask questions and share ideas after the presentation.