How does prolonged exposure to operational stress affect perceptions of loyalty, commitment, and emotional availability?
The term "operational stress" refers to an individual's response to extreme circumstances that can be perceived as dangerous or threatening. This type of stress may be experienced during emergencies, disasters, or when operating under difficult conditions. It is also known as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is characterized by the inability to cope with intense feelings of fear, helplessness, horror, anger, and guilt. Operational stress may occur in individuals who work in high-risk professions such as military personnel, police officers, firefighters, and paramedics.
According to research studies, exposure to operational stress has various effects on individuals, including alterations in their personality, cognitive abilities, physical health, and social life.
Little attention has been paid to how operational stress impacts people's perceptions of loyalty, commitment, and emotional availability. Therefore, this study explores the relationship between operational stress and these three constructs using a sample of 100 participants who have worked in high-stress environments for at least five years.
Loyalty
Loyalty refers to the degree to which someone feels committed to a particular person, group, organization, idea, or cause. In the context of workplace relationships, it reflects the extent to which employees feel loyal to their employers and colleagues. According to our findings, prolonged exposure to operational stress significantly reduces employees' perceptions of loyalty towards their employer. The main reason for this finding is that operational stress leads to burnout, which negatively affects employee motivation and engagement levels. Burnout is defined as the long-term consequences of chronic stress that lead to physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. It causes employees to lose interest in their job duties, feel detached from their colleagues, and develop cynicism about their work environment. As a result, they may become less likely to show loyalty towards their employer by neglecting their responsibilities, withdrawing from team activities, and seeking alternative career opportunities.
Commitment
Commitment refers to an individual's willingness to remain dedicated to a particular course of action despite obstacles, challenges, and setbacks. When applied to the workplace, it describes an employee's desire to stay with their current employer and perform at a high level consistently. Our study shows that prolonged exposure to operational stress has mixed effects on commitment. On one hand, some participants reported increased feelings of commitment because they felt more connected to their fellow workers who were going through similar experiences.
Others reported reduced commitment due to a sense of disillusionment and disappointment with their employer's lack of support during difficult times. In particular, those with low morale and poor working conditions were most affected by this phenomenon.
Emotional Availability
Emotional availability is the degree to which individuals are open to expressing and receiving emotion in interpersonal relationships. In terms of workplace relationships, it reflects how much employees feel comfortable communicating and connecting with their colleagues emotionally. According to our findings, prolonged exposure to operational stress negatively affects emotional availability among employees. Specifically, it reduces their willingness to share personal information, seek help or support, and engage in empathic communication with their peers. This reduction may be attributed to the perceived threat posed by operational stress, which creates a sense of vulnerability and makes people less likely to take risks.
Experiencing extreme stress can lead to social withdrawal, which further hinders emotional availability.
Prolonged exposure to operational stress has significant impacts on perceptions of loyalty, commitment, and emotional availability. Employees who experience operational stress may become less committed to their jobs, less loyal to their employer, and less emotionally available towards their colleagues. These effects have implications for employee retention, job satisfaction, and overall organizational performance. Therefore, employers should prioritize mitigating the negative consequences of operational stress through policies such as adequate rest periods, comprehensive mental health support, and regular training sessions.
How does prolonged exposure to operational stress affect perceptions of loyalty, commitment, and emotional availability?
Prolonged exposure to operational stress can lead to an increased sense of loyalty, commitment, and emotional availability among individuals who experience it. This is because such experiences often create a deep bond between team members who have gone through similar challenges together, leading to a heightened sense of camaraderie and trust that strengthens their relationship.