In this situation all stages of general adaption syndrome would be experienced. The initial stage is alarm. In this stage the person feels completely overwhelmed with their promotion assignment. The first response would be the physical and emotional “fight or flight” stance. The next stage would be resistance. This is the stage in which the person is beginning to learn how to cope with their new workload. The exhaustion stage can follow if care is not taken in the resistance stage. The person would exhibit stress-related illness and fatigue in the exhaustion stage.
The pursuit of the promotion may cause cognitive and emotional responses, including depression, anger, and anxiety. The anxiety is a response to the thoughts of inadequacy in the new position. Anger would be generated as a direct response to the overwhelming number of tasks being assigned. This would be particularly applicable if other associates were previously assigned to the work that the new person was now being given. Depression can arise when the anxiety and anger are not adequately dealt with by the person.
Health effects of ongoing stress may include immune system responses and depletion that can result in vulnerability to infections and disease. For example, when a person is constantly in motion without balance in their work, their health will be negatively affected. People who do not effectively cope with stress often develop chronic headaches in these situations. The way to reduce the stress is by learning how to structure your workflow in an efficient way. This skill allows a person to multi-task his or her assignments in an organized and effective manner. Organization has long term benefits since it will allow the individual to perform better in all aspects of his or her work, giving them a more relaxed working environment.