In the restaurant industry nearly everyone can agree that job stress results from the interaction of employee and working conditions. I can also say that sometimes stress can be viewed as being different on what is the most importance between workers characteristics and working conditions? In my opinion both are factors that define and or can escalate stress levels.

When referring to individual characteristics you are speaking about someone’s personality and style, however when discussing working conditions we are talking about excessive work loads, demands from management and customers and lets not forget “CONFLICTING EXPECTATIONS”. All can be stressful to anyone especially in the restaurant business. For example employees encounter the following: • Infrequent breaks

• Long work hours

• Meaning less shift work

Shift work that is hectic combined with routine tasks that have little meaning to employees with no direction or personal goals. Other job conditions that I encounter come from management. Such as lack of communication on new products or procedures, broken food policies to family and friends, lack of support and conflicting roles on the team. These conflicting roles lead to arguments in front of employees. Everyone wears a hat but, want to take on the responsibility and tension rises causing the following:
• Low morale

• Job complaints

• Employee turnover

All are signs of working conditions which acts as an ingredient to deviant individual characteristics.
Unpleasant working conditions have a different affect on job performance and should be top priority when changing the organization and improving management stress. For these reasons I would implement the following:
• Identify any potential stress related issues by conducting a RAP SESSION with 8 employees (two groups) management and