^Academy of Management /ournaJ 1987, Vol. 30, No. 2, 260-276. CHARACTERISTICS OF WORK STATIONS AS POTENTIAL OCCUPATIONAL STRESSORS ROBERT I. SUTTON Stanford University ANAT RAFAELI Hebrew University of Jerusalem A field study of 109 clerical workers explored work stations' character- ^^ istics as potential occupational stressors. Contrary to predictions, intru^ sions from atmospheric conditions and intrusions from other employ- ees were not consistently related to negative reactions. As predicted, however, the evidence suggested that intrusions were more strongly ^ associated with reactions to employees' work stations than with general reactions to their work. Results also indicated that employees reporting high role overload had relatively fewer negative reactions to hotness and density. The findings provide modest support for the detachment hypothesis, which predicts that overworked employees concentrate harder on their work than other employees and ignore intrusions stem- ming from their physical environment. Tbe classic Hawtborne studies were initiated to discover tbe influence of illumination and otber pbysical conditions on employees' efficiency (Roetblisberger & Dickson, 1940). Tbe results of tbat researcb encouraged organizational tbeorists to focus on social-psycbological variables ratber tban pbysical ones. Recent conceptual (Davis, 1984; Pfeffer, 1982) and empirical work (Oldbam & Brass, 1979; Oldbam & Rotcbford, 1983; Szilagyi & Holland, 1980; Zaiesny & Farace, 1987) bas suggested, bowever, tbat tbe field of organizational bebavior can benefit from consideration of pbysical variables. Furtbermore, otber disciplines, including buman factors researcb (e.g., Gawron, 1984; Knave, 1984), environmental psycbology (e.g., Baum & Davis, 1976; Mandel, Baron, & Fisber, 1980), and social psycbology (e.g., Langer & Saegert, 1977; Worcbel & Teddlie, 1976) bave conducted extensive researcb on pbysical variables. Altbougb researcbers in organizational bebavior bave not explicitly ex- amined pbysical variablg^ as occupational stressors, tbe literatures of otber disciplines suggest tba^bysical settings can be sources of pressures and constraints tbat negatively affect performance and well-being!] Moreover, —J We wish to thank Grace Chan, Cheryl Householder, James Jucker, Pamela O'Connor, and Robert Quinn for their help with this study. Portions of this paper were prepared while Robert Sutton was a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. He is grateful for financial support provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. 260