Psychosocial Stress at Work: Experience with CREO PFQ and Classic Evidence

Marcela Peterson

When applying the CREO PFQ in different organizations — from industrial sectors such as mining to service and manufacturing companies — I have noticed that many managers and employees initially view stress as inevitable, a natural consequence of everyday work demands. Issues such as workload, role ambiguity, ineffective communication, or inconsistent support often go unnoticed until they begin to affect performance, organizational climate, or workers’ health.

The CREO PFQ helps identify patterns that are not visible in daily routines. Aspects such as perceptions of fairness, clarity of expectations, balance between demands and resources, and the quality of interpersonal support become evident only when they are measured in a structured way. Regardless of the sector or company size, these factors directly influence employees’ health, engagement, and productivity.

This practical perception is supported by the classic study by Cooper (1976), which highlighted the relationship between working conditions and occupational stress. Cooper demonstrated that stress is not merely an individual response but a phenomenon closely related to how work is structured and managed, with direct effects on behavior, health, and employee performance.

Furthermore, practical analysis using the CREO PFQ reinforces a central point raised by Cooper (1976): workplace stress is intrinsically linked to working conditions and the organization of work, rather than simply to individual characteristics. In several companies I have worked with, situations involving high demands, lack of role clarity, and insufficient resources have produced visible impacts on employees’ mental health and team behavior. Cooper had already pointed out that when these conditions are not identified and managed in a structured way, the risks of psychological overload and negative effects on performance, engagement, and organizational climate increase. 

The application of the CREO PFQ makes it possible to transform these observations into concrete data, giving managers a clear view of risk factors and enabling preventive interventions — even in complex contexts such as mining, services, and manufacturing.