Companionship and Support at Work: A Microanalysis of the Stress-Reducing Features of Social Interaction

Abstract

To produce a more fine-grained analysis of the social interactions at work, the Daily Interaction Record in Organizations (DIRO) was developed that assesses daily the characteristics of social interactions, the number and nature of stressful events, and the affect experienced at the end of the day. Forty police officers daily filled in forms during the course of a week and completed a questionnaire on organizational stress. The main results were that (a) of all stressful events, interpersonal frustrations correlated highest with negative affect; (b) social interactions were characterized by three dimensions: intimate support, rewarding companionship, and instrumental support; (c) perceived support by superiors was related more closely to features of social interaction than perceived support by colleagues, whereas in both cases the highest correlations were found with rewarding companionship; (d) individuals experiencing negative affect received relatively more support, but were engaged in less rewarding companionship; (e) the quality of relationships at work reduced negative affect at the end of the workday. The discussion focuses on the role of support versus companionship in reducing stress, and the validity of self-report measures of social support.