Stimulating Simulation: Managing Stress Through Effective Time Management

Abstract

Managing stress at work is difficult because the majority of the factors causing workplace stress often appear out of one’s control. However, this is not true for all job stressors; employees have the ability to largely manage their workload and demands on their time. Managing time effectively is a top skill that employers seek when hiring, so students’ ability to improve this skill can help them on the job market. This paper modifies and updates a highly engaging, free, easy-to-use, email-based simulation in which students act as a manager to make fast, critical decisions about how to best use their time within 30 minutes. Afterward, a lengthy debrief is conducted in which students reflect on their decisions. This simulation is suitable for organizational behavior and management courses and has been successfully used at undergraduate and graduate levels, both in-person and online in a synchronous format.