Final answer:
The false statement about stress is that employees are the most productive when they experience no stress. In reality, a moderate amount of stress, or eustress, can lead to improved alertness and productivity, while too much stress, or distress, can be detrimental to both health and productivity. The correct option is A.
Step-by-step explanation:
Among the statements provided about stress, the false one is a) Employees are the most productive when they experience no stress.
On the contrary, stress response, including job stress, can be beneficial in moderate amounts and is known as eustress. It leads to increased alertness, energy, and productivity.
However, when employees experience excessive stress, known as distress, it can lead to decreased productivity and may cause adverse health effects. Therefore, some level of stress is conducive to high productivity, and it's the balance that is crucial.
Indeed, both stimulus-based and response-based definitions of stress acknowledge that stress is not only caused by the external events, which are the stressors but is also a result of the physiological and psychological response of an individual.
Stress becomes problematic and can lead to physiological and psychological damage when it's chronic and excessive, validating options e) and d).
Research findings, such as those involving Canadian women in management, support the notion that there are gender differences in job stress levels, making option c) a plausible statement.
Therefore, the idea that employees are most productive with no stress is not accurate and is the false statement among the options provided. The correct option is A.