09-09-2013, 03:36 PM
STRESS AT WORK: ISSUES AND STRATEGIES
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Abstract
The atmosphere at the workplace has changed in the recent years due to globalization, IT revolution, technological advancement and global financial crisis. This can have a great impact on the lives of the employees. Modern jobs are knowledge-based which demand more from employees, which create many challenges in an employee's life, thus causing stress. The reasons can be: pressure from superiors, target-oriented approach, relationship with colleagues and subordinates, lack of time for personal life, family stress, and many more. These kinds of stress can create mental and health ailments, which may affect the performance and productivity of the employees.
Stress is a major area of concern for the managers of organisations operating in the dynamic environment characterized by economic turbulence, global competition, and higher expectations of various stakeholders. This calls for effective management of stress among those working in the organisation. The management should identify and understand the causes of stress and initiate appropriate strategies to cope with stress.
Introduction
The word ‘stress’ has been derived from the Latin word ‘String ere’, which means to draw tight. In the beginning, this word was used to express hardships, strains and adversities. Later in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, it was used to denote force, pressure, strain or strong effort with reference to an object or person. In pure sciences like physics, it is used to imply an external force or pressure exerted to distort and being resisted by the person or object on which it is exerted. Physiological science defines stress as a stimulus resulting in a detectable strain that cannot be accommodated by the organism and which ultimately results in impaired health or behaviour.
The Concept of Stress
Various experts have defined stress in their own ways and so it has been explored in numerous ways. Walter Cannon (1925), a noted physiologist suggested that stress is the body’s reaction or adaptive response to an emotionally disturbing or threatening situation. He was the first researcher who identified the stress reaction as ‘fight or flight’ response. When confronted by a threat, body prepares itself, to either fight, i.e., to face the situation or to flight, i.e., to run away or escape from the situation. To prepare for fighting or fleeing away, certain bodily changes are experienced like increase in heart rate and blood pressure, perspiration, tension in muscles, trembling of hands and feet, etc. This response of the body is very valuable because it allows quick mobilization of itself for either of the actions, i.e., to fight or to flee. Our cavemen ancestors used this response in protecting themselves from the wild animals.
Employees and Organisational Roles
Each employee of the organisation is attached to his position with a set of behavioural requirements defined by what he is expected, permitted and prohibited to do. The formal features of the organisation spell out the role prescription for the employees. So each employee receives inputs from the organisational circumstances like job requirements, the authority structure and the reward and punishment sub-system etc. The authority structure defines the channels of decision making and their implementation. The framework of organisational rules impose binding upon its members.
Organisational Stressors
Organisational stressors originate from the organisational situations, which are the result of operating organisational processes that act as stimulus for an employee for his/her non-specific response. Beehr and Newman (1978) state that “Job stress is a situation where in job related factors interact with the worker to change, i.e., disrupt or enhance his/her psychological and/or physiological condition, such that the person is forced to deviate from normal functioning.”
Number of organisational stressors is infinite. At times organisational stressors intermingle with individual stressors. Personality dispositions also play an important role towards adaptability of a person for organisational stressors. Same organisational situation can be challenging for one executive and stressful for another. Organisational stress may become a cause of harmful physical and emotional response which can arise due to a conflict between organisational demands on an employee and his capacity to meet these demands. Apart from it, sometimes an employee may experience organisational stress due to his perception towards organisational demands/events/situations etc. Cooper and Marshal (1981) have divided the potential sources of organisational stress into six categories.
Consequences of Organisational Stress
Organisational stress not only affects the individuals working in the organisations but also the organisations where it arises. Organisations’ performance, well-being, image and also the competitiveness get adversely influenced by the organisational stress. Significant effects of organisational stress that have been revealed by various researchers are listed below:
(a) Higher rates of absenteeism and attrition
(b) Higher medical reimbursement to employees
© Low productivity
(d) Dissatisfaction among employees
(e) Workplace violence
(f) Conflicts between individuals and groups
(g) Bad organisational climate
Strategies to Manage Stress
Stress is inevitable in life. It has been shown by various research studies that a small amount of stress is an essential element for the personal growth and development of an individual. Each individual needs a moderate amount of stress to be alert and enthusiastic. In modern competitive age, individuals as well as organisations find that some stress is a must for their very existence and well-doing.
Conclusion
Stress has become a major concern of the modern times as it can cause harm to employee’s health and performance. Different psychologists and physiologists have defined stress differently. In simple words, stress refers to pressures or tensions people feel in life. As living human makes constant demands, so it produces pressure, i.e., stress. Stress is, therefore, a natural and unavoidable feature of human life. However, stress beyond a particular level can cause psychological and physiological problems which in turn would affect the individual’s performance in the organisation.
The atmosphere at the workplace has changed in the recent years due to globalization, IT revolution, technological advancement and global financial crisis. This can have a great impact on the lives of the employees. Modern jobs are knowledge-based which demand more from employees, which create many challenges in an employee’s life, thus causing stress. The reasons can be: pressure from superiors, target-oriented approach, relationship with colleagues and subordinates, lack of time for personal life, family stress, and many more.