WORK STRESS AND ITS MANAGEMENT A recent research claims that over 40% of employees today are suffering from the problem of work stress. Due to the increasing challenges of the business environment people find it difficult to sustain a healthy lifestyle. In the previous era job with a large company ensured lifetime security, now the case is not so at all. To add on to the problem recession blues and companies downsizing their employees have increased the tension to much higher levels in regard to the job insecurity. Workforce especially the women, have to cope up with the dilemma of optimizing the work life balance in the most optimal manner. This article focuses on the causes and stress and techniques to overcome stress. WHAT IS STRESS? Stress is often defined as a dynamic condition in which an individual is confronted with an opportunity, constraint, or demand related to what he or she desires and for which the outcome is perceived to be both uncertain and important. Although stress is regarded as negative, so is not the case in reality, as stress also offers an opportunity of a potential empowerment. However, stress is harmful when it exceeds the normal coping power of the body. It might lead to a state of depression, ill functioning of other body parts, anxiety, boredom etc. Stress is generated due to the constraints i.e. the forces that prevents individuals from doing what they desire and also when they fail to meet the expectations of themselves and others. If winning or losing becomes unimportant then there is no stress. STRESS IS CAUSED DUE TO THE FOLLOWING REASONS :- • INDIVIDUAL CONSTITUENTS: - Research shows that certain individuals have the inherent tendencies to accentuate stress. Stress for such individuals is an addictive phenomenon. Employee’s often suffering from at workplace due to individual differences with their peers, subordinates or superiors. An employee spends about 50 working hours each week on as average. The main cause of stress however are the rest 120 non working hours. As humans treat their personal relationships quite dearly, so any family problem as a broken relationship, trouble in disciplining children is the causes of stress for an individual. Financial crunches also act as major causes of stress. It has found that people earning fifty thousand per month may be as stressed as individuals earning fifteen thousand per month because they tend to be poor money managers. • ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES: - The three primary ingredients of business environment that tend to generate stress among employees are economic uncertainty, political uncertainty and technological uncertainty. Today’s economic conditions are more turbulent because of the recession which had heightened the fear of job insecurity more than ever. Political conditions become a cause of stress due to the unstable systems. Technological uncertainties induces stress because as technology lifecycle is as short as six months the skills developed by an employee to work with a particular technology obsoletes at a much faster pace. • ORGANISATIONAL FIXINGS: - There are infinite reasons that exists within an organization causing stress among employees. These may be displeasing interpersonal relations with the other members of organisation. Task workloads and limited time exhaust workers. Organizational structure and leadership are also chief causes of stress among employees. One can never ignore the commonest of all the causes- a demanding and insensitive boss. CONSEQUENCES OF WORK STRESS • BEHAVIOURAL OUTCOMES: - Increased absenteeism, lower productivity and high turnover are the possible outcomes if stress is prevailing among the company’s employees. Other changes as consumption of alcohol, smoking, sleeping disorders all are a cost of job stress. It is seen that people perform more under a certain level of stress rather than no stress at all, but it gets worsened when the level exceeds. • PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES: - Higher rate of job dissatisfaction, depression and anxiety are the negative consequences of stress. These disturb the activity of the employees and affect their metabolism for the worst. • PHYSIOLOGICAL OUTCOMES: - These include headaches, high blood pressure and heart diseases. The relation between physiological outcomes and stress is ambiguous and relatively complex. MANAGING STRESS ORGANISATIONAL APPROCHES:- Organisation can work towards effectively distressing its employees by redesigning a few of its activities as selection and placement; goal setting as according to the employees potential; redesigning jobs by providing flexible and employee friendly options; increasing employee’s participation in decision making concerning his project and tasks and increasing both formal and informal channels of organisational communication. Starting with organization supported wellness programs that focus on the improvement of employee’s total physical and mental condition. Workshops to help people quit smoking, control alcohol, eat better and develop a regular exercise regime may also be organised. INDIVIDUAL APPROACHES: - Personal determination, strategies and commitment always give positive results in reducing stress. One may expand his or her social network, apply relaxation techniques, and adopt effective time management techniques. Also employees who started doing physical exercises gave a certain feedback in reducing their stress levels. Experts say that meditation and biofeedback are also great relievers of mental stress.
Hey, These are very good points to reduce stress,. people are becoming very stressful these days because of their busy life and other issues of life and job.. These tricks will surely work i guess
I can also share some tips on how to relieve from stress: 1.) Take some time to read the Bible, and spend time with God. 2.) Do something fun outdoors 3.) Don't think too much
Some of the coolest points you have mentioned here to get rid from stress.. thats nice.. one should always get themselves engaged in those activities that gives them pleasure and happiness.. People like dancing and singing to get relief from stress..
Stress affects badly Stress is very bad for human body and mind. It must be avoided as far as possible. The people must do different types of things to spend their time, they must talk with the others, do different types of exercises, spend the time in relaxation and in utmost comfort if possible. They must do one thing at a time and try to be happy and cool.
