STRESS Learning Objectives After reading this lesson, we should be able to understand: The meaning of stress Various sources

es of stress Various effects or consequences of stress Various methods of managing stress The nature of stress has been studied by scholars in a wide range of academic disciplines. Physicians, psychiatrists, and researchers in management have all studied its causes and its symptoms, and have defined the term in a variety of different ways. Stress is defined as "the reactions of individuals to new or threatening factors in their work environments. Stress can be either positive or negative. Some new work situations can bring us positive challenges and excitement. For example, promotions to new jobs present employees with positive stress. Employees may feel anxious about their new work assignments; they also anticipate them eagerly and look forward to the additional challenges, rewards, and excitement. In these cases, the new and uncertain job situations create positive stress. The positive stress is also called the eustress. However, there are certain other types of work that are very threatening and anxietyarousing. For example, depression in the economy can create negative stress for sales personnel, because they will be much more anxious about making sales commissions and sales quotas. For every individual there is an optimum level of stress under which he or she may perform to full capacity. If the stress experienced is below this optimum level, then the individual gets bored, the motivational level to work reaches a low, point, and apathy sets in. If one operates in a very low stress environment and constantly experiences boredom, the person is likely to psychologically or physically withdraw from work. Psychological withdrawal will result in careless mistakes being frequently made, forgetting to do things, and thinking of things other than work during work hours. Physical withdrawal will manifest itself in increased rates of tardiness and absenteeism, which may ultimately lead to turnover. Though the optimum stress level is different Form different individuals, each individual can sense and determine how much stress is functional for an individual to operate in a productive manner. Research indicates that those who possess high tolerance of ambiguity, internal locus of control and self-esteem seem to effectively handle a high level of stress. An individual possessing high degree of tolerance for ambiguity allows him to experience very little anguish while operating under conditions of insufficient information or in an uncertain environment. People with an internal locus of control also handle stress well since they feel they are in control of the situation, rather than feeling controlled by the situation they are facing. This makes it possible for them to manage their environmental stress without experiencing its harmful effects. Those with high self-esteem also handle stress with ease since a high self-esteem increases the confidence and enables them to

deal with stressful situations with calmness and clear thinking. The more successfully one handles a stressful situation without panicking or getting overwhelmed by it, the more confidently will the individual face further stressful situations. Thus, it is possible to raise ones capacity to handle in different situations. SOURCES OF STRESS Stress is a reality of our everyday life. There are both positive and negative stresses that come from our work and non-work lives. As pointed out by Near. Rice, and Hunt (1980) and Sckaran (1986), among others, the work and non-work domains of one's life are closely interrelated. The stresses and strains experienced in one domain are carried over to the other. Thus, if one experiences stress at work, that stress will be carried over to the home. One major source of job stress is the job itself. The way the job is designed, the amount of time pressure an individual faces and the amount of expectations others have of a person at work can all lead to job stress. Interpersonal relationships are a second source of job stress. How much contact an individual has with coworkers and managers, how much time he or she deals with clients or consumers, and how pleasant those interactions are all influences of how much stress an individual experiences at work. Third source is problems in personal lives, which can spill over into the work environment, adding further tension to an already stressful work situation. SOURCES OF JOB STRESS Job Characteristics o Role ambiguity o Role conflict o Role overload o Ethical dilemmas Interpersonal Relationships o Amount of contact with others o Dealing with people in other departments o Organizational climate Organizational Factors Personal Factors o Career concerns o Geographical mobility o Rate of life change Job Characteristics A major source of job stress is a person's role in the organization. A role is simply the set of expectations that other people in the organization have for an individual, For example, supervisors, coworkers, customers and suppliers expect an employee to behave in certain predictable ways. The expectations others have of an employee arc sometimes unclear, in conflict, or too high for the employee to meet within the time allotted, and he or she experiences stress. Role Ambiguity: When there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding job definitions or job expectations, people experience role ambiguity. With the recent increase in mergers and acquisitions among major organizations, more and more employees

arc experiencing job stress as a result of role ambiguity. Role ambiguity is anxiety arousing among employees that leads to job stress. Role Conflict: Often employees discover that different groups of people in an organization have widely varying expectations of them, and that they cannot meet all those expectations. This inconsistency of expectations associated with a role is called role conflict, which results in stress. Role Overload: Role overload is a situation in which employees feel they are being asked to do more than time or ability permits. Working under time pressure is especially stressful. Role Underload: Role Underload is the condition in which employees have too little work to do or too little variety -in their work. For example, salespeople in a store with no customer, standing around all day with nothing to do, could be said to experience role underload. Ironically, role underload leads to low self-esteem, increased frequency of nervous symptoms and increased health problems. Ethical Dilemmas: Ethical dilemmas such as whether or not one should report the observed unethical behaviors of another person can cause extreme levels of stress in individuals. This will be especially true for those who have strong moral values of right and wrong and a deep sense of personal and corporate social responsibility. Tensions arise because one might have to contend against one's own colleagues who might be close friends, and may fear of reprisal and other undesirable consequences.

Interpersonal Relationships Another major source of stress in organization is poor interpersonal relationships with supervisors, subordinates, coworkers. or clients. When interpersonal relationships at work are unpleasant, employees develop a generalized anxiety, a diffuse feeling of dread about upcoming meetings and interactions. Three aspects of interpersonal relationships at work, which have a negative impact on job stress, are as follows: Amount of contact with others: Jobs vary in terms of how much interpersonal contact is built into them. Too much prolonged contact with other people can cause stress. Amount of contact with people in other departments: Having contacts with people outside one's own department creates a special sort of stress. People in other departments do not always have an adequate understanding of jobs outside their own areas, which can cause stress. Organizational climate: The overall psychological climate of the organization can create stress. When day-to-day life in an organization is marked by unfriendly, distant, or hostile exchanges, employees are continually tense and this causes stress. Organizational Factors Following are the organizational factors that cause stress in individuals: Work environment factors such as noise, heal, poor lighting, radiation and smoke are stress-inducing agents. Insufficient resources such as time, budget, raw materials, space or manpower also induce stress in the work environment. When one has to produce and

perform with inadequate resources on a long-term basis, this naturally imposes stresses and strains on the individuals who are responsible for getting the job done. Structural factors in the organizational setting such as staff rules and' regulations and reward systems, may cause stress. Lack of career promotion in organizations may be sometime cause stress. Environmental factors of stress include sudden and unanticipated changes in the marketplace, technology, the financial market and so on.

Personal Factors Employees personal lives have a marked effect on their lives at work. If things are going well personally, they are more likely to be upbeat and optimistic. They have more energy and patience for dealing with problems at work. On the other hand, if employees are having some personal problems, they might be more tense or distracted when they go to work. Factors that influence how much stress people bring from their persona! lives to the work setting are as follows: Career Concerns: One major career concern that can cause stress is lack of job security. A second career concern that can cause employees stress is status incongruity, i.e., having jobs with less status, power and prestige than they think they deserve. Geographical Mobility: Geographical moves create stress because they disrupt the routines of daily life. When geographical moves arc undertaken as part of a job transfer, the moves can be even more stressful. The transferred employees are likely to feel out of control at work, too, and experience their new work environments as unpredictable. EFFECTS OR CONSEQUENCES OF JOB STRESS Negative stress has unpleasant consequences for them, their families and for the organizations they serve. Effects on the Individual The impacts of distress on individuals are of following types: The subjective or intrapersonal effects of stress are feelings of anxiety, boredom, apathy, nervousness, depression, fatigue, and anger. Sometimes experiencing the stress may cause aggressive behaviors on the part of the individual. The cognitive effects include poor concentration, short attention span, mental blocks and inability to make decisions. The physiological effects can be seen in increased heart and pulse rate, high blood pressure, dryness of throat, and excessive sweating. The behavioral effects arc manifest in such things as accident proneness, drinking, excessive eating, smoking, impulsive behaviors, depression, and withdrawal behaviors. The manifest health effects could be stomach disorders, asthma, eczema, and other psychosomatic disorders. In addition, the mental health, i.e. the ability lo function effectively in one's daily life, will also decline as excessive stress is experienced.

Consequences for the Family Negative stress, which is handled by individuals in dysfunctional ways, such as drinking or withdrawal behaviors, will have an adverse effect on their home life. Spouse abuse, child abuse, alienation from family members, and even divorce could result from dysfunctional coping mechanisms. Consequences to Organizations The adverse consequences on an organization include low performance and productivity, high rates of absenteeism and poor decision-making. It also leads to lost of customers because of poor worker attitudes, increased alienation of the worker from the job, and even destructive and aggressive behaviors resulting in strikes and sabotage. The stresses experienced by employees who take on critical roles and are responsible for safety can sometimes be detrimental to the public. For instance, the stresses experienced by a train driver or railway guard, or that of an airline pilot, navigator, or air traffic controller may result in serious accidents. Needless to say that the costs of employee stress to the organization in terms of lost profits, poor image and loss of future business are enormous. METHODS OF MANAGING STRESS Stress is a factor that everybody has to contend with on a daily basis both in the work and non-work spheres of life. Since the body has only a limited capacity to respond to stress, it is important for individuals to optimally manage their stress level to operate as fully functioning human beings. There are several ways in which stress can be handled so that the dysfunctional consequences of stress can be reduced. Some of them are: Role Analysis Technique (RAT) The Role Analysis Technique helps both the manager and the employee to analyze the requirements and expectations from the job. Breaking-down the job into various components clarifies the role of the job for the entire system. This also helps to eliminate reduction of work and thus lowering down the stress level. Job Relocation Job relocation assistance is offered to employees who are transferred, by alternative employment for the spouses of the transferred employees and admissions in schools for their children in the new place. These arrangements reduce the anxiety and stress for the moving family. Recreational Program Providing recreational facilities, arranging group meditation programs, help to the stress levels of the employees. finding getting help to reduce

Employee Assistance Program Another widely used strategy is the employee assistance Programs, which offer a variety of assistance to employees. These include counseling employees who seek assistance on how to deal with alcohol and drug abuse, handling conflicts at the work place, dealing with marital and other family problems.

Career Counseling Career Counseling helps the employee to obtain professional advice regarding career that would help the individual to achieve personal goals. It also makes the employees aware of what additional educational qualifications or specialized technical training, if any, (hat they should acquire. By becoming knowledgeable about the possible avenues for advancement, the employees who consider their careers to be important can reduce their stress levels by becoming more realistic about their options and can start preparing themselves for it. Time Management Another way of coping with stress is to manage time more effectively. People can learn to get better organized so that they can do their work more efficiently. Delegation Another way of coping with job stress is to delegate some responsibilities to others. Delegation can directly decrease workload upon the manager and helps to reduce the stress. ! More Information and Help Some new employees have to spend more time on a job than necessary because they are not sure what they are doing. So it is necessary that some help should be provided before doing the work that would lead to much efficient, effective work. It would also reduce anxiety and stress among the employees. Health Maintenance Probably the most frequently used organizational stress management program is health maintenance. Many companies invest large sum of money in gym and sport facilities for maintaining the health of the employees. Supervisor Training Another type of stress management Program that organizations are experimenting with is supervisor training. The emphasis on supervisory training Program is how to prevent job stress. Managers are trained to give better performance appraisals, to listen to employees problems more effectively, and to communicate job assignments and instructions more clearly. Individual Stress Reduction Workshops Some organizations have also sponsored individual stress reduction workshops for their employees. These programs include biofeedback, meditation to career counseling, time management and interpersonal skills workshops. In lectures and seminars, participants are given a basic understanding of the causes of stress and its consequences. Then, participants are given materials to help them identify the major sources of stress in their own lives, and some strategies for dealing with that stress more effectively.