Project Report on Stress Management Among Retail Industry Employees

1.CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

(1.1) INTRODUCTION TO HR

Human resources management is an art of managing people at work in such a manner that

they give their best of organization. In simple word human resources management refers to

the quantitative aspects of employee’s working in an organization.

Human resource management is also a management function concerned with hiring,

motivating, and maintains people in an organization. It focuses on people in organization.

Organizations are not mere bricks, motor, machineries or inventories. They are people. It is

the who staff and manage organizations. HRM involves the application of management

functions and principles. The functions and principles are applied to acquisitioning,

developing, maintained, and remunerating employees in organizations.

Decisions relating to employees must be integrated. Decision on different aspect of

employees must be consistent with other human resource decisions. Decisions made must

influence the effectiveness of organization. Effectiveness of organization must result in

betterment of services to customers in the form of high-quality product supplied at reasonable

costs.

HRM function s is not confined to business establishment only. There are applicable to non-

business organizations, too such as education, health care, recreation etc. the scope of HRM

is indeed vast. All major activities in the working life of his/her entry into an organization

until he/she leaves-come under the previews of HRM. Specifically, the activities included are

HR planning, job analysis and be sign, recruitment and selection, orientation and placement,

training and development, performance appraisal and job evaluation, employee and executive

remuneration, motivation and communication, welfare, safety and healthy, industrial relations

and the like. HRM is a broad concept personal management and human resource

development is a part of HRM. Before we define “ Human resource management”, it’s seems

good to first define heterogeneous in the sense that they differ in personality, perception,

emotions, values, attitudes, motives, and modes of thoughts.

Alliance School Of Management Page 1

Human resource management places an important role in the development process of modern

economy. In fact it is said that all the development comes from the human mind.

“Human resource management is a process of producing development, maintain and

controlling human resources for effective achievement of organizational goals”.

(1.2) Concept of Stress

(1.2.1) Introduction of Stress

A lot of research has been conducted into stress over the last 100 years. Some of the theories

behind it now settled and accepted; others are still being research and debated. During this

time, there seems to have been something approaching open warfare between competing

theories and definitions: Views have been passionately held and aggressively defined.

What complicates this is that intuitively we all feel that we know that stress is, has it is

something we have all experienced. A definition should therefore be obvious…except that it

is not.

Definition:

Hans Selye was one of the founding fathers of stress research. His view in 1956 was that

“Stress is not necessarily something bad- it all depends on how you take it. The stress of

exhilarating, creative successful work is beneficial, while that of failure, humiliation or

infection is detrimental.” Selye believed that the biochemical effects of stress would be

experienced irrespective whether the situation was positive or negative.

Since then, a great deal of further research has been conducted, and ideas as moved on. Stress

is not viewed as “bad thing”, with a range of harmful biochemical and long-term effects.

This effect have rarely been observed in positive situations


The commonly accepted definition of stress (Mainly attributed to Richard S Lazarus) is that

stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that “Demands

exceed the personal and social resources the individual able to mobilize.” In short, it’s

what we feel when we think we have lost control of events

This is the main definition used by the section of Mind Tools, although we also recognize

that there is intertwined instinctive stress response to unexpected events. The stress response

inside us is therefore part instinct and part to do with the way we think.

The types of stress are as follows:

Mechanical

Stress (Physics), the average amount of force exerted by per unit area.

Yield stress, the stress at which a material begins to deform plastically.

Compressive stress, the stress applied to materials resulting in their compaction

Biological

Stress (biological), physiological or psychological stress; some type includes:

o Chronic stress, persistent stress which can lead to illness and mental

disorder

o Eustress, positive stress that can lead to improved long-term functioning.

o Work place stress, stress caused by the employment.

Music

Accent (music).

Stress (band), an early ‘80s melodic rock band from San Diego.

Stress (punk band), an early ‘80s punk rock band from Athens.

Stress (Neo-psychedelic band), from the late 1980’s.

Stress, a song by the French band Justice on their debut album.

Other

Stress (game), card game.


Stress (linguistics), phonological use of prominence in language.

Stress (physics), the average amount force exerted per unit area.

Stress the measure of the average amount of force exerted per unit area. It is a measure of

the intensity of the total internal forces acting within a body across imaginary internal

surfaces, as a reaction to external applied forces and body forces.it was introduced in the

theory of elasticity by Cauchy around 1882. Stress is concept that is based on the concept

of continuum. In general stress is expressed as

Where

is the average stress, also called as engineering of nominal stress, and is

the force acting over the area .

Chronic stress

Chronic stress is stress that lasts a long time and occurs frequently. Chronic stress is

potentially damaging.

Symptoms of chronic stress can be:

Upset stomach

Headache

Backache

Insomnia

Anxiety

Depression

Anger


In the most severe cases it can lead to panic attacks or panic disorder.

There are a variety of methods to control chronic stress, including exercise, healthy diet,

stress management, relaxation techniques, and adequate rest and relaxing hobbies.

Ensuring a healthy diet containing magnesium may help control or eliminate stress, in those

individuals with lower levels of magnesium or those who have a magnesium deficiency.

Chronic stress can also lead to a magnesium deficiency, which can be a factor in continued

chronic stress, and a whole host of other negative medical conditions caused by magnesium

deficiency.

It has been discovered that there is huge upsurge in the number of people who suffer from

this condition. A very large number of these new cases suffer from insomnia.

In a review of the scientific literature on the relationship between the stress and disease, the

authors found that stress plays a role in triggering or worsening depression and

cardiovascular disease and in spreading the progression of HIV/AIDS.

Compressive stress:

Compressive stress is the stress applied to materials resulting in their

compaction (decrease of volume). When a material is subjected to compressive stress , then

the material is under compression. Usually compressive stress applied to bars, columns, etc.

leads to shortening.

Loading a structural element or a specimen will increase the compressive stress

until the reach of compressive strength. According to the properties of the material, failure

will occur as field for materials with ductile behavior (most metals, some soils, and plastics)

or as rupture for brittle behavior (geometries, cast iron, glass, etc.)

In long, slender structural elements – such as columns or truss bars -- as increase of

compressive force F leads to structural failure due to bucking at the lower stress than the

compressive strength.


Compressive stress has stress units (force per unit area), usually with negative

values to indicate the compaction. However in geotechnical engineering, compressive stress

is represented in positive values.

(1.2.2) Stress in Biological terms :

Stress is a biological term which refers to consequence of the failure of human or animal

body to respond approximately to emotional or physical threats to the organism, whether

actual or imagined. It includes a state of alarm and adrenaline production, short-term

resistance as a coping mechanism, and exhaustion. It refers to the inability of a human or

animal body to respond. Common stress symptoms include irritability, muscular tension,

inability to concentrate and a variety of physical reactions, such as headache’s and

accelerated heart rate.

The term “stress” was first used by endocrinologist Hans Selye in 1930’s to identify

physiological responses in laboratory animals. He later broadened and popularized the

concept to include the perceptions and responses of humans trying to adapt to the challenges

of everyday life. In Selye’s terminology, “stress” refers to the reaction of the organism, and

‘stressor’ to the perceived threat. Stress in certain circumstances may be experienced

positively. Eustress, for example, can be an adaptive response prompting the activation of

internal resources to meet challenges and achieve goals.

The term is commonly used by the lay persons in a metaphorical rather than literal or

biological sense, as a catch-all for any perceived difficulties in life. It also become a

euphemism, a way of referring to problems and eliciting sympathy without being explicitly

confessional, just “stressed out”. It covers a huge range of phenomena from mild irritation to

the kind of severe problems that might result in a real breakdown of health. In popular usage

almost any event or situation between these extremes could be described as stressful.


(1.2.3) What is Stress ?

Stress refers to the strain form the conflict between our external environment and us, leading

to emotional and physical pressure. In our past face world it is impossible to live without

stress, whether you are a student or a working adult. There is both positive and negative stress

depending, on each individual’s unique perception of the tension between the two forces. Not

all stress is bad. For example, positive stress, also known as eustress, can help an individual

to function at optimal efficiency and effectiveness.

Hence, it is evident that some form of positive stress can add more color and vibrancy to our

lives. The presence of a deadline, for example, can push us to make the most of our time and

produce greater efficiency. It is important to keep this in mind, as stress management refers to

using stress to our advantage, and not on eradicating the presence of stress in our lives.

On the other hand, negative stress can result in mental and physical strain. The individual will

experience symptoms such as tensions, headaches, irritability and in extreme cases, heart

palpitations. Hence, whilst some stress may see as a motivating force, it is important to

maintain stress level so that it does it does not have an adverse impact on your health and

relationships.

Part of managing your stress levels include learning about how stress can affect you

emotionally and physically , as well as how to identify if you are performing at your optimal

stress level (OSL) or if you are experiencing negative stress. This knowledge will help you to

identify when you need to take a break, or perhaps seek professional help. It is also your first

step towards developing techniques to managing your stress levels.

Modern day stresses can take a form of the monetary needs, or emotional frictions.

Competition at work and an increased workload can also cause greater levels of stress. How

do you identify if you are suffering from excessive stress? Psychological symptoms

commonly experienced include insomnia, headaches and an inability to focus. Physical


symptoms take the form of heart palpitations, breathlessness, excessive sweating and stomach

aches.

What causes stress? There are many different causes of stress, and that which causes stress is

also known as a stressor. Common lifestyle stressors include performance, threat and

bereavement stressors, to name few. Performance stressors are triggered when an individual

is placed in a situation where he feels a need to excel. This could be during performance

appraisals, lunch with bosses, or giving a speech. Threat stressors are usually when the

current situation poses a dangerous threat, such as an economic downturn, or from an

accident. Lastly, bereavement stressors occur when there is a sense of loss as the death of

loved one, or a prized possession.

Thus, there are various stressors, and even more varied methods and techniques of dealing

with stress and turning it to our advantage. In order to do so, we must learn to tell when we

have crossed the line from positive to negative stress.

Good Stress v/s Bad Stress:

Stress has often understood to be negative, with few people acknowledging the importance

and usefulness of the positive stress. In our everyday lives, stress is everywhere and definitely

unavoidable; hence our emphasis should be on differentiating between what is good stress,

and what is bad. This will help us to learn to cope with negative stress, and harshness the

power of positive stress to help us achieve more.

There are 4 main categories of stress, namely eustress, distress, hyper stress, and hypo stress.

Negative stress can cause many physical and physiological problems, whilst positive stress

can be very helpful for us. Here’s how we differentiate them.

Eustress:

Eustress is a positive form of stress, which prepares your mind and body for the

imminent challenges that it has perceived. Eustress is a natural physical reaction by your


body which increases blood flow to your muscles, resulting in a higher heart rate. Athletes

before a competition or perhaps a manager before a major presentation would do well with

eustress, allowing them to derive the inspiration and strength that is needed.

Distress:

We are familiar with this word, and know that it is a negative form of stress. This

occurs when the mind and body is unable to cope with changes, and usually occurs when

there are deviations from the norm. They can be categorized into acute stress and chronic

stress. Acute stress is intense, but does not last for long. On the other hand chronic stress

persists over a long period of time. Trigger events for distress can be change in job scope or

routine that the person is unable to handle or cope with.

Hyper stress:

This is another form of negative stress that occurs when the individual is unable to

cope with the workload. Example includes highly stressful jobs, which requires longer

working hours than the individual can handle. If you suspect that you are suffering from

hyper stress, you are likely to have sudden emotional breakdowns over insignificant issues,

the proverbial straws that broke the camel’s back. It is important for you to recognize that

your body needs a break, or you may end up with severe and chronic physical and

psychological reactions.

Hypo stress:

Lastly, hypo stress occurs when a person has nothing to do with his time and feels

constantly bored and unmotivated. This is due to an insufficient amount of stress; hence some

stress is inevitable and helpful to us. Companies should avoid having workers who

experience hypo stress as this will cause productivity and mindfulness to fall. If the job scope

is boring and repetitive, it would be a good idea to implement some form of job rotation so

that there is always something new to learn.


The types of stress are named as eustress and distress. Distress is the most commonly-

referred to type of stress, having negative implications, whereas eustress is a positive form of

stress, usually related to desirable events in person’s life. Both can be equally taxing on the

body, and are cumulative in nature, depending on a person’s way of adapting to a change that

has caused it.

(1.2.4) Coping with stress at workplace:

With the rapid advancement of the technology, the stresses faced at the work have also

increased. Many people dread going to the work, hence the term “Monday Blues”. What is

the reason for this? There is partly the fear from being retrenched in bad times, leading to

greater job insecurity on the part of those who remain. Undoubtedly, occupational stress is

one of the most commonly cited stressors faced by people all over the world.

Stress refers to the pressure and reactions to our environment which results in physical and

psychological reactions. Whilst some stress is good for motivation and increasing efficiency,

too much stress can result in negative impacts such as reduced effectiveness and efficiency.

More and more people are feeling isolated and disrespected at work, and this has led to

greater occupational stress. Many companies have taken to consulting experts and

professional on ways to increase connectedness and motivation of their employees.

Some companies organize parties and make their employees feel valued at work. These are

measure to motivate employees and help them to feel secure at their jobs, translating in to

greater productivity. However, not all companies have such measure in place, and some have

not gotten it quite rite. Hence it is up to you to make sure that you can cope with stress at

your workplaces, and use it to help you better. Here are 3 simple steps to help you with

coping with stress in the workplace.


Step 1: Raising awareness

Help yourself to identify when you’re facing raising levels of stress, tipping the scales

from positive to negative. This is important, has been able to identify signs of being stressed

can help you to take steps to ensure that your overall quality of life does not drop. If left

unacknowledged, the problem will only snowball, leading to disastrous consequences to your

health and overall wellbeing.

You can identify if you are feeling stressed by checking if you have any physical or

psychological reasons, such as excessive sweating or health palpitations, or the onset of

headaches, irritability, or the need to escape. If you experience any of these reasons, identify

if you are feeling any over whelming negative emotions, and if you are constantly worried.

Step 2: Identify the cause

You need to able to analyze the situation and identify what is causing the raise in stress.

These stressors can be external and internal. External source refer to things behind your

control, such as the environment or your colleagues at work. Internal stressors refer to your

own thinking and attitude. Often, we only start reacting to stress in a combination of stressors

working together exceeds over ability to cope.

Keep a diary or list of events that have caused you to feel strong negative emotions, or that

are likely stressors. This will help you to identify the causes of your stress. Whilst it is not

always possible to eradicate them, you can change the way that we cope with it.

Step 3: Coping with stress

In order to deal with the situation that is causing your stress, you need to calm your mind and

body so as to stave of the reactions and cope with it in a positive way. This can be thought

different methods, such as talking time off. If a situation is triggering your stress and you are

unable to calm down, remove yourself from it. Go outside and take a walk to calm down.


Alternatively, you can try implementing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing. If it is

an internal stressor, stop your thoughts process until you are able to deal with it logically.

The key is making this 3 steps work for you is to practice them. This is not instantaneous

solutions, and you need to condition your mind and practice them so that you can implement

it when you are feeling stressed.

(1.2.5) Stress Management:

Stress management is the need of the hour. However hard we try to go beyond a stress

situation, life seems to find new ways of stressing us out and plugging us with anxiety

attacks. Moreover, be it our anxiety, mind-body execution or our erring attitudes, we tend to

over lock cause of stress and conditions triggering by those. In search unsettling moments we

often forgot the stressors, if not escapable, or fairly manageable and treatable.

Stress, either quick or constant, can induce risky body-mind disorders. Immediate disorders

such as dizzy spells, anxiety attacks, tensions, sleeplessness, nervousness and muscle cramps

can all result in chronic health problems. They may also affect our immune, cardiovascular

and nervous system and lead individual’s habitual addictions, which are inter-linked with

stress.

Like “stress reactions”, “relaxation responses” and stress management techniques are some

the body’s important built-in response system. As a relation response the body tries to get

back balance in its homeostasis. Some hormones released during the ‘fight of flight’ situation

prompt the body to replace the lost carbohydrates and fats, and restore the energy level. The

knotted nerves, tightened muscles and exhausted mind crave for looseness. Unfortunately,

today, we don’t get relaxing and soothing situations without asking. To be relaxed we have to

strive to create such situations


Recognizing a Stressor:It is important to recognize whether you are under stress or out of it. Many times, even if we

are under the influence of a stressful condition and our body reacts to it internally as well as

externally, we fail to realize that we are reacting under stress. This also happens when the

cause of stress are there long enough for us to get habituated to them. The body constantly

tries to tell us through symptoms such as rapid palpitation, dizzy spell, tight muscles or

various bodies aches that something is wrong. It is important to remain attentive to such

symptoms and to learn to cope with the situations.

We cope better with stressful situation, when we encounter them voluntarily. In cases of

relocation, promotion or layoff, adventurous sports or having a baby, we tend to respond

positively under stress. But, when we are compelled into such situations against our will or

knowledge, more often than not, we wilt at the face of unknown and imagined threats. For

instance, stress may mount when one is coerced into undertaking some work against one’s

will.

Laughter:

Adopting a humorous view towards life’s situations can take the edge off everyday stressors.

Not being too serious or in a constant alert mode helps maintain the equanimity of mind and

promote clear thinking. Being able to laugh stress away is the smartest way to ward off its

effects.

A sense of humor also allows us to perceive and appreciate the incongruities of life and

provides moments of delight. The emotions we experience directly affect our immune

system. The positive emotions can create neurochemical changes that buffer the

immunosuppressive effects of stress.

During stress, the adrenal gland releases corticosteroids, which are converted to cortical in

the blood stream. These have an immunosuppressive effect. Dr. Lee Berk and fellow


researcher Dr. Stanley Tan at Loma Linda University school of Medicine have produced

carefully controlled studies showing the experience of laughter lowers serum cortical levels,

increases the amount and activity of T lymphocytes –the natural killer cells. Laughter also

increases the number of T cells that have suppresser receptors.

What Laughter Can Do Against Stress and Its Effects?

Laughter lowers blood pressure and reduces hypertension.

It provides good cardiac conditioning specially for those who are unable to perform

physical exercise.

Reduces stress hormones (studies shows, laughter induces reduction of at least four of

neuroendocrine hormones-epinephrine, cortical, dopac, and growth hormone,

associated with stress response).

Laughter cleanses lungs and body tissues of accumulated stale air as it empties more

air than it take in. It is beneficial for patients suffering from emphysema and other

respiratory ailments.

It increases muscle flexion, relaxation and fluent blood circulation in body.

Boosts immune function by raising levels of infection-fighting T-cells, disease –

fighting proteins called Gamma-interferon and disease-destroying antibodies called B-

cells

Laughter triggers the release of endorphins-body’s natural painkillers.

Produces a general sense of well-being.

(1.2.6) Workplace Stress

Workplace stress is the harmful physical and emotional response that occurs when there is a

poor match between job demands and the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker.

Stress-related disorders encompasses a broad array of conditions, including psychological

disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, post -traumatic stress disorder) and other types of

emotional strain (e.g., dissatisfaction, fatigue. tension, etc.), maladaptive behaviors (e.g.,

aggression , substance abuse), and cognitive impairment (e.g., concentration and memory


problems). In turn, these conditions lead to poor work performance or even injury. Job stress

is also associated with various biological reactions that may lead ultimately to compromised

health, such as cardiovascular disease.

Stress is a prevalent and costly problem in today’s workplace. About one-third of workers

report high levels of stress. One-quarter of employees view their jobs as the number one

stressor in their lives. Three-quarter of employees believe the worker has more on-the-job

stress than the generation ago. Evidence also suggests stress is the major cause of turnover in

organizations.

Health and Healthcare utilization

Problems at work are more strongly associated with health complaints than are any other life stressor-more so than even financial problems or family problems. Many studies suggest that psychologically demanding jobs that allow employees little control over the work process increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. On the basis of research by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and many other organizations, it is widely believed that job stress increases the risk for development of back and upper-extremity musculoskeletal disorders. High levels of stress are associated with substantial increase in health service utilization. Workers who report experiencing stress at work also show excessive health care utilization. In a 1998 study of 46,000 workers, health care costs were nearly 50% greater for workers reporting high levels of stress in comparison to “low risk” workers. The increment rose to nearly 150%, an increase of more than $1,700 per person annually, for workers reporting high levels of both stress and depression. Additionally, periods of disability due to job stress tend to be much longer than disability periods for other occupational injuries and illness.

Causes of Work place Stress

Job stress results from the interaction of the worker and the conditions of work. Views differ

on the importance of the worker characteristics versus working conditions as the primary

cause of job stress. The differing viewpoints suggested different ways to prevent stress at

work. According to one school of thought, difference in individual characteristics such as

personality and coping skills are most important in predicting whether certain job conditions

will result in stress-in other words, what is stressful for one person may not be a problem for

someone else. This view point leads to prevention strategies that focus on workers and ways

to help them cope with demanding job conditions. Although the importance of individual

difference cannot be ignored, scientific evidence suggests that certain work conditions are

stressful to most people. Such evidence argues for a greater emphasis on work conditions are


the key source of job stress, and for job redesign as a primary prevention strategy. Personal

interview surveys of working conditions, including conditions recognized as risk factor for

job stress, were conditions in Member State of European Union in 1990, 1995, and 2000.

Results showed a trend across this period suggestive of increasing work intensity. In 1990,

the percentage of workers reporting that they worked at high speed at least 1/4th of their

working time was 48%, increasing to 54% in 1995 and to 56% in 2000. Similarly, 50% of

workers reported they work against tight deadlines at least 1/4th of their working time in 1990,

increasing to 56% in 1995 and 60% in 2000. However, no change was noted in the period

1995-2000(Data not collected in 1990) in the percentage of workers reporting sufficient time

to complete tasks. A substantial percentage of American’s work very long hours. By one

estimate, more than 26% of men and more than 11% of women worked 50 hours per week or

more in 2000. These figures represent a considerable increase over the previous three

decades, especially for women. According to Department of Labor, there has been an upward

trend in hours worked among employed women, an increasing in extended work weeks (>40

hours) by men, and a considerable increase in combined working hours among working

couples, particularly couples with young children.

Signs of Workplace Stress

Mood and sleep disturbances, upset stomach and headache, and disturbed relationships with

family; friends and girlfriends or boyfriends are examples of stress-related problems. The

effects of job stress and chronic diseases are more difficult to see because chronic diseases

take a long time to develop and can be influenced by many factors other than stress.

Nonetheless, evidence is rapidly accumulated to suggest that stress plays an important role in

several types of chronic health problems-especially cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal

disorders, and psychological disorders.

Prevention

A combination of organizational change and stress management is often the most useful

approach for preventing stress at work.

How to change the organization to prevent job stress

Ensure that the work load is in line with workers capabilities and resources.


Design jobs to prevent meaning, stimulation and opportunities for workers to use

their skills.

Clearly define workers roles and responsibilities.

Give workers opportunities in decisions and actions affecting their jobs.

Improve communications-reduce uncertainty about career development and future

employment prospects.

Provide opportunities for social interaction among workers.

Establish work schedules that are compatible with demands and responsibilities

outside the job.

Discrimination inside the workplace.(e.g. Nationality and Language)

St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company conducted several studies on the effects of

stress prevention programs in hospital settings. Program activities included (1) employee and

management education on job stress, (2) change in hospital policies and producers to

organization source of stress, and (3) establishment of employee assistance programs. In one

study, the frequency of meditation errors declined by 50% after prevention activities was

implemented in a 700-bed hospital. In a second study, there was a 70% reduction in

malpractice claims in 22 hospitals that implemented stress prevention activities. In contrast,

there was no reduction in clients in a matched group 22 hospitals that did not implement

stress prevention activities.

(1.2.7) Reduce Your Stress

1. Job analysis:- We have all experienced that appealing sense of having too much work to

do and too little time to do it in. we can choose to ignore this, and work unreasonable long

hours to stay on top of our workload. The risks here are that we become exhausted, that we

have so much to do that we do a poor quality job and that we neglect other areas of our life.

Each of this can lead to intense stress.

The alternative is to work more intelligently, by focusing on the things that are important for

job success and reducing the time we spend on low priority tasks. Job analysis is the first step

in doing this.

The first of action-oriented skills that we look at is job analysis. Job analysis is a key

technique for managing job overload- an importance source of stress.


To do an excellent job, you need to fully understand what is expected of you. While this may

seem obvious, in the hurly-burly of a new, first-moving, high-pressure role, it is often times

something that is easy to overlook.

By understanding these priorities in your job, what constitutes success within it; you can

focus on these activities and minimize work on other tasks as much as possible. This helps

you get the greatest return form the work you do and keep your workload under control.

Job analysis is a useful technique for getting a firm grip on what really is important in your

job so that you are able to perform excellently. It helps you to cut through clutter and

distraction to get to the art of what you need to do.

2. Rational & Positive thinking:-

Your thinking negatively when you fear the future, put yourself down, criticizes yourself for

errors, doubt your abilities, or expect failure. Negative thinking damages confidence, harms

performance and paralyzes mental skills.

Unfortunately, negative thoughts tend to flit into our consciousness, do their damage and flit

back again, with their significance having barely been noticed. Since we barely realize that

they were there, we do not challenge them properly, which means that they can be completely

incorrect and wrong.

Thought Awareness is the process by which you observe your thoughts and become aware of

what is going through your head.

One approach to it is to observe your “stream of consciousness” as you think about the thing

you’re trying to achieve which is stressful. Do not suppress any thoughts. Instead, just let

them run their course while you watch them, and write them down on our free worksheet as

they occur. Then let them go.

Another more general approach to Thought Awareness comes with logging stress in your

Stress Dairy. When you analyze your dairy at the end of the period, you should be able to see

the most common and the most damaging thoughts. Tackle these as a priority using the

techniques below.

Here are some typical negative thoughts you might experience when preparing to give a

major presentation:


Fear about the quality of your performance or of problems that may interfere with it;

Worry about how the audience (especially important people like in it like your boss)

or the press may react to you

Dwelling on the negative consequences of a poor performance; or

Self-criticism over a less-than-perfect rehearsal.

Thought awareness is the first step in the process of managing negative thoughts, as you

cannot manage thoughts that you are aware of.

Rational thinking

The next step in dealing with negative thinking is to challenge the negative thoughts that you

identified using the Thought Awareness technique. Look at every thought you wrote down

and challenge it rationally. Ask yourself whether the thought is reasonable. What evidence is

there for and against the thought? Would your colleagues and mentors agree or disagree with

it?

Looking at the examples, the following challenges could be made to the negative thoughts we

identified earlier:

Feeling of inadequacy: Have you trained yourself as well as you reasonably should have?

Do you have the experience and resources you need to make the presentation? Have you

planned, prepared and rehearsed enough? If you have done all of these, you’ve done as much

as you can to give a good performance.

Worries about performance during rehearsal: If some your practice was less than perfect,

then remind yourself that the purpose of the practice is to identify areas of improvement, so

that these can be sorted out before the performance.

Problems with issues outside your control: Have you identified the risks of these things

happening, and have you taken steps to reduce the likelihood of them happening or their

impact if they do? What will you do if they occur? And what do you need others to do for

you?


Worry about other people’s reactions: If you have prepared well, and you do the best you

can, then you should be satisfied. If you perform as well as you reasonably can, then fair

people are likely to respond well. If people are not fair, the best thing to do is ignore their

comments and rise above them.

Tip:

Don’t make the mistake of generalizing a single accident. OK, you made a mistake at work,

but that doesn’t mean you’ve bad at your job

Similarly, make sure you take the long view about the accidents that you’re finding stressful.

Just because you’re finding these new responsibilities stressful now, doesn’t mean that they

will ALWAYS be so for you in the future.

Tip:

If you find it difficult to look at your negative thoughts objectively, imagine that you are your

best friend or a respected coach or mentor. Look at the list of negative thoughts and imagine

the negative thoughts are written by someone you were giving objective advice to. Then,

think how you would challenge these thoughts.

When you challenge negative thoughts rationally, you should be able to see quickly whether

the thoughts are wrong or whether they have some substance to them. Where there is some

substance, take appropriate action. However, make sure that your negative thoughts are

genuinely important to achieving your goals, and don’t just reflect a lack of experience,

which everyone has to go through at some stage.

Positive thinking and opportunity seeking

By now, you should already be feeling more positive. The final step is to prepare rational,

positive thoughts and affirmations to counter any remaining negativity. It can also be useful

to look at the situation and see if there are any useful opportunities that are offered by it.


By basing your affirmations on the clear, rational assessments of facts that you made using

Rational Thinking, you can use them to undo the damages that negative thinking may have

done to your self-confidence.

Tip:

Your affirmations will be strongest if they are specific, are expressed in the present tense and

have strong emotional content.

Continuing the examples above, positive affirmations might be:

Problems during practice: “I have learned from my rehearsals. This has put me in a

position where I can deliver a great performance. I am going to perform well and

enjoy the event.”

Worries about performance: “I have prepared well and rehearsed thoroughly. I am

well positioned to give an excellent performance.”

Problems issues outside your control: “I have thought through everything that

might reasonably happen and have planned how I can handle all likely contingencies.

I am very well placed to react flexibly to events.”

Worry about other people’s reaction: “Fair people will react well to a good

performance. I wish rise above any unfair criticism in a mature and professional

way.”

If appropriate, write these affirmations down on your worksheet so that you can use them

when you need them.

As well as allowing you to structure useful affirmations, part of Positive Thinking is to look

at opportunities that the situation might offer you. In the examples above, successfully

overcoming the situations causing the original negative thinking will open up opportunities.

you will acquire new skills, you will be seen as someone who can handle difficult challenges,

and you may open up new career opportunities.


(2). Industry Profile:

Retail industry can be classified into two broad categories – organized retail and unorganized

retail.

Organized retail - Those traders/retailers who are licensed for trading activities and registered to pay taxes to the government

Unorganized retail – It consists of unauthorized small shops - conventional Kirana shops, general stores, corner shops among various other small retail outlets - but remain to be the radiating force of Indian retail industry.

Overview

Retail industry, being the fifth largest in the world, is one of the sunrise sectors with huge growth potential and accounts for 14-15% of the country’s GDP. Comprising of organized and unorganized sectors, Indian retail industry is one of the fastest growing industries in India, especially over the last few years.

According to the Global Retail Development Index 2012, India ranks fifth among the top 30

emerging markets for retail. The recent announcement by the Indian government with

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail, especially allowing 100% FDI in single brands and

multi-brand FDI has created positive sentiments in the retail sector.

Emerging Areas

Some sectors that occupy a prominent position with the retail industry are:

Apparel and fashion – Everybody understands the impact of fashion and textiles on the environment. Almost $19.5 billion were spent on online apparel shopping in the year 2009 and increasing since then.


Fashion & Lifestyle - In India the vast middle class and its almost untapped retail industry are the key attractive forces for global retail giants wanting to enter into newer markets, which in turn will help the retail to grow faster.

Food & Beverage retail - Backed by huge potential and changing lifestyles, the food and beverage retail market is growing at a robust 30-35 per cent per year.

Pharmaceutical Retail – Driven by therapies like anti-diabetic, vitamin, anti-infective and

dermatology, it accounted for a robust 15% growth in 2011.

E-commerce or E-tailing – the next big revolution - With the advent of e-commerce in the retail industry, retail stores are facing stiff competition from e-stores. The rising demand for e-shopping has lead to a new debate cropping up in the world.

Factors driving growth are:

Emergence of nuclear families

Falling real estate prices

Growing trend of double-income households

Increase in disposable income and customer aspiration

Increase in expenditure for luxury items

Large working population

Low share of organized retailing

Growing liberalization of the FDI policy in the past decade

Skill sets required are:

The industry employs a staggering number of people, and given its rapid proliferation, this

number is always on the rise. The backbone of the sector are the operations and supply chain


management jobs but there are various other options as well, from sales executives and store

managers to merchandise planners and buyers.

Conceptual understanding

Analytical skills

Detail-orientation

Fair understanding of customer’s psychology

Observations skills

Project Management

Operational Skills

In-depth product knowledge

Bottlenecks

A long way to meet international standards

Lack of efficient supply-chain management

Lack of required retail space

No fixed consumption pattern

Shortage of trained manpower

Lack of proper infrastructure and distribution channels


(3). Company Profile:-

A Multi product, Multi locational industrial group with interest in packing & Textile sectors

“Scapes Textiles” was established in 2005 to manufacture woven sacks to service the

fertilizers, cement, sugar and food grain industries. We have become a leading manufacturer

of woven sacks from Andhra Pradesh and have established our name for quality and timely

supplies with all leading fertilizers and cement industries throughout India.

Having established our name in packing sector we have diversified into textiles segment, with

an installed capacity of 5 million metres per annum, in the 1st phase. At our state-of-the-art-

plant, we have installed the latest warping and sizing machinery from beginner of

Switzerland. This enables flawless weaving on world class sulzer projectiles, with electronic

let off and electronic dobby.

A combination of the latest weaving infrastructure, technical know-how from reputed world

companies and systematic procedures, enables smooth material flow from raw material to

dispatch of the finished fabric. Some unique features that works to our advantages are:

World class utilities like captive power, Air Steam & Humidity controls.

48 wide width sulzer P-7100 projectiles of width (330 cm; 360 cm; 390cm), in weaving.

Benninzer warping with creel capacity 720 ends and Benninzer sizing with sizing machine head to make single beam of 340CM in weaving preparatory; and

Facility to make Roll & roll to bale inspection.


Customization

We have clients from different cities and understanding the fact that their needs and

preferences might differ, we offer customized solutions on our range of products. Our team

works in close coordination with the clients to comprehend their requirements and then

accordingly convey the same to our manufacturers so that they can manufacture the range as

desired. We offer customization on textiles on the parameters of designs, prints, patterns and

color, while customization on solar panels is given on the basis of size, shape, structural

design and make depending on the area of application.

Why Us?

Some of the reasons that provide us an edge over other competitors in the market are as

follows:

Timely delivery

Minimum lead time of 45 days

Reasonable prices

Extensive range of quality products

Sophisticated in-house testing labs


4. Research Methodology

(4.1) Research Objective:

Stress is a dynamic condition in which an individual is confronted with an opportunity,

demand or resource related to what the individual desires and for which the outcome is

perceived to be both uncertain and important. This is a complicated definition.

Stress is not necessarily bad in and of itself. Although stress is typically discussed in a

negative context, it also has a positive value. It’s an opportunity when it offers potential gain.

Consider for example, the superior performance that an athlete or stage performer gives in

“clutch” situations. Such individuals often use stress positively to rise to the occasion and

perform or near their maximum. Similarly, many professionals see the pressure of heavy

workloads and deadlines as positive challenges that enhance the quality of their work and the

satisfaction the get from their job.

But it is different in case of Retail Industry employees. The retail industry employees are the

people who also have to achieve the certain target and so for the non-achievement of target

the employees remain stressed and tensed. The employees who have the simple table work

also facing the problem of employee cut-offs and so the workload of the existing employees

increases and the feel stressed.

The types of stress are named as eustress and distress. Distress is the most commonly-

referred to type of stress, having negative implications, whereas eustress is a positive form of

stress, usually related to desirable events in person’s life. Both can be equally taking on the

body, and are cumulative in nature, depending on a person’s way of adapting to a change that

has caused it. Stress management is the need of the hour. However hard we try to go beyond

a stress situation, life seems to find new ways of stressing us out and playing us with anxiety

attacks. Moreover, be it our anxiety, mind-body exhaustion or our erring attitudes, we tend to

overlook causes of stress and the conditions triggered by those. In such unsettling moments

we often forget that stressors, if not escapable, are fairly manageable and treatable.


Stress, either quick or constant, can induce risky body-mind disorders. Immediate disorders

such as dizzy spells, anxiety attacks, tension, sleeplessness, nervousness and muscle cramps

can all result in chronic health problems. They may also affect our immune, cardiovascular

and nervous systems and lead individuals to habitual addictions, which are inter-linked with

stress.

Like “stress reactions”, “relaxation responses” and stress management techniques are some

the body’s important built-in response systems. As a relaxation response the body tries to get

back balance in its homeostasis. Some hormones released during the ‘fight or flight’ situation

prompt the body to replace the lost carbohydrates and fats, and restore the energy level. The

knotted nerves, tightened muscles and an exhausted mind crave for looseness. Unfortunately,

today, we don’t get relaxing and soothing situations without asking. To be relaxed we have to

strive to create such situations.

Statement of problem

This research is to carry out the study that how much stressed the employees of the Retail

Industry are and how do their stress affect their work life, social life, output etc. so a sample

of 34 to 35 employees are selected from the different organizations for the research of stress

among them.

Objective of the Study

Primary Objective:

To undergo an in-depth study about the stress among the employees of Retail

Industry companies.

Secondary Objective:

To identify the factors causing stress among the employees

To find out the level and kind of stress among the employees of different groups

with different traders


To study about the effects of stress on employees in Retail sector Companies

To identify the coping strategies to manage stress

Scope:

The scope of this thesis would be to identify the stress that employees face in the Retail

industry companies and how much mentally they are fit to face this kind of stress. To learn

the ways the company deals to handle the kind of stress employees face. To know how the

company gets affected due to the stress faced by the employees.

(4.2) Sampling

Sample: I have taken the sample of 35 employees from the organization. All the employees

were of same designations.

Reason: As we find the employees of the Retail Industry to be more stressful as more and

more employees are taking VRS and are dismissed because of inflation.

It is incumbent on the researcher to clearly define the target population. There are no strict

rules to follow, and the researcher must rely on logic and judgment. The population is defined

in keeping with the objectives of the study.

Sometimes, the entire population will be sufficiently small, and the researcher can include the

entire population in the study. This type of research is called a census study because data is

gathered on every member of the population.

Usually, the population is too large for the researcher to attempt t survey all of its members.

A small, but carefully chosen sample can be used to represent the population. The sample

reflects the characteristics of the population from which it is drawn.


Sampling methods are classified as either probability or non-probability. In probability

samples, each member of the population has a known non-zero probability of being selected.

Probability methods include random sampling, systematic sampling, and stratified sampling.

In non-probability sampling, members are selected from the population in some nonrandom

manner. These include convenience sampling, judgment sampling, quota sampling, and

snowball sampling. The advantage of probability sampling is that sampling error can be

calculated. Sampling error is the degree to which a sample might differ from the population.

When inferring to the population, results are reported plus or minus the sampling error. In

non-probability sampling, the degree to which the sample differs from the population remains

unknown.

Random sampling is the purest form of probability sampling. Each member of the

population has an equal and known chance of being selected. When there are very

large populations, it is often difficult or impossible to identify every member of the

population, so the pool of available subjects becomes biased.

Systematic sampling is often used instead of random sampling. It is also called an

Nth name selection technique. After the required sample size has been calculated,

every Nth record is selected from the list of population members. As long as the list

does not contain any hidden order, this sampling method is as good as the random

sampling method. Its only advantage over the random sampling technique is

simplicity. Systematic sampling is frequently used to select a specified number of

records from a computer file.

Stratified sampling is commonly used probability method that is superior to random

sampling because it reduces sampling error. A stratum is a subset of the population

that shares at least one common characteristic. The researcher first identifies the

relevant stratums and their actuals representation in the population. Random sampling

is then used to select subjects from each stratum until the number of subjects in that

stratum is proportional to its frequency in the population. Stratified sampling is often

used when one or more of the stratums in the population have a low incidence relative

to the other stratums.


Convenience sampling is used in exploratory research where the researcher is

interested in getting an inexpensive approximation of the truth. As the name implies,

the sample is selected because they are convenient. This non-probability method is

often used during preliminary research efforts to get a gross estimate of the results,

without incurring the cost or time required to select a random sample.

Judgment sampling is a common non-probability method. The researcher selects the

sample based on judgment. This is usually and extension of convenience sampling.

For example, a researcher may decide to draw the entire sample from one

“representative” city, even though the population includes all cities. When using this

method, the researcher must be confident that the chosen sample is truly

representative of the entire population.

Quota sampling is the non-probability equivalent to stratified sampling. Like

stratified sampling, the researcher first defines the stratums and their proportions as

they are represented in the population. Then convenience or judgment sampling is

used to select the required number of subjects from each stratum. This differs from

stratified sampling, when the stratums are filled by random sampling.

Snowball sampling is a special non-probability sampling method used when the

desired sample characteristic is rate. It may be extremely difficult or cost prohibitive

to locate respondents in these situations. Snowball sampling relies on referrals from

initial subjects to generate additional subjects. While this technique can dramatically

lower search costs, it comes at the expense of introducing bias because the technique

itself reduces the likelihood that the sample will represent a good cross section from

the population.


(4.3) Research Instrument:I have used questionnaire method to undertake the survey.

(4.3.1) Advantages of Written Questionnaires

Questionnaires are very cost effective when compared to face-to-face

interviews. This is especially true for studies involving large sample sizes and

large geographic areas. Written questionnaires become even more cost effective

as the number of research questions increases.

Questionnaires are easy to analyze. Data entry and tabulation for nearly all

surveys can be easily done with many computer software packages.

Questionnaires are familiar to most people. Nearly everyone has had some

experience completing questionnaires and they generally do not make people

apprehensive.

Questionnaires reduce bias. There is uniform question presentation and no

middle-man bias. The researcher's own opinions will not influence the

respondent to answer questions in a certain manner. There are no verbal or

visual clues to influence the respondent.

Questionnaires are less intrusive than telephone or face-to-face surveys. When

a respondent receives a questionnaire in the mail, he is free to complete the

questionnaire on his own time-table. Unlike other research methods, the

respondent is not interrupted by the research instrument.


(4.3.2) Disadvantages of Written Questionnaires

One major disadvantage of written questionnaires is the possibility of low

response rates. Low response is the curse of statistical analysis. It can

dramatically lower our confidence in the results. Response rates vary widely

from one questionnaire to another (10% - 90%), however, well-designed

studies consistently produce high response rates.

Another disadvantage of questionnaires is the inability to probe responses.

Questionnaires are structured instruments. They allow little flexibility to the

respondent with respect to response format. In essence, they often lose the

"flavor of the response" (i.e., respondents often want to qualify their answers).

By allowing frequent space for comments, the researcher can partially

overcome this disadvantage. Comments are among the most helpful of all the

information on the questionnaire, and they usually provide insightful

information that would have otherwise been lost.

Nearly ninety percent of all communication is visual. Gestures and other

visual cues are not available with written questionnaires. The lack of personal

contact will have different effects depending on the type of information being

requested. A questionnaire requesting factual information will probably not be

affected by the lack of personal contact. A questionnaire probing sensitive

issues or attitudes may be severely affected.


When returned questionnaires arrive in the mail, it's natural to assume that the

respondent is the same person you sent the questionnaire to. This may not

actually be the case. Many times business questionnaires get handed to other

employees for completion. Housewives sometimes respond for their husbands.

Kids respond as a prank. For a variety of reasons, the respondent may not be

who you think it is. It is a confounding error inherent in questionnaires.

Finally, questionnaires are simply not suited for some people. For example, a

written survey to a group of poorly educated people might not work because

of reading skill problems. More frequently, people are turned off by written

questionnaires because of misuse.

Checking Yourself for Burnout

Burnout occurs when passionate, committed people become deeply disillusioned with a job or career from which they have previously derived much of their identity and meaning. It comes as the things that inspire passion and enthusiasm are stripped away, and tedious or unpleasant things crowd in. This tool can help you check yourself for burnout.

Introduction:

This tool can help you check yourself for burnout. It helps you look at the way you feel about your job and your experiences at work, so that you can get a feel for whether you are at risk of burnout.

Using the Tool:

Work through the table on paper and calculate values manually. Fill in values appropriately on the sheet. This will automatically calculate scores for

you and interpret these scores, showing the score and interpretation in row 30.

If you choose to use the manual method, then calculate the total of the scores as described in the instructions (note that this uses a slightly different scoring method from the spreadsheet). Apply the score to the scoring table underneath to get the interpretation.


(4.4) Data analysis and Interpretation

The project report shows the information of the level of stress which the employees are

facing as the period of recession is going the employee cut-off and turnover ratios are

found to be high so the workload for the existing employees are high. So they are facing

the problem of work overload and thus they get stressed.

As I have collected data from the employees from the different Traders to compare the

stress levels.

Let’s have a watch on the basic data of the survey:

The report of Stress levels of employees under First Trader:

>= Response

-1 No sign of burnout here! 0

5 Little sign of burnout here, unless some factors are particularly severe 6

18 Be careful - you may be at risk of burnout, particularly if several scores are high

8

35 You are at severe risk of burnout - do something about this urgently 0

45 You are at very severe risk of burnout - do something about this urgently

0


no sign of burn outlittle sign of burnoutBe carefulsevere riskVery high

The report of stress levels of employees under the Second Trader

>= Response




10



0

No sign

Little sign

Be careful

Severe risk

Very high


The report of Stress levels of employees under Third Trader:

>= Response




3



0

Analysis:

It is seen from the above data that the employees working in the Retail Industry are at the risk

of two levels that is “a little sign of burn out” and “be careful”. Taking a look on the data of

all the three Traders, it is seen that the employees working with Second Trader are found less


No sign

little sign

be careful

Severe risk

Very high

stressed out compared to other Traders. This can be because of their healthy work

environment. If all the graphs are compared, it is seen that the ratio of stressed employees

working with Third trader are high as compared to all the other traders

Overall result of the survey

>= Response




21



0

.


Analysis:

From the above graph it can be seen that maximum employees under all the Traders are at a

moderate level of risk of burnout while the employees who were found with a little sign of

burnout is less. So the ratio of little sign of burnout and moderate level of burnout is 2:3.


no sign

little sign

Be carefull

severe risk

Very high

1. Are you satisfied with the performance you give at your work?

Analysis:

From the diagram it is clear that 77 % of the employees are satisfied with the performance

they give in the work while 23 % of the employees are not satisfied.


Yes77%

No23%

Response

Yes No No response

27 8 0

2. Do you think that you are suffering from depression?

Analysis:

20 % of the employees feel that they are suffering from depression while 80 % of the

employee feels that that they are free from the depression.


Yes20%

No80%

ResponseYes No No response

7 28 0

3. Do you worry about your colleague's opinion about you?

Yes No No response

9 26 0

Analysis:

26% of the employees worry about their colleague’s opinion about them while 74% of the

employees are not concern with the opinion about their colleague.

4. Do you discuss your problem with your spouse or friend or any other close to

you?


Yes26%

No74%

Response

Analysis:

91% of the employees discuss their

problem and share their feelings with

their spouse or friends or others while 9

% of the employee is not concerned with

it.

5. Do you work more than 8 hours?


Yes91%

No9%

Response

Yes No No response

32 3 0

Analysis:

89% of the employees work for more than 8 hours which is the starting point of the stress

while 11 % of the employees don’t work for more than 8 hours.

6. You have an important function at your home and your boss asks to give a 4 hour

over time, what will be your response?


Yes89%

No11%

Response

Yes No No response

20 15 0

Analysis:

40 % of the employees are proved to be work dedicated and they are ready to miss the

important function at their house while 54 % of the employees said no and 6 % of the

employee did not give any answer.

7. Do you regularly spend time for entertainment?


Yes40%

No54%

No response6%

Response

Yes No No response

14 19 2

Analysis:

57% of the employee spent regular time on entertainment which helps us to remain stress free

while 43 % of the employees don’t do that.

8. Is your social life balanced?


Yes57%

No43%

Response

Yes54%

No40%

No response6%

Response

Yes No No response

22 13 0

Yes No No response

19 14 2

Analysis:

54 % of the employees find their social life to be balanced while 40 % of the employees don’t

have their social life balanced. 6% of the employees remain silent.

9. Do you plan your work before doing?


Analysis:

It is a good habit to plan the work you do. 89 % of the employees plan their work before

doing while 11 % of the employees don’t plan their work.

10. Do you fear about the quality of your performance?


Yes89%

No11%

Response

Yes No No response

31 4 0

Analysis:

63% of the employees fear the quality

of performance which they give while

37 % of the employees don’t fear the quality of their work.


Yes63%

No37%

Response

Yes No No response

22 13 0

11. Do you try to find any solution for the problem of your stress?

Analysis:

69% of employees found the solution of there of stress.

12. (IF YES) do you practice yoga or any other Ayurveda therapy for reducing

stress?


Yes69%

No17%

No response14%

Response

Yes No No response

24 6 5

Analysis:

31% of the employees try the yoga and other Ayurveda techniques to reduce their stress

while 52 % of the employees use other techniques to reduce stress.

(4.5) Employee’s opinion about how to reduce stress

This project consist of the information about the employees undergoing from stress who

working in the Retail Industry. So considering this factor this topic becomes one of the most

important part of the project as it consists of the opinion of the employees who work in the

Retail Industry. In short it was a direct interview of the employees who gave their opinion

about how to reduce stress. The response of employees in the Retail Industry was marvelous

and they have given their valuable opinion about reducing stress as a result of the last

question included in the questionnaire 2. So the opinion if the employees were as follows:


Yes31%

No51%

No response17%

Response

Yes No No response

11 18 6

Just smile away” An employee- Working with First Trader

“Just believe in yourself and just do what your heart wants” An employee- Working

with First Trader

-“Talking to family members,- Watching TV or listening good music, - Going for a

walk or long drive” An employee- Working with First Trader

“Believe in God” An employee- Working with First Trader

“Respect yourself and give time to yourself” An employee- Working with First Trader

“Working in environment welfares, lot of positive attitude. Positive attitude is only

that reduces stress and achieves success. Most of the people frustrate due to lack of

positivity and stress level climbs up due to that. So get positive attitude about work,

about life, and forget the stress” An employee- Working with Second Trader

“We should do such activities from which we get happiness and also make others

happy. Pass your time with your close friends and relatives.” An employee- Working

with Second Trader

“Play and watch cricket” An employee- Working with Second Trader.

“Listen music and spend time with family” An employee- Working with Third Trader

“Get adjusted with others, Find and spend time for prayer, Study the scriptures, See

oneness in all, All are manifested of the supreme GOD” An employee- Working with

Third Trader.

These opinions are seemed to be valuable and effective as one of the effective

things has been noticed that the employees who have got less than 18 marks in the Burnout

test have given their opinions about reducing the stress.

It is also noticed that in the employees working with the Third Trader in the time

of afternoon slow instrumental music are been played so that the employees can work stress

free. This is one of the positive things which are seen in the organization who is caring for

their employees. This will help the organization to boost up the productivity.

From the certain sample of employees selected for the research, only 10

employees have given their opinion how to reduce stress. So we can understand that how

overloaded the employees of the Retail Industry are.


(4.6) Research Flowchart

Questionnaire research design proceeds in an orderly and specific manner. Each item in the

flow chart depends upon the successful completion of all the previous items. Therefore, it is

important not to skip a single step. Notice that there are two feedback loops in the flow chart

to allow revisions to the methodology and instruments.


Design Methodology

Determine Feasibility

Develop Instruments

Select Sample

Conduct Pilot Test

Revise Instruments

Conduct Research

Analyze Data

Prepare Report

(4.7) Limitation of the survey

The questionnaires were filled be 35 employees working with three Retail Industry traders.

So the scope of sample findings was less.

The questionnaire was filled by 35 employees of different designations. So the point of

view of employees differs as per their designations.


The employees from whom the questionnaires are filled are in a heavy workload so some of

the questionnaires filled by the employees who are in stress cannot be called reasonable.

The responses of the employees cannot be accurate as the problem of language and

understanding arises. (These problems are not in all cases.)

One of the other problems of questionnaire is the cost. Sometimes it may be possible that

even by spending so much the result may not be reasonable.

Many a times the employees may not be really conscious or may not be bothered about the

questionnaire. This may create a problem in the research.

(4.8) Findings

It is analyzed from the questionnaire filled by the employees that the employees

who have scored more than 20 marks in the burnout test are not satisfied with the

performance which they give in the organization. Thus it is proved that the employees who

are desired to give better performance than their original performance are found more

stressful than the others. While at the same time the employ that have scored less than 20

marks in the burnout test are satisfied with the performance. From the sample of 35 Retail


Industry employees who have been surveyed, one is found to be a heart patient. This can be

because of high level of stress.

Very rare of the employee are to be found suffering from depression. It is

proved from the survey that the employees who have scored more than 25 marks in the

burnout test are concern about the opinion of their colleagues. And the employees who got

less than 25 marks do not mind about their colleague’s opinion. Thus it is proved that the

colleagues opinion also play a lead role in the increase and decrease of the stress level. Those

who mind about their colleague’s opinion are found to be more stressful.

The employees who have scored 28-29 marks in the burnout test don’t believe in

sharing their problems with their spouse or friend or any closed one. Thus we can say that

sharing your problems with your spouse or close friends is a better idea to reduce stress.

In the second questionnaire one of the question was “You have an important

function at your home and your boss asks to give a 4 hour over time what will be your

response ‘Yes or No’?” the employees have given their opinion as per their mood.

While considering the point of view of entertainment it depends upon the mood

of the employees. The entertainment is considered one of the most ultimate solutions to

reduce stress. Most of the employees do not spend regular time in entertainment. This may be

because they may not be getting time for entertainment or they may not be interested in the

same.

One of the questions was asked that were their social life balanced? It is

observed that the employees who have scored above 20 marks in the burnout test did not have

their social life balanced. Thus we can conclude that the employees who are above 20 don’t

have their social life balanced. Thus it is proved that stress may affect our social life also.

The employees were asked whether they plan their work or not, moderate

answers were given. The employees scoring more than 25 marks were not found their work

planned. Thus the employees who plan their work have scored below 25 marks in the burnout

test except some cases as there are always some drawbacks in making plan. Failure of a plan


may also lead a person to stress. Thus we can conclude that planning of the work may help to

reduce stress level.

Most of the employees who have scored more than 20 marks fear about their

quality of work they give. This aspect is not dependent of the burnout level. This aspect

depends upon the dedication of work. So it is meaningless to compare this question with the

burnout test.

A question was asked that weather you get stressed at the non-achievement of

their target? All the employees have responded positively. But this is not concern with the

burnout score. From this we can conclude that all the employees are given achievable target

and naturally by the non-achievement of the target all the employees may get stressed. One of

the other possibilities is that the employees have responded positively to show themselves to

be good.

The employees having more than 10 marks in the burnout test says that they are

under stress. Out of 35 employees of the sample 20 of the employees accepted that the reason

for their stress is workload. 10 employees are not stressed because of the workload but

because of their family problem. 5 of the employees are not suffering from stress. 14

employees out of 30 employees who are stressed feel stressful when their boss scolds them

while 16 employees refused that they are not stressed because their boss scolds them. All the

30 employees have accepted that they try to find the solution of their stress. 10 employees out

of 30 employees practice yoga to reduce their stress and the other 20 employees don’t

practice yoga. The burnout scores of the employees who practice yoga are either more than

25 or less than 20. Thus we can conclude that the employees have reduced their stress by

yoga therapy and other employees have just started the yoga because of high level of burnout

The above analysis is done by the data received from the questionnaire. So the

accuracy of data depends upon the response of the employees.



(4.9) Recommendations

Stress caused by everything from retail work to office jobs, is the second biggest

occupational health problem. There is still a stigma attached to mental health problems and

employees are often reluctant to seek help in case they are perceived to be unable to cope.

Some of the recommendations after the research are as follows:

Accept offers of help

Do one thing at a time (avoid taking on too much at once)

Know your limits (don't try to overdo the competitiveness)

Talk to someone you trust about your concerns

Let off steam through exercise (gentle or vigorous)

Surround yourself with positive people who are non-judgmental

Practice breathing techniques and relaxation techniques

When people feel under pressure at work, they tend to work harder and harder

to try to close the gap between what they are achieving and what they think they should be

achieving. They sometimes stop taking breaks and lose touch with their own needs.

If you are currently employed in a retail career, whether you are a manager or a

sales assistant, we have prepared a number of tips designed to help you cope with excessive

stress:

Talk to someone you trust. Career counseling can help, as it is totally unbiased and

focuses on your specific needs

Work regular hours and make sure you take all the breaks and the holidays you are

entitled to

Book a day off or a long weekend

Avail yourself of flexible working practices if available


Look after yourself. This could mean anything from exercising at least 3 times a week

to changing your diet

Cut down on alcohol and cigarette consumption; such short term solutions will only

add to your stress levels in the long term

Make your work environment comfortable and suited to your needs

Discuss your problems with your manager, it is their responsibility to help you cope

with stress at work

Treat your colleagues with the respect they deserve or as you would like to be treated

yourself

If you are being bullied at work seek help either through your superior or from outside

advisors.


(4.10) Conclusions:

This study is a small attempt to study stress in the retail industry. Retail work,

along with many other professions, can be a source of excessive stress. The secret of

managing stress is to look after oneself and, where possible, to remove some of the causes of

stress. If one starts to feel things are getting on top of her/him, s/he should give some

breathing space.

Without stress there would be no life at all. We need stress, but not too much stress for too long (distress).

Good stress helps us alert, motivates us to face challenges, and drives us to solve problems. These low levels of stress are manageable. And can be thought of as necessary and normal stimulation.

Problems can occur when over activation of sympathetic system is unnecessary.

What we all is to learn how to approach matters in more realistic and reasonable ways. Strong

reactions are better reserved for serious situations. Manageable reactions are better for

everyday issues that we all have to face.

Thus, it can be safely stated that “Stress Management” has become one of the

most critical factor in today’s world also specially in an organization’s working today and it

will gain more important as the market becomes more and more competitive. Companies

must begin to manage people at work differently, treating them with respect and valuing their

contribution. If we enhance the psychological wellbeing and health of employees, in coming

future the company would make more revenue as well as employee retention, because it is

said that,

“A healthy employee is a productive employee”


5. BIBILIOGRAPHY

o www.mindtool.com

o Organizational Behaviour “Stephen P. Robbins”

o Burn Out tool – Questionnaire

o Self-analysis of questionnaire


6.ANNEXURE

Questionnaire

No Questions Not at all

Rarely Sometimes Often Very often


1 Do you feel run down and drained of physical or emotional energy?

2 Do you find that you are prone to negative thinking about your job?

3 Do you find that you are harder and less sympathetic with people than perhaps they deserve?

4 Do you find yourself getting easily irritated by small problems, or by your co-workers and team?

5 Do you feel misunderstood or unappreciated by your co-workers?

6 Do you feel that you have no-one to talk to?

7 Do you feel that you are achieving less than you should?

8 Do you feel under an unpleasant level of pressure to succeed?

9 Do you feel that you are not getting what you want out of your job?

10 Do you feel that you are in the wrong organization or the wrong profession?

11 Are you becoming frustrated with parts of your job?

12 Do you feel that organizational politics or bureaucracy frustrate your


ability to do a good job?

13 Do you feel that there is more work to do than you practically have the ability to do?

14 Do you feel that you do not have time to do many of the things that are important to doing a good quality job?

15 Do you find that you do not have time to plan as much as you would like to?

Total

>=

-1 No sign of burnout here!

5 Little sign of burnout here, unless some factors are particularly severe


35 You are at severe risk of burnout - do something about this urgently


Instructions: For each question, put an 'X' in the column that most applies. Put one 'X' only in each row.


Please write the total number of ‘x’ at the space given at the bottom of each column.

Answer Number Weight Weighted Total

Not at all 0

Rarely 1

Sometimes 2

Often 3

Very often 4



No Questions Yes No

1 Are you satisfied with the performance you give at your work?

2 Do you think that you are suffering from depression?

3 Do you worry about your colleague's opinion about you?

4 Do you discuss your problem with your spouse or friend or any

other close to you?

5 Do you work more than 8 hours?

6 You have an important function at your home and your boss asks to

give a 4 hour over time, what will be your response?

7 Do you regularly spend time for entertainment?

8 Is your social life balanced?

9 Do you plan your work before doing?

10 Do you fear about the quality of your performance?

11 Do you try to find any solution for the problem of your stress?

12 (IF YES) Do you practice yoga or any other Ayurveda therapy for

reducing stress?

Documents

Project Report on Stress Management Among Retail Industry Employees