Sarita Nair Final Report-cp

7/28/2019 Sarita Nair Final Report-cp

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INTRODUCTION

Life seems to become more complex and stressful as civilization advances. Pressures, demands,

and changes- these are all conditions that exist in persons environment. The nature of work has

gone through drastic changes over the last century and it is still changing at whirlwind speed.

They have touched almost all professions, starting from an artist to a surgeon, or a commercial

pilot to a sales executive. With changes comes stress, inevitably. There seems to be no shortage

of stress in peoples lives, both on and off the job. It occurs even when people are seeking

pleasure. It is not so much stress, within reason, but how an individual meet stress, that counts in

life. The problem is not stress. Rather, it is how individuals react to stress. Emotions- not events-

cause stress-related events.

The word stress is derived from Latin language where it denotes hardships, strains, adversity

or affliction. Concern about the impact of stress on people has its roots in medicine and

specifically in the pioneering work of Hans selye, the father of stress studies. In his search for a

new sex hormone, he serendipitously discovered that tissue damage is a non-specification

response to virtually all noxious stimuli. He called this phenomenon the General Adaption

Syndrome (GAS), and about a decade later he introduced the term stress in his writings.

The GAS has three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. In the alarm stage, an outside

stressor mobilizes the internal stress system of the body. There are a number of physiological and

chemical reactions, such as increased pituitary and adrenaline secretions, noticeable increases in

respiration, heart rate, and blood pressure, and a heightening of the senses. If the stressor

continues, the GAS moves into resistance stage, during which the body calls upon the needed

organ or system to deal with the stressor. However, while there may be a great deal of resistance

to one stressor during this second stage, there may be little, if any, resistance to other, unrelated

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stressors. This helps explain why a person going through an emotional strain may be particularly

vulnerable to other illness or disease. Finally, if the stressor persists over a long period of time,

the reserves of the adaptive mechanisms during the second stage may be a return to the alarm

stage, and the cycle starts again with another organ or system of the automatic shutoff valve of

death occurs. This GAS process, of course, can be very hard on the person and takes its toll on

the human body.

Besides the physiologically oriented approach to stress represented by the classic GAS model,

which remains a vital dimension of modern stress research and stress management, attention is

also being given to the psychological and the behavioral dimension of stress. Al three

dimensions are important to the understanding of job stress and copying strategies in modern

organizations.

Numerous changes occur in the human body during a stress reaction. Breathing and heart rates

changes so that the body can operate with maximum capacity for physical action. These

biochemical and bodily changes represent a natural reaction to environmental stressor: the fight-

or-fight response. An animal attacked by a predator in the wild basically has two choices: to fight

or to flee. Similarly, our cave dwelling ancestors benefited from this biological response

mechanism. People gathering food away from their caves would have experienced a great deal of

stress upon meeting a saber-toothed tiger. In dealing with the tiger, they could have run away or

stayed and fought. The biochemical changes in their bodies prepared them for either alternative

and contributed to their ability to survive.

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The human nervous system still respondents the same way to environmental stressors. This

response contributed to have survival value in a true emergency. The body has only a limited

capacity to respond to stressors. The workplace makes a variety of demands on people, and too

much stress over too long a period of time will exhaust their ability to cope with those stressors.

However, for most people most of the time, the tigers are imaginary rather than real. In work

situations, for example, a fight-or-fight response usually isnt appropriate. If an employee

receives an unpleasant work assignment from a manager, physically assaulting the manager of

storming angrily out of the office obviously is inappropriate. Instead, the employee is expected to

accept the assignment calmly and do the best job possible. Remaining calm and performing

effectively may be especially and the body is prepared to act accordingly.

The presence of stress at work is almost inevitable in any jobs. However, individual difference

accounts for a wide range of reactions to stress. When stress becomes excessive, employees

develop various symptoms of stress that can harm their job performance and health, and even

threatened their ability to cope with the environment.

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REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Hans Selye first introduced the concept of stress in to the life science in 1936. He defined stress

as "The force, pressure, or strain exerted upon a material object or person which resist these

forces and attempt to maintain its original state." Stress is everywhere in our society. It has

become an integral part of everyday living.

Researchers on stress make it clear that, to enter in to the complex area of stress, especially in to

the area of occupational stress, is very difficult. Stress is an unavoidable consequence of modern

living. With the growth of industries, pressure in the urban areas, quantitative growth in

population and various problems in day to day life are some of the reasons for increase in stress.

Stress is a condition of strain that has a direct bearing on emotions, thought process and physical

conditions of a person. Steers (1981) indicate that, "Occupational stress has become an important

topic for study of organizational behavior for several reasons."

Stress has harmful psychological and physiological effects on employees,

Stress is a major cause of employee turnover and absenteeism,

Stress experienced by one employee can affect the safety of other employees,

By controlling dysfunctional stress, individual and organization can be managed more

effectively.

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Stress is an individuals responses to a disturbing factor in the environment, and the consequence

of such reaction. Stress obviously involves interaction of the person and environment. Stress is

defined as , an addictive response to an external situation that results in physical, psychological

and/or behavioral deviation for organizational participants. It is a dynamic condition in which

an individual is confronted with an opportunity, constraint, or demand related to what he or she

desires and for which the outcome is perceived to be both uncertain and important.

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

context, it also has a positive value. Its an opportunity when it offers potential gain. Stress

manifests itself in both a positive way and a negative way. Stress is said to be positive when the

situation offers an opportunity for one to gain something. Eustress is the term used to describe

positive stress. Eustress is often viewed as a motivator since, in its absence, the individual lacks

edge necessary for peak performance. It is negative when stress is associated with heart-

diseases, alcoholism, drug abuse, marital breakdowns, absenteeism, child abuse and a host of

other social, physical, organizational and emotional problems.

Stress is associated with constraints and demands. The former prevents an individual from doing

what he or she desires. The latter refers to the loss of something desired.

Stress is high when there is uncertainty of outcome and the outcome is significant i.e., two

conditions are necessary for potential stress to become actual stress. There must be uncertainty

over the outcome and the must be important. Regardless of the conditions, its only when there is

doubt or uncertainty regarding whether the opportunity will be seized, the constraints removed,

or the loss avoided that there is stress. That is, stress is highest for individuals who perceive that

they are uncertain as to whether they will win or lose and lowest for individuals who think that

winning or losing is a certainty. But importance is also critical. If winning or losing is an

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important outcome, there is no stress. Hence, when constraints and demands are coupled with

uncertainty of outcomes and importance of the outcome, potential stress becomes actual stress.

The Three Stages of stress:

The human mind and body are a lot like a metal spring. A spring has a certain tolerance for

stress. It can be strained up to certain limits (depending on its strength and construction) and then

will return to its original shape. Humans are much like a spring; they can be pressured up to

certain limits, and shall generally rebound.

Dr. Jere E. Yates points out that are actually three different stages, or points, that humans can

experience with stress.

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The first, the Yield point, is the stage that reveals itself as a slight change from normal

behavior. People reach this point from time to time.

The next stage- an extremely critical point- is called our Elastic limit. Dr. Yates has

described this point as kind of an early- warning device that signals the proximity to

stress threshold. Humans function reasonably well between their yield point and their

elastic limit. However, if bent out of shape- that is, passed beyond our elastic limit-

neither a spring nor a human being will rebound easily.

Once elastic limit is crossed, human may reach their Rupture point, which can cause

some severe and permanent mental and physical damage if stress is not managed

properly.

External and Internal Stressors:

People can experience stress from external or internal factors.

External stressors include adverse physical conditions (such as pain or hot or cold

temperatures) or stressful psychological environments (such as poor working conditions

or abusive relationships).

Internal stressors can also be physical (infections and other illnesses, inflammation) or

psychological (such as intense worry about a harmful event that may or may not occur).

As far as anyone can tell, internal psychological stressors are rare or absent in most

animals except humans.

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THE CAUSES OF STRESS

An important first step in prevention is to examine and understand the causes of stress.

Conditions that tend to cause stress are called stressors. Although even a single stressor may

cause major stress, usually stressors combine to pressure an employee in a variety of ways until

major feelings of stress develop. Employees often experience stress in both their personal and

work lives. Understanding these sources of stress and their possible interactions is important. To

consider either source in isolation may give an incomplete picture of the stress that an employee

is experiencing. There are many factors contributing to work stress. These factors can be

categorized into following

EXTRA ORGANIZATIONAL STRESSORS

Taking an open-system perspective of an organization (that is, the organization is greatly

affected by the external environment), it is clear that job stress is not limited just to things that

happens inside the organization, during working hours. Extra organizational stressors clued

things such as societal/technological change, the family, relocation, economic and financial

conditions, race and class, and residential or community conditions.

1. The phenomenal rate of social and technical change has had a great effect on peoples

lifestyles, and this of course is carried over into their jobs. Although medical science has

increased the life spans of people and has eradicated or reduced the threat of many

diseases, the pace of modern living has increased stress and decreased personal wellness.

The concept of wellness has been defined as a harmonious and productive balance of

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physical, mental, and social well-being brought about by the acceptance of ones personal

responsibility for developing and adhering to a health promotion program. Because

people tend to get caught up in the rush-rush, mobile, urbanized, crowded, on-the-go

lifestyle of today, their wellness in general has deteriorated, and the potential for stress on

the job has increased.

2. It is generally recognized that a persons family has a big impact on personality

development. A family situation-either a brief crises, such a squabble or illness of a

family member, or long-term strained relations with the spouse or children-can act a s a

significant stressor for employees.There is even research indicating that in dual-career

families, a stressed-out husband may transmit this stress to his wife. Relocating the

family because of a transfer or a promotion can also lead to stress. For most people in

recent years, their financial situation has proved to be a stressor. Many people have been

forced to take a second job are the spouse has had to enter the workforce to make ends

meet. This situation reduces time for recreational and family activities. The overall effect

on employees is more stress on their primary jobs. Some stress researches define these

personal life stressors as unresolved environmental demands (for example, family or

financial problems) requiring adaptive behaviors in the form of social readjustments.

3. Lifes changes may be slow (getting older) or sudden 9the death of spouse).these sudden

changes have been portrayed in novels and movies as having dramatic effect on people,

and medical researchers have verified that especially sudden life changes do in fact have

a very stressful impact on people. They found a definite relationship between the degree

of life changes and the subsequent health of the person. The more change, the poorer the

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subsequent health. These life changes can also directly influence job performance. One

psychologist, Faye Crosby, reports that divorce interferes with work more than any other

trauma in a persons life. She says during the first three months after a spouse walks out,

the other spouse-male or female-usually is incapable of focusing on work.

4. Sociological variables such as race, gender and class can also become stressors.

Sociologists have noted over the years that minorities may have more stressors. There

continues to be evidence that women perceive more job demands that man in both the

male-dominated and female-dominated occupations. Also, for professional women, the

particular sources of stress have been identified as discrimination, stereotyping, the

marriage/work interface, and social isolation. Research shows that significant number of

working women report feeling personal or family stress which in turn leads to job stress.

In particular, dual family and work roles frequently result in job stress. Also people in the

middle and upper classes may have particular or common stressors. The same is true of

the local community or region that one comes from. For example, one research identified

the condition of housing convenience of services and shopping, neighborliness, and

degree of noise and pollution as likely stressors.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRESSORS:

Besides the potential stressors that occur outside the organization, there are also those associated

with the organization itself. Although the organization is made up of groups of individuals, there

are also more macro-level dimensions, unique to the organization that contains potential

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stressors. It should be noted that as organizations dramatically change to meet the environmental

challenges, there are more and more accompanying stressors for individual employees in their

jobs.

Any job condition can cause stress, depending on an employees reaction to it. For example, one

employee will accept a new work procedure and feel little or no stress, while another experiences

overwhelming pressure from the same task. Part of the difference lies in each employees general

outlook, and expectations, which are all internal factors. Some job conditions however cause

stress for employees. Major ones are discussed as follows:

1. Work overload and time deadlines:

For many employees, having too much work to do and not enough time or resources to do it

can be stressful. Role overload exists when demands exceed the capacity of a manager or

employee to meet all of them adequately. Many stressful jobs may be in a continuous

condition of role overload. Surveys commonly identify work overload or having to work too

hard as a major source of stress. Having too little work to do may create stress. Managers

sometimes are guilty of trying to do their subordinates work, or micromanage, when their

jobs arent challenging enough. Micromanaging might reduce the managers stress caused by

boredom, but it is likely to increase subordinates stress because the superior constantly

watches them or second-guesses their decision.

These put employees under pressure and lead to stress. The pressures arising from

management and a poor quality of management can cause stress. Examples of stress

producing factors related to management are an autocratic supervisor, an insecure job

climate, lack of control over ones own job, and inadequate authority to match ones

responsibilities.

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2. Job conditions:

Poor working conditions represent another important set of job stressors. Temperature

extremes, loud noise, too much or too little lighting, radiation, and air pollution are but a few

examples of working conditions that can cause stress in employees.

Job performance deteriorates, sometime markedly, when these environmental stressors are

present. Moreover, their effects are cumulative over time. Heavy travel demands or long-

distance commuting are other aspects of jobs that employees many find stressful. Poor

working conditions, excessive travel, and long hours all add up to increased stress and

decreased performance. In addition, cutting-edge technology, while clearly of great benefit to

society in general and many individuals in particular, nevertheless has created job conditions

that may be quite stressful.

3. Role conflict and ambiguity:

In situation wherein people have different expectations of an employees activities on a job,

so the employee does not know what to do and cannot meet all expectations, leads to role

conflict. In addition, since the job often is poorly defined, the employee has no official model

on which to depend role ambiguity occurs when an employee is uncertain about assigned job

duties and responsibilities. Role conflict and role ambiguity are particularly significant

sources of job-related stress. Many employees suffer from role conflict and ambiguity, but

conflicting expectations and uncertainty particularly affect managers. Having responsibility

for the behavior of others and a lack of opportunity to participate in important decisions

affecting their job are other aspects of employees roles that may be stressful.

4. Nature of work:

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Some jobs produce more stress than others. Those which involve rotating shift work,

machine-paced tasks, routine and repetitive work, or hazardous environments are associated

with greater stress. Workers who spend many hours daily in front of computer screens also

report high stress levels. Evidence also indicates that the sources of stress differ by

organizational level. Executive stress may rise from the pressure for short-term financial

results or the fear of a hostile takeover attempt. Middle managers may experience stress

when their job security is threatened by news or impending corporate downsizings.

Supervisory stressors include the pressures to increase quality and customer service, required

attendance at numerous meetings, and responsibility for the work of others. Workers are

more likely to experience the stressors of low status, lack of perceived control, resources

shortages, and the demand for a large volume error-free work.

5. Changes of any type, especially when it is major or unusual:

A general and widely recognized cause of stress is change of any type, because it requires

adaptation b employees. It tends to be especially stressful when it is major or unusual, such

as temporary layoff or transfer. A related source of stress that affects many employees is

worry over their financial well-being. This situation can arise when cost-saving technology is

introduced, contract negotiations being, or the firms financial performance suffers.

6. Organizational structure:

The organizational structure defines the level of differentiation, the degree of rules and

regulations, and where decisions are made. Excessive rules and lack of participation in

decision that affect an employee are examples of structural variable that might be potential

stressors.

7. Organizational leadership:

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The organizational leadership represents the managerial style of the organizations senior

executives. Some chief executive officers create a culture characterized by tension, fear and

anxiety. They establish some unrealistic pressures to perform in the short run impose

excessively tight controls and routinely fire employees who fail to measure up.

8. Organizational life-cycle:

Organizations like human beings pass through a life cycle. The life cycle of organizations

comprises of eight stages: growth, policy, procedure, theory, religion, ritual, and last rites. In

this cycle, the organization is born and then has its growth. Policies are developed to guide

decisions and these are carried out through procedures.These procedures are refined and

made more efficient with theories about efficiency. In time, organizations may develop

characteristics of a religion; it may worship the way it does things. Performance is by ritual,

things are done by habit without questioning. The death and last rites of organization will

ordinarily follow. Each stage of life cycle poses its own challenges and problems, while the

early stages are exciting, the latter ones create anxiety and tension.

GROUP STRESSORS:

Teams and groups have a great impact on the behavior of employees. Good working and

interactions with peers, subordinates, and superiors and crucial aspects of organizational life,

helping employees achieve personal and organizational goals. When relationships are poor, they

can become sources of stress. Moreover, incivility at work and elsewhere has become a major

problem. Incivility implies rudeness and disregard of others. It includes the violation of

workplace norms for mutual respect

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A high level of political behavior or office politics also may create stress for managers and

employees. The nature of relationships with others may influence how employees react to other

stressors. In other words, interpersonal relationships can be either a source of stress or the social

support that helps employees cope with stressors. The group can also be a potential source of

stress. The group stressors can be categorized into following areas:

1. Lack of group cohesiveness:

Starting with the historically famous hawthrone studies, it has become very clear that

cohesiveness or togetherness is very important to employees, especially at the lower levels

of organizations. If an employee is denied the opportunity for this cohesiveness because the

other member of the group shut the person out, the resulting lack of cohesiveness can be very

stress-producing.

2. Lack of social support:

Employees are greatly affected by the support of one or more members of a cohesive group.

By sharing their problems and joys with others, they are much better off. If this type of social

support is lacking for an individual, the situation can be very stressful. There is even research

indicating that the lack of social support is so stressful that it accounts for some health care

costs.

3. Intraindividual, interpersonal and intergroup conflict.:

Conflict is conceptually very closely linked to stress. Conflict is normally associated with

incompatible or hostile acts between intra individual dimensions such as personal goals or

motivational needs/values, between individuals with in a group, and between groups.

Conflict can hence lead to considerable stress for individuals.

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In addition to the group per se, group-level dynamics may become stressors, for example a

recent study found that organizational politics was a potential source of stress in the work

environment

4. Aggressive behavior :

A frightening category of work stressors is overly aggressive behavior in the workplace,

often taking the form of violence or sexual harassment. Aggressive behavior that

intentionally threatens or causes physical harm to an employee is classified as workplace

violence. Work place violence tops the security threats employee face at their organization.

Homicide is second only to transportation accidents as the most common cause of workplace

fatalities. A second form of overly aggressive behavior in the workplace is sexual

harassment. Sexual harassment is unwanted contact or communication of a sexual nature.

Many female employees have been object of unwanted sexual advances, propositions or

discussions at work. As with workplace violence, sexual harassment is a serious problem.

Management clearly has a strong responsibility to do everything in its power to prevent

sexual harassment from occurring. When it does occur, it needs to be dealt with quickly and

firmly.

INDIVIDUAL STRESSORS:

In a sense, the stressors discussed so far eventually get down to the individual level. There is also

more research and agreement on possible situational dimensions and individual dispositions that

may affect stress outcomes. For example, individual dispositions such as type a personality

patterns, personal control. Learned helplessness, self efficacy and psychological hardiness may

all affect the level of stress someone experiences.

1. Conflict between work and other roles :

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A person has many roles in life (e.g., breadwinner, family member, little league coach, and/or

social workers, to name a few), only one of which is typically associated with work (although

some individuals may hold more than one job at a time) these roles may present conflicting

demands that become sources of stress. Furthermore, work typically meets only some of

persons goals and needs. Other goals and needs may conflict with career goals, presenting

an additional source of stress. For example, employees personal desires to spend time with

their families may conflict with the extra hours they must work to advance their careers.

Current demographic trends, such as the increasingly large number of dual-career couples,

have brought work and family role conflicts into sharp focus.

2. Career development:

Major stressors related to career planning and development involves job security,

promotions, transfers, and developmental opportunities. An employee can feel stress by

under promotion (failure to advance as rapidly as desired0 or over promotion (promotion to a

job that exceeds the individuals competencies).

The current wave of reorganization and downsizing may seriously threaten careers and cause

stress. When jobs, teams, departments, or entire organizations are restructured, employees

often have numerous career-related concerns: can I perform competently in the new

situation? Is my new job secure? Typically, employees find these concerns stressful.

3. Differences between company and employee values:

A further cause of stress lies in differences between company values and ethical practices, as

often reflected in the organizations culture, and employee ethics and values. Substantial

differences can lead to significant mental stress as an effort is made to balance the

requirements of both sets of values.

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4. Personality characteristics:

The personality characteristics points out the complexity of, and individual differences in,

personality dispositions and traits. Personality traits such as authoritarianism, rigidity,

masculinity, femininity, extroversion, supportiveness, spontaneity, emotionality, tolerance

for ambiguity, anxiety, and the need for achievement have been uncovered by research as

being particularly relevant to individual stress. Most attention has centered on the type A

personality.

Friedman and rosenman define the type a personality as an action-emotion complex that

can be observed in any person who is aggressively involved in a chronic, increscent struggle

to achieve more and more in less and less time, and if required to do so, against the opposing

efforts of other things or other persons. Type A 00employees experience considerable

stress. They are the ones who:

1. Work long, hard hours under constant deadline pressures and conditions for overload.

2. Often take work home at night or on weekends and are unable to relax.

3. Constantly compete with them, setting high standards of productivity that they seem

driven to maintain.

4. Tend to become frustrated by the work situation, to be irritated with the work efforts of

others, and to be misunderstood by supervisors.

Type B people appear more relaxed and easygoing. They accept situations and work with

them rather than fight them competitively. Type B people are especially relaxed regarding

time pressures, so they are less prone to have problems associated with stress. Still, type B

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individuals can be highly productive workers who meet schedule expectations; they simply

obtain results in a different manner.

The research on type A and type B people is still accumulating. For example, some of the

type A behavior patterns, such as competitiveness and a drive for career success, appear to be

consistent with societys values. At the same time, the hostility and aggression these people

exhibit may make it difficult for many employees to work with them.

Some studies also suggest that there may be different forms of type a personalities. As a

result, the type As who are more expressive and less hostile may be less prone to heat

disease. Other type As apparently enjoy their success so much that they disregard the

surrounding stress and do not suffer from heart attacks or other physical consequences.

Besides the debate surrounding the impact of type a personality on health is the question of

the success of type As versus type Bs. It is pretty clear that type As are typically on a fast

track to the top.

They are more successful than type Ba. however, at the very top they do not tend to be as

successful as type Bs, who are not very ambitious, are more patient, and take a broader view

of things. The key may be to shift form type A to type B behavior, but, of course, most type

As are unable and unwilling to make the shift and/or to cope with their type A

characteristics.

5. Personal control:

The second internal factor affecting employee stress is the amount of perceived control they

have over their work and working conditions. Employees who have a substantial degree of

independence, autonomy, and freedom to make decision seem to handle work pressures

better. Since two employees may have the same actual control and flexibility, it is clearly

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their relative perception of that freedom that counts.Managers can respond to this need for

control through a variety of measures such as allowing flexible work schedules, enriching

jobs, placing individuals on self-managing teams, or empowering employees by using

participative leadership styles. Peoples feelings about their ability to control the situation are

important in determining their level of stress.In particular, if employees feel that they have

little control over the work environment and over their own job, they will experience stress.

Studies have shown that if employees are given a sense of control over their work

environment, such as being given a chance to be involved in the decision-making process

that affects them; this will reduce their work stress.

A large study by Cornell university medical researchers found that those workers who

experience loss of control, especially in relatively how-level jobs, have tripled the risk of

developing high blood pressure. The researchers concluded that lack of control turns stress

into physical problems.

They also found that employee perceptions of the amount of control they experience at work

relate to stress, which in turn affects physiological outcomes such as blood pressure as well

as psychological outcomes such as job satisfaction.

6. Learned helplessness :

The feeling of loss of control goes back to come of the classic research on learned

helplessness conducted by Seligman. In conducting experiments on dogs who could not

escape shock, he found that they eventually accepted it and did not they have learned to be

helpless. Other studies found that people, too, can learn to be helpless, which helps explain

why some employees just seem to have given up and seem to accept stressors in their work

environment, even when a change for the better is possible.Most recently, Seligman and his

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colleagues have concentrated on peoples explanations for their lack of control. Specifically,

they suggest that people are most apt to experience helplessness when they perceive the

cause of the lack of control:

To be related to something about their own personal characteristics (as opposed to

outside, environmental forces)

As stable and enduring (rather than just temporary)

To be global and universal (cutting across many situations, rather than in joint one

sphere of life)

Further study and research on the sense of control in general and learned helplessness in

particular will provide much insight into stress and how to cope with it.

7. Perception:

Perception is a process whereby a person selects and organizes environmental information

into a concept of reality. Employee perceptions of a situation can influence how (or whether)

they experience stress. For example, two employees have their hob duties substantially

changed-a situation likely to be stressful for many people. The first employee view the new

duties as an opportunity to learn new competencies and thinks that the change is a vote of

confidence from management in her ability to be flexible and take on new challenges. In

contrast, the second employee perceives the same situation to be extremely threatening and

concludes that management is unhappy with his performance.

8. Past experience :

A person may perceive a situation as more or less stressful. Depending on how familiar that

person is with the situation and his prior experience with the particular stressors involved.

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Past practice or training may allow some employees to deal calmly and competently with

stressors that would greatly intimidate less experienced or inadequately trained employees.

The relationship between experience and stress is based on reinforcement. Positive

reinforcement or previous success in a similar situation can reduce the level of stress that a

person experiences under certain circumstances; punishment or past failure under similar

conditions can increase stress under the same circumstances.

The evidence indicates that experience on the job tends to be negatively related to work

stress. The two explanations have been offered. First is the idea of selective withdrawal.

Voluntary turnover is more probably among people who experience more stress. Therefore,

people who remain with the organization longer are those with more stress-resistant traits or

those who are more resistant to the stress characteristics of their organization. Second, people

eventually develop coping mechanisms to deal with stress.

9. Social support :

The presence or absence of other people influences how individuals in the workplace

experience stress and respond to stressors. The presence of coworker may increase an

individuals confidence, allowing that person to cope more effectively with stress. For

example, working alongside someone who performs confidently competently in a stressful

situation may help an employee behave similarly. Conversely, the presence of fellow workers

may irritate some people or make them anxious, reducing their ability to cope with stress.

10. Locus of control:

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Those with internal locus of control believe they control their own destiny. Those with

external locus believe their lives are controlled by outside forces. Evidence indicates that

internals perceive their jobs are less stressful than do externals.

When internals and externals confront a similar stressful situation, the internals are likely to

believe that they can have a significant effect on the results. They, therefore, act to take

control of events. In contrast, externals are more likely to be passive and feel helpless.

11. Self efficacy:

Self efficacy has also been found to influence stress outcomes. Self efficacy refers to an

individuals belief that he or she is capable of performing a task. Evidence indicates that

individuals with strong self efficacy reacted less negatively to the strain created by long work

hours and work overload that did those with low levels of self efficacy. That is, confidence in

ones own abilities appears to decrease stress. As with an internal locus of control strong

efficacy confirms the power of self beliefs in moderating the effect of high strain situation.

There is increasing evidence that peoples self-perception of their capacity to be effective and

bring about change may be an important disposition in the ability to withstand stress. For

example, those with high self-efficacy have a relatively low level of physiological arousal

(for example, they have less adrenaline in the bloodstream). Yet those under stress tend to

have high physiological arousal. Thus, those with high self-efficacy tend to remain clamer

when faced with a stressful situation. Over arousal can impair our ability to solve compels

stress-related problems by elevating out motivation well beyond optimal levels and

distracting us from task at hand. So people with higher self-efficacy expectations have

biological as well as psychological reasons for remaining calmer.

12. Personality:

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Some peoples personality includes a high degree of hostility and anger. These people are

chronically suspicious and mistrustful of others. Evidence indicates that this hostility

significantly increases a persons stress and risk for heart diseases.More specifically, people

who are quick to anger maintain a persistently hostile outlook, and project a cynical mistrust

of others are more likely to experience stress in situation.

13. Psychological hardiness :

Everyone has observed individual differences of people faced with stressors. Some people

seem to go to pieces at the slightest provocations, while others seem unflappable in the face

of extremely stressful situations. Those able to cope stressfully with extreme stressors seem

to have a hardiness disposition. Personality traits that seem to counter the effects of stress

are known collectively as hardy personality. As a personality type, hardiness is defined as a

cluster of characteristics that includes feeling a sense of commitment, responding to each

default as representing a challenge and an opportunity, and perceiving that one has control

over ones own life. The hardy personality is characterized by:

A sense of positive involvement with others in social situation;

A tendency to attribute ones own behavior to internal causes

A tendency to perceive or welcome significant changes in life with interest,

curiosity, and optimism.

A high degree of hardiness reduces the negative effects of stressful events. Hardiness seems

to reduce stress by altering the way people perceive stressors. The concept of the hardy

personality provides a useful insight into the role of individual differences in reaction to

environmental stressors. An individual having a low level of hardiness perceives many

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events as stressful; an individual having a high level of hardiness perceives fewer events as

stressful. A person with high level of hardiness isnt overwhelmed by challenging or difficult

situation. Rather, faced with a stressor, the hardy personality copes or responds

constructively by trying to find a solution-to control or influence events. This behavioral

response typically reduces stress reactions, lowers blood pressure, and reduces the

probability of illness.

14. Frustration:

Another cause of stress is frustration. It is a result of motivation (drive0 being blocked to

prevent one from reaching a desired goal. It is a felling of insecurity and dissatisfaction

arising from unresolved problems or unsatisfied needs and wants. The mind, either

consciously or subconsciously, generally attempts to cause behavior designed to help the

frustrated person adjust to an unresolved situation, a type of behavior termed an adjustive

reaction of defense mechanism. Some adjustive reactions are positively directed while others

may be negative.Some frustrations may result in mild adjustive ` reactions; other reactions

may be extreme and emotional. The intensity of a particular adjustment generally depends on

two factors: the type of frustration activity and the previous experience of the frustrated

person. Psychologists have developed a variety of terms to describe the numerous types of

adjustive reactions to frustration.

Symptoms of stress:

Stress affects different people in different ways, and everyone has a different method of dealing

with it.

Psychological symptoms

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Anger,

Depression,

Anxiety,

Changes in behavior,

Food cravings,

Lack of appetite, Frequent crying,

Difficulty sleeping (mental),

Feeling tired, and

Difficulty concentrating.

Physical symptoms

Chest pains, Constipation or diarrhea,

Cramps or muscle spasms,

Dizziness,

Fainting spells,

Nail biting,

Nervous twitches,

Pins and needles,

Feeling restless,

A tendency to sweat,

Sexual difficulties such as erectile dysfunction or a loss of sexual desire,

Breathlessness, Muscular aches, and

Difficulty sleeping (physical).

STRESSORS ARE ADDICTIVE:

A fact that tends to be overlooked when stressors are reviewed individually is that stress

is an additive phenomenon. Stress builds up. Each new and persistent stressors adds to an

individuals stress level. So a single stressor may be relatively unimportant in and of

itself, but if its added to an already high level of stress, it can be the straw that breaks

the camels back. If the total amount of stress the individual is under, is to be appraised,

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then all the opportunity stresses, constraints stresses and demand stresses have to be

summed up.

APPROACHES TO STRESS MANAGEMENT

Both organizations and individuals are highly concerned about stress and its effects. In

attempting to manage stress, they have three broad options- prevent or control it, escape

from it, or learn to adapt to it ( handle its symptoms). Organizations can seek to improve

managerial communication skills, empower employees through participation, and

redesign jobs to more fulfilling, or implementing or eliminating stressors for employees.

Other employees can escape stress by requesting job transfers, finding alternative

employment, taking early retirement, or acquiring assertiveness skills that allow them to

confront the stressors. Several approaches also exists for coping with stress. These often

involve cooperative efforts among employees and management and may include social

support, relaxation efforts, and personal wellness programs.

From the organizations standpoint, management may not be concerned when employees

experience low to moderate levels of stress. The reason is that such levels of stress may

be functional and lead to higher employee performance. But high levels of stress, or even

low levels sustained over long periods, can lead to reduced employee performance and,

thus, require action by management.

INDIVIDUAL APPROACHES:

An employee can take personal responsibility for reducing his or her stress level.

Individual strategies that have proven effective are discussed below:

Time management:

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Many people manage their time poorly the well-organized employee, like the well-

organized student can often accomplish twice as much as the person who is poorly

organized. So an understanding and utilization of basic time-management principles can

help individuals better cope with tension created by job demands.

A few of the more well-known time-management principles are:

1. Making a daily list of activities to be accomplished;

2. Prioritizing activities by importance and urgency;

3. Scheduling activities according to the priorities set; and

4. Knowing ones daily cycle and handling the most demanding parts of your job during

the high part of ones cycle when one is more alert and productive.

Physical exercise:

Non competitive physical exercise such as aerobics, walking, jogging, swimming, and

riding a bicycle have long been recommended by physicians as a way to deal with

excessive stress levels. These forms of physical exercise increase heart capacity, lower

the at-rest heart rate, provide a mental diversion from work pressures, and offer a means

to let off steam.

Relaxation techniques:

Individuals can teach themselves to reduce tension through relaxation techniques such as

mediation, hypnosis and biofeedback. The objective is to reach a state of deep relaxation,

in which one feels physically relaxed, somewhat detached from the immediate

environment and detached from body sensations. Deep relaxation for 15 to 20 minutes a

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day releases tension and provides a person with a pronounced sense of peacefulness.

Importantly, significant changes in heart rate, blood pressure, and other physiological

factors result from achieving the conditions of deep relaxation.

Patterned after practice of mediation, the relaxation response involves quite, concentrated

inner thought in o temporarily from the stressful world and reduce their symptoms of

stress. The ideal ingredients of these relaxation efforts involve:

A comfortable position in a relatively quiet location

Closed eyes and deep, comfortable breathes

Repetition of a peaceful word, or focus on a pleasant mental image

Avoidance of distracting thoughts and negative events

Soothing background music

It is also highly regarded that a few organizations have established special lounges for

employee use and many employees who use them for momentary relaxation report

favorable results regarding their capacity to deal with stress.

Social support network:

Some people experience stress because they are detached from the world around them;

they lack warm interpersonal relationships. Individual with a driving ambition and a

strong need for independence may fail to develop close attachments to friends and

colleagues. To achieve their success, they often sacrifice fulfillment of their social needs.

Their lack of social attachments may result in anger, anxiety, and loneliness- all

producing stress in their lives.

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A powerful antidote to this problem lies in the presence of social support at work. Social

support is the network of helpful activities, interaction and relationships that provides an

employee with the satisfaction of important needs. There are four types of support in a

total network: instrumental (task assistance), informational, evaluative and emotional.

The social support may come from supervisors, co-workers, friends or family. It focuses

may be on either work tasks or social exchanges and may even take the form of games,

jokes or teasing. Research suggests that when employee have atleast one person from

whom they can receive social support (specially emotional support), they will experience

lower stress. Females, in particular, not only place more value on social support but seem

to feel more comfortable, and capable, in providing it to others. Supervisors- male or

female- need to develop the capacity to play this role for their employees when support is

needed. An alternative action is to simply provide opportunities for social support and

encourages it to develop among a group of workers. Managers may need to allow time

for employees to develop and nurture their social support networks at work.

Behavioral self control:

By deliberately managing the antecedents and the consequence of their won behavior,

people can achieve self control. For example, sales managers, who have a steady stream

of customer complaints all day could change the antecedent by having an assistant screen

all complaints and allow only exceptions to reach them, they could also manage the

consequences by rewarding themselves with an extra break when they remain calm and

collected after interacting with a particularly angry customer. Besides managing their

own behavior to reduce stress, people can also become more aware of their limits and of

red flags that signal trouble ahead. They can avoid people or situation that they know

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will put them under stress. In other words, this strategy involves individuals controlling

the situation instead of letting the situation control them.

The need for situational faith:

You cant trust anyone:, is a comment made regularly by many individuals. When

individuals live in an unhealthy atmosphere of distrust, they tend to become apprehensive

of all their associates. Perhaps, instead, they need to develop the ability to apply what

might be called situational faith. Historically, the belief put forth is that a person is

innocent until proven guilty. Perhaps, instead, they need to develop the abikity to apply

what might be called situational path.

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Significance and need of the study:

The study of work stress helps in understanding the employees of an organization as a whole.

There are innumerous (and may be unrelated as well) factors that can be potential stressors.

These conditions not only impair the role of the individual as an employee, but also all other

roles that the person holds. In such a situation, it is essential to understand the employee cope up

with stress or modify condition that pose to be potential stressors. It is with this need that

understanding of stress becomes significant for organizations. And the current economic

condition is best to study stress of individuals.

Objective of the study:

The research project undertaken has the following objective:

To identify the stressors existing in Jyoti limited

To analyze the stress levels existing in Jyoti limited

Scope and limitation of the study:

This project is based on sampling collection of 50 respondents. This project is valid with the

current policies of the Jyoti ltd and Jyoti ltds characteristics that impacts the employees stress

level to a very great extent.

Research design:

My research design is based on questionnaire method. The questionnaire was given to selected

respondents. The sample was selected based on stratified random sampling methods and the

output was tabulated, analyzed and interpreted. Exploratory, Descriptive and Experimental

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Universe:

The universe includes the employees of managers, officers, and other executives of the Jyoti

ltd. is 250.

SAMPLING

Sampling method:

The data is compiled using stratified sampling method. Employees of the Jyoti were randomly

selected irrespective of their hierarchical positions.

Sample size:

The sample size is 50 respondents were selected.

DATA COLLECTION

Tools of data collection and instruments: Add Data collection mathed

Questionnaires were used for the purpose of data collection. These were circulated among the

employees and the collected data is analyzed and presented.

Treatment of data:

The data collected is tabulated with the help of tally marling, percentages, average which is then

presented through charts or graphs.

Limitation of the study:

Due to time constrain we cant study the whole organization. MIN 4 are there TIME

MONEY KNOWLEDGE BIASNESS

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DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION:

The research for the project is objected at identifying the stressors existing in the Jyoti ltd. This

purpose is extended to identifying the different stressors faced by the employees of Jyoti ltd.

A sample size of 75.out of which 50 respondents were selected. The questionnaires projected

various questions concerning the individual, group, and organizational stressors.

INDIVIDUAL LEVEL:

DO YOU FEEL ANY KIND OF WORK RELATED STRESS?

Sr no. Answer No of respondents percentage

1 Yes 40 80%

2 No 10 20%

20

80%

YES

NO

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INTERPRETATION: According to 80% respondents they feel work related stress,while

20% respondents dont feel stress.

DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU CAN BALANCE YOUR WORK AND FAMILY

LIFE?

Sr no. Answer No of respondents percentage

1 Yes 39 78%2 No 11 22%

22%

78

YES NO

INTERPRETATION:According to 78% respondents they can balance their work and family

life,while 22% respondents cant balance both. Add more description on particular question

bases on your own perception and analysis

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PLEASE TICK MARK FOR EACH STATEMENT.

Stronglyagree

Agree Neutral Disagree Stronglydisagree

I am provided adequate job knowledge. 34

(68%)

16

(32%

)

0 0 0

I am satisfied with organizational

communication system.

5

(10%)

40

(80%)

0 5

(10%)

0

I am provided regular training. 15

(30%)

35

(70%

)

0 0 0

I am aware of my performance

expectations.

32

(64%)

18

(36%

)

0 0 0

I have time for my interests or hobbiesoutside work.

0 15

(30%

)

0 20(40%)

15

(30%)

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68%

10%

30%

64%

0%

32%

80%

70%

36%

30%

0%0%0% 0%

10%

0% 0%

30%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

strongly

agree

agree neutral disagree strongly

disagree

job knowledge

communication system

training

performance expectations

time for interests or hobbie

INTERPRETATION: 68% respondents strongly agree that adequate job knowledge is given tothem ,80% says that they are satisfied with organizational communication system,70% says that

regular training is given to them,40% says that they dont have time for their interests and

hobbies. Make relative analysis with related question.


Strongly

agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly

disagree

Company policies or procedures makes

job more difficult.

0 0 0 16

(32%)

34

(68%)

I am clear about my duties and

responsibilities.

18

(36%)

32

(64%)

0 0 0

I am clear about goals and objectives of

my department.

18

(36%)

32

(64%

)

0 0 0

I am pressured to work long hours. 2 ( 4%) 4

(8%)

0 40

(80%)

4

(8%)

My working time is flexible. 12 33 0 5 0

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(24%) (66%

)

(10%)

0%

36%

36%

24%

0%

64%

64%

66%

0%00 0

68%

00 0%0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

strogly

agree


disagree

policies makes job more difficult

clear about duties and responsibilities

clear about goals and objectives

pressure to work long hours

flexible timing

INTERPRETATION:68% respondents strongly disagrees that company policies or procedures

makes job more difficult,64% respondents agrees that they are clear about their duties and

responsibilities and also clear about goals and objectives of their department,80% disagrees thatthey are pressured to work long hours,66% agrees that their working time is flexible.

DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU ARE NOT GIVEN WELL DESERVED

PROMOTION?

Sr no. Answer No of respondents Percentage

1 YES 31 62%

2 NO 19 38%

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62%

38%

YES NO

INTERPRETATION:62% respondents says that they are not given well deserved promotion.

GROUP LEVEL:

DOES YOUR COLLEAGUES HELP YOU IF WORK BECOMES DIFFICULT?

Sr no. Answer No of respondents Percentage

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1 YES 40 80%

2 NO 10 20%

80%

20%

YES NO

INTERPRETATION:80% respondents says that their colleagues helps them if work becomes

difficult.


Strongly

agree

Agree Neutr

al

Disagree Strongly

disagree

I feel comfortable working with other

employees in a group.

13

(26%)

32

(64%)

0 5

(10%)

0

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I have support of my colleagues

whenever required.

20

(40%)

29

(58%)

0 1

(2%)

0

I can easily adjust to group goals and

rules.

8

(16%)

40

(80%)

2

(4%)

0 0

I get enough encouragement at work. 10

(20%)

35

(70%)

0 5

(10%)

0

26%

40%

16%20%

64%58%

80%

70%

0%0%0%

0% 10%2%0%

10%0%

0%0%

0%0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly

disagree

comfortable with other

employees

suppot of colleagues

easily adjust to group goal

and rules

enough encouragement at

work

INTERPRETATION:64% respondents agrees that they feel comfortable working with other

employees in a group,58% says that their colleagues helps them,80% says that they can easilyadjust to group goals and rules,70% says that they get enough encouragement at work.


ALWAYS SOMETIMES NEVER

I get respect at work from colleagues. 48

(96%)

2

(4%)

0

I am provided with opportunity of working in a 10 40 0

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team. (20%) (80%)

My good performance is appreciated. 12

(24%)

38

(76%)

0

There is anger or friction between colleagues. 0 38

(76%)

12

(24%)

96%

20%24%

04%

80%76%76%

0%0%0%

24%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

always sometimes never

get respect from colleagues

opportunity of working ina team

good performance is appreciated

anger or friction between colleagues

INTERPRETATION:96% respondents says that they get respect from colleagues,80% says

that they get opportunity of working in a team,76% says that their good performance isappreciated,76% says that there is anger or friction between colleagues.

ORGANIZATIONAL LEVEL:


Strongly

agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly

disagree

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I am happy with the working conditions. 36

(72%)

14

(28%

)

0 0 0

I have enough growth opportunities. 16

(32%)28

(56%

)

6

(12%)

0 0

There is partiality in treating the

employees.

5

(10%)

30

(60%

)

0 15

(30%)

0

I am provided feedback on my

performance.

21

(42%)

29

(58%

)

0 0 0

I have unrealistic time pressures. 20

(40%)

26

(52%

)

0 4

( 8%)

72

32

10

42 40

28

5

60 58

52

0%

12

0%0%0%0%0%

30

0%

8%

0%0%0%0%0%0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

strongly

agree


disagree

happy with working conditions

enough growth opportunities

partiality in treating employees

feedback given on performance

unrealistic time pressures

INTERPRETATION:72% respondents says that they are happy with the working

conditions,56% says that they have enough growth opportunities,60% says that there is partialityin treating employees,58% says that feedback is given on their performance.


ALWAYS SOMETIMES NEVER

I have to consult manager to take decisions. 13 37 0

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(26%) (74%)

I am provided with guidance and support by

manager whenever required.

36

(72%)

14

(28%)

0

My suggestions are taken and considered in

decision making.

11

(22%)

39

(78%)

0

My feedback is taken. 17 (34%)

33(66%)

0

Staff are consulted about change at work. 25

(50%)

15

(30%)

10

(20%)

26%22%

34%

50%

74%

28%

78%

66%

30%

0% 0%0%

20%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

always sometimes never

consulting manager to takedecisions

guidance and support by

managers

suggestions are taken in

decision making

feedback is taken

staff are consulted aboutchange

INTERPRETATION:26% says that always they have to consult manager to take

decisions,72% says that always they are provided guidance by managers,78% says thatsometimes their suggestions are taken in decision making,66% says that their feedback is

taken,50% says that staff are always consulted about change at work.

FINDINGS: Cross Question analysis in short

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From the survey it is found that 80% employees feels that they have work related

stress.

78% says that they can balance work life and also family life.

68% respondents strongly agree that adequate job knowledge is given to them.

80% says that they are satisfied with organizational communication system.

70% says that regular training is given to them,40% says that they dont have

time for their interests and hobbies.

68% respondents strongly disagrees that company policies or procedures makes

job more difficult.

64% respondents agrees that they are clear about their duties and responsibilities

and also clear about goals and objectives of their department.

80% disagrees that they are pressured to work long hours,66% agrees that their

working time is flexible.

62% respondents says that they are not given well deserved promotion.

80% respondents says that their colleagues helps them if work becomes difficult.

64% respondents agrees that they feel comfortable working with other

employees in a group,58% says that their colleagues helps them.

80% says that they can easily adjust to group goals and rules,70% says that theyget enough encouragement at work.

96% respondents says that they get respect from colleagues,80% says that they

get opportunity of working in a team.

76% says that their good performance is appreciated,76% says that there is anger

or friction between colleagues.

72% respondents says that they are happy with the working conditions,56% says

that they have enough growth opportunities.

60% says that there is partiality in treating employees,58% says that feedback is

given on their performance.

26% says that always they have to consult manager to take decisions.

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72% says that always they are provided guidance by managers.

78% says that sometimes their suggestions are taken in decision making,66%says that their feedback is taken,50% says that staff are always consulted about

change at work.

CONCLUSION:

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The data analysis has lead to a clear cut demarcation of stressors and their impact on employees.

It is not so much stress, within reason, but how an individual meet stress, that counts in life. The

problem is not stress. Rather, it is how individuals react to stress, Emotions-not events-cause

stress-related events.

Dealing with stress is dealing with people, their emotions, feelings and perceptions. Those, who

have an internal locus of control, feel less stressful as compared to those with external locus of

control. An internal locus of control enables an individual to believe that they themselves are

responsible for the success or failure they make in life.

It is very clearly evident from the data collection and interpretation conducted that of all

respondents, that those with external locus of control feel extremely stressful and helpless when

faced with demands. This is because they believe that they are not in control of their lives and

more than them other people are responsible for the happenings of their life.

The employees, who have an internal locus of control take initiative, feel that they can

accomplish work and move ahead. Hence they feel less workload. These are happy go lucky type

of people who do not get upset due to outside factors. They hence feel less stressful.

Secondly, stress is all about what employees feel and how they perceive a given situation or

event. However, perceptions are influenced by many other factors like their attitudes,

assumptions, their personality type and motivation. Half of these perceptions might not really be

t rue. But that is how we humans think. Its all in thoughts-felt or perceived. These thoughts form

beliefs and attitudes that then in a way block the transparency in thinking. Many employees feel

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stressful because of their perceptions which are very personal in nature and cannot be changed

easily.

On the basis of the information received on their interpersonal relationships, it is clearly evident

that most of the respondents are satisfied on these ground, However, many respondents are not

able to manage their work-life balance and do not have time for extra-organizational activities.

This shows that their work leaves them with very little time to pursue with other activities.

This can be one of the probable reasons why people easily feel stressed. On one hand, they have

organizational commitments to satisfy and on other hand there are their own personal desires that

remain unaddressed. This lead to a feeling of emptiness and lack of achievement that causes

stress. Over and above these, the other stressors that deeply affect employees are those associated

with the organization.

The demands of long working hours, work overload and lack of autonomy etc. cause stress

among employees. These stressors need to be coped up by escorting to collective bargaining and

negotiations on regular basis.

Gradually, Indian organizations are moving towards adopting a friendlier and open-door

approach towards dealing with employees. They are now understanding and accepting their

workforce as their core competitive resource and hence are doing their best to provide them with

all such facilities, benefits and hence are empowering them. This goes a long way to reduce

stress, hence ensuring that employees feel a sense of belongingness.

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RECOMMENDATIONS:

The data analysis and findings have put forth some crucial points that need to be addressed. I

would like to provide the following recommendations for both the manager and the employees

that can help them in reducing their stress levels and thereby coping with stress.

For the Managers:

Managers should be alert for identifying the signs of stress in each of the employees.

They should explore factors contributing to stress and its potential consequences.

The managers should study the key behavioral phenomena underlying employee

reactions to stress, such as frustration tolerance level, loss of control, defense mechanism,

stress threshold, values and conflicts.

The managers need to adopt participative style of management. They should involve

employees in making the decisions concerning them. This will make the employees feel

motivated, responsible and committed to the decisions so taken.

The managers should delegate autonomy to each employee considering their limits of

authority and responsibility. This will make the employees feel values and shall motivate

them to try their best to live up to the expectations of managers.

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There should be a transparent and timely communication of important information. The

employees should not be kept in darkness and all important decisions taken by top

management concerning the company should be communicated to the employees.

The employees should be given regular feedback. This provides a direction to the

employees where they are currently, where they are moving and where they are

supposed to move.

The employees should be allowed to commit mistakes, since its only by committing

mistakes that they can learn and find new and different ways of working.

The employees should not be over-directed. The managers should tell the employees

what they are supposed to do and little guidance for doing it. Over-directing employees

sends across a message that they are considered less knowledgeable.

When inducting an employee, the managers should clearly chalk out their

responsibilities, authorities, and the job description, so that the employee is clear of

employers expectations.

The managers should try and provide counseling to employees for dealing with their mid-

career crises. Whenever required, seminars should be conducted to help employees learn

more about the changing role requirements and make them prepared for the same.

The managers should try and establish an environment of belongingness, trust and

acceptance.

For the employees:

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The employees should try to establish a balance between work and leisure activates,

which is essential to prevent destructive stress. The employees should learn how to slow

down and unwind. The employees should learn how to relax.

When already preoccupied with many commitments, they should learn how to say no

tactfully to new opportunities and requests from others that do little other than increasing

their tensions and anxieties.

The employees should try to perform their work in best possible manner and timely. This

will avoid work overburden and enable them to cope up with workload easily.

The employees should also retrospect themselves regularly and try to find out their own

behavioral pattern. They should learn from whatever happens around them whenever

necessary, they should take steps to change or alter their behavior to suit the

circumstances.

Documents

Sarita Nair Final Report-cp