Research Paper on Stress management at the workplace Presented By, Vaibhav Arvind Sonar. Email Id: [email protected] SMU Id: 47809935 INDEXSr.No. Chapter Description Page No1 Introduction 32 Statistical Analysis of current problem in stress management at workplace 43 Problem identification from statistical analysis 54 Risk assessments of stress at workplace 115 Solutions of stress at workplace 126 Benefits of stress preventing in the workplace 147 Conclusion 168 References 17CHAPTER NO.1: INTRODUCTIONStressStress is defined response of a human body under a different set of demanding and pressure conditions which not in line with employee’s expertise and knowledge and because of which they face stress feeling at a workplace.
Individual feels stress in happy or sad situations. When we are experiencing stress, our body releases some chemicals in our blood. These chemicals generate energy and power, sometimes this is great But, in some cases these chemicals generate some emotional disturbance which can produce harm and threat to life and health especially if there is no way to release these negative energiesPressure vs Stress?Pressure is often classified as unavoidable due to dynamic changes and high demand.
Employee accept pressure as it keeps employee productive, alert and motivated. Pressure handling is art which can developed by years of practice to produce a high output.In contrast when the pressure goes beyond bearing capacity, hard to manage then pressure transform into stress. Stress comes into picture in serious mismatch situation between available talent and demand. One of bad face of stress under which employee becomes helpless Employees under stress will acts as unproductive for company. The target of a company should be to block stress occurring which causes serious overall disaster. A company require to perform constant assessment of stress situation and develop supporting operating procedures and arrange stress management training in an organization which will benefit each employee.CHAPTER NO.2: STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF CURRENT PROBLEM IN STRESS MANAGEMENT AT WORKPLACEAs per to “Stats & facts about work stress to consider in 2018 – Meditation at work ” November 201758% of Americans confirm that work that is a major contributor to stress (APA, 2017)Major sources of work stress (ComPsych, 2016)Workload, 36%People issues, 31%Work-life balance, 20%Job security, 8%Other, 5%8 from 10 Americans are suffered by stress17 percent say that they rarely experience stressed out and 4% say they never few experienced stress4 in 10 U.S Adults (41%) say they lack sufficient time to do all they want65% of working people said that workplace stress had caused difficulties and more than 10% described these as having major effects14% said they work in stressed environments where machinery or equipment has been damaged62% working people end their day with work-related neck pain, 44% with stressed out eyes, 38% complained of hurting hands and 34% with difficulty in sleeping due to stressed-out condition$300 billion in lost productivity annually to employers due to stressful situationAmericans stress level, on a 10-point scale rised from 4.8 to 5.1 between August 2016 and January 2017CHAPTER NO.3 PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION FROM STATISTICAL ANALYSISThe above statistics gave us information about the real problem of stress management in the workplace. The problem which I identified was real eye-opener.US employer had to bear the more than 300 billion dollars for illness and unproductiveness due to a stressful office environment in the year 2018. People of age group between 21 to 35 experiences more stress as compared to other age group people. Especially in corporate culture when an employee changes the organization employees experience four multiple stress and health-related problems. Employee consider stress as most harmful part of their day to day life which they cannot ignore or bypass it. Stress at workplace produce unwanted results incorporates like verbal abuse, yelling on coworkers, heated talks on unimportant things. Most of the people chose to quit the job due to stress environment and surrounding and reported that they need serious help to how to handle stress through one to one private consultation where they can share the concern and problem without hesitation Research gives following facts :Poor decision-making abilityIncrease customers product returns, complaintsSpoil the company’s image both internally and externallyIncreases wasted, repairs activity which increases manhours cost and reduces productivityIncrease the chance of accidents and injuriesUnsafe working practice, increase carelessnessLow commitment to workIncrease absconding and difficult in employee retention Loss of the company’s top talentpotential litigationEffect of stress on individual Mind and BrainDeveloped suicide thinkingToo much negativeA migraineTensionHair lossAmnesiaMental disorderPanic attacksDepression AnxietyHeartMinor heart attackIncrease blood pressureIncrease cholesterolChest painHeartburnStomachIndigestionStomach crampsUlcerPancreasThe potential threat of diabetesDigestive systemFatty liverDiarrheaConstipationSkinAcneExcess oilPremature aging diseaseRed patches on the skinPoor PostureUpper and lower back painNeck painSlip discSpinal cord diseasesOrigin of Stress at a workplace.Personal Get in engaged or enter in relation with someone, getting married and handling marriage celebration eventsBeing the parent of a new baby bornConflict with co-workersHarm, destruction, injury, accidents, theft, crime loss of a loved oneConcerns over child’s performance, habits, or behaviorFinancial crisesCouple separation in a relationshipEmergencySuffering, torture, discomfortDisorder, illness Use of Cigars, hookahs, drinks Drug addictionAge-related problemsJob-relatedUnproductive work activity engagementLow salary or wagesNo specific procedures or guidelines for workflowLimited opportunity for career advancementBoring workStrict working hoursBad designed of shift timingHectic job life Pressure to perform Unrealistic deadlineUnsafe work conditionDemotion or TransferPosition relatedConflict of interestNo control over the workNo participation in the decision-making processCoordination errorLow social value jobsOver monitoring of employee activitiesLack of trainingChanging team members, colleagues or bossNot clear job roles and responsibilityReporting to multiple person or multiple departmentsNon-reporting bosses giving extra work which conflicts with core responsibility Career development relatedWant to enter in specific working field, industry or departmentHandling high managerial position at an early ageNot recognizing the potential of employeeLack of decision making powerUnhealthy and unsupportive relation with team member Misunderstanding or conflict with reporting boss, team member, subordinates or colleague Blaming and finger pointingChallenges in delegating work Challenges in getting work done form otherWorking environmentMerger and acquisitionPoor leadership and managementUnsatisfactory working environmentChange of managementHigh Layoff rateNo participation in major business decisionStrict office rulesPolitics at workplaceBad company’s financial healthShifting to a new house, office and the new company Surrounding Too hot or too coldHigh noise at the workplaceNot proper equipment or systemsInappropriate illuminationFrequent accidentsStress indicators on human healthPhysical indicator for workplace stress Muscle crampSleeplessnessUnintentional weight loss or weight gainDisturbed statePsychological indicators for stress Lack of confidenceToo much thinkingUneasiness Short temperBehavioral indicator for Stress Social withdrawalFights or heated argumentsPessimisticDetachmentDifficult to perform day to the day job taskRepeated mistakesHopelessnessAbsent-mindednessAlcoholismEating at irregular timeOvereating or under eating CHAPTER NO.4: RISK ASSESSMENT FOR STRESS AT WORKPLACERisk assessment is unique solution to handle stress . This risk assessment results in better place to work, increase job satisfaction, high productivity, better decision making and higher work commitment for an organization.Steps in risk assessments1)Situation analysis and classification of riskSituation analysis: Employer needs to analysis regarding situation occurrence frequency and harms its cause.A possible classification of riskPhysical: Lifting, Awkward posture, noise, dust, Mental: Harass, torture, high workload, extending working hours, unrealistic deadlines Health: Brain, Heart, and digestive related diseases2) Identify who is affecting by risk An employer must identify who is most affected by this risk i.e.Full time employees, part-time employee, third-party employee, contractor, staff, visitors, clients and other official 3) Develop an action plan to reduce the risk at workplaceAn employer must develop an action plan against risk and methods to control t4)Implementation:In this phase, the employer should give training to employees about the implementation of the action plan to reduce risk at the workplace. After training employer should make sure that the action plan for risk is implanted in system5)Evaluation of an action plan to reduce stressIn this phase the employer should evaluate the action plan which was implemented earlier This will give the effectiveness of the action plan to reduce the risk6)Learning and revising action plan In this phase, the organization should address the learning outcome from the process and make a record of the finding and again revise the whole action plan7)Documentation:Do what document and document what you do. In other words, you should documents every detail never classify as important and unimportant. Each piece of information is vital for continuous improvement of an action plan for riskCHAPTER NO.5: SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM OF STRESS AT WORKPLACEStress management by the companyAccurate job design and work design with employee expertise and knowledgeDevelop strong support systems for stress employeesProper ergonomics using industrial standards Arrange stress-relieving event meditationBuild a strong company culture with a healthy workplace environment which gives individual Make company HR department stronger to handle a work-related issue such as Harassment, conflict with the boss, regarding change of departmentBuild a clear HR working policy which shows company cares for their employees and their healthGive paid holiday and encourage employees to go for vacation which will release stress from a daily hectic schedule An employer should offer paid holiday if someone is in serious stress Arrange free body check and consultation for 2 to 3 time in a year. Provide health insurance to employeesRun extensive training program for employee After periodic time take employees’ feedback upon working environmentArrange private one to one consultation with employees regarding their ongoing activity and how they are linked with job satisfactionCelebrate local festival which encourages employee interaction from a different department outside of the work topicArrange some corporate small games to relieve the stress every weekArrange annual function, sports events, and vacation where an employee can bring their family. This will build go relations with other team members.Give some place to an employee where they can spend fun time such as dart board, gym, video games, small board game room, table tennis etcProvide flexible working hour to employeeGive them record about their paid and unpaid leavesOffer employee weekly snacks or small meals so that they can enjoy with other office membersStress management by individualTake proper sleep of at least 7 to 8 hours at nightStart a day with a positive set of mind with proper planning and having nutritious healthy breakfast Being well organized and reaching office on timeLearn to say to “No” to an activity which results in uncomfortable state and require extra time devotion from your scheduleProper seating chair, clean desk without too many papers on it,Go for a short walk after lunch hour and take a small break in between the work to relaxAccept the fact that you cannot control all event of your lifePractice some meditation techniques Exercise daily Take a periodic small break from a stressful situation and again come back on that problem. This will ensure higher productivity and less stress at the workplace.Talk with someone who one trust the most. Don’t think of what will other will think of me. Share the feeling will reduce stress and depressionRead some good meditation books.Learn the art of delegating the work and how to get work done by team leadersDon’t compromise for things which are related to yourself.Maintain a diary of day to day activity in respect to stress level one experience and recognize the activity which causes high stress Practice deep breathing and yoga CHAPTER NO.6: BENEFITS OF PREVENTING STRESS IN THE WORKPLACEReduce the chances of bad healthDecrease near miss, injuries, and accidents Safe working environmentThe illness rate decreases reduced High work efficiency Work engagement increasesEconomic benefitsDecrease litigation cases and actionsHeavy returns for training High customer loyalty The low time required for hiring Benefits for individualsIncrease inspiration and motivationHigher success ratePeople feel like part of the corporate familyPeople take part in the decision-making processRelationship building in team membersHigh employee retentionLeadership skill can be developed in a teamBest career possibility can be exploredManagement benefitsBetter overall outputOutstanding performance Standardized workflow procedureLess reworkBuild a brand in the marketRapid company growth Make a competitive advantage because more and more talented people will join the teamCHAPTER NO.7: CONCLUSIONNowadays stress management is a real challenge for employee in this high end business environment. The good organization always take care of their team’s health. By implementing above mention solutions to current stress problem at workplace organization and individual both can get benefits. This will ensure the future growth of the company. From this article take away is that as a business leader, he or she should develop skills how to de-stress employees’ lives so they perform at their very best. Furthermore, Individual can develop knowledge and expertise how to cope up with work-related stress. The organization can develop a unique action plan which will lead guidelines on how to handle the stressThis article is particularly helpful for developing HR policy and arrange year calendar event such as social get together, parties, camping events, build strong relation between company’s employee, increase employee retention, reduce conflict and make a company as big brand CHAPTER NO: 8 REFERENCESStress in the Workplace: Causes, Effects & How to Cope – Vol. 8, no. 1, May 2012 Newsletter of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees – ISSN 1710-5080Protecting workers health series no.3: Work for the organization and stress-systematic problem approaches for employers, managers, and trade union representative by Stavroula leka BA MSc Ph.D., Professor Amanda Griffiths cpsychol AFBPsS FRSHAnd professor Tom Cox CBE, 2005 Managing stress in the workplace-Anguilla public service- Department of public administration ref.date: 2013Reducing stress in the workplace by associate professor Anthony LaMontagne & Dr. Tessa Keegel March 2012 Workplace Stress: A Critical Insight of Causes, Effects, and Interventions by Aftab Ahmad, Amjad Hussain, Muhammad Qaiser Saleem, Muhammad Asif Mahmood Qureshi, Nadeem Ahmad Mufti – Technical Journal, University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Taxila, Pakistan, Vol. 20(SI) No.II(S)-2015Management of Stress at Workplace By Smruti Rekha Sahoo 2016