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1. A STUDY ON
STRESS MANAGEMENT AMONG BANK EMPLOYEES
SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT
FOR
MASTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT &
MANAGEMENT
2015 – 2016
ROLL NO: 13-H-012
NAME OF THE INSTITUTE:
JAMNALAL BAJAJ INSTITUTEOF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

2. Preface
The study of human resource management is one of the major criteria in the corporate
sector. Human resource is the heart of the organization. By this research project we will
be able to know to reduce the stress level of the employees working in the Bank. By this
way the productivity of the employee increases.
Now a day the corporate sector is booming in a high speed that the people have to work
for prolonged hours to maintain the standard of living and achieve their basic needs. So
is the condition in the hospitals, colleges, BPO’s and lots of other places. In spite of
having the modern technologies and facilities, people are feeling themselves to be work
loaded and stressed. Stress arises because of many reasons which are discussed in the
following project. The project report also contain techniques how to reduce the stress
and overcome such problems.
To identify the level of stress among the people who work I have tried to survey the
people working in Banks. Stress arises because of overload of work, responsibilities etc.
starting the topic of stress; let’s first understand what stress is.
Place: Mumbai
Date : 30th
Octomber 2015
2

3. TABLE OF CONTENTS
SR.NO TILLE
PAGE
NO
1 Acknowledgement 4
2 Synopsis 5
3 Company Profile 7
3(3.1) History of Banks 7
3(3.2) Growth of Banks 8
3(3.3) Meaning of Banks Chambers 8
3(3.4) Types of Banks 9
4 Bank of Maharashtra 10
4(4.1) Product and Services 14
4(4.2) Growth of Banks 16
4(4.3) Competitor for the Banks 16
4(4.4) SWOT Analysis 17
4(4.5) Milestones 20
5 Dena Bank 23
5(5.1) Product and Services 25
5(5.2) Growth of Banks 27
5(5.3) Competitor for the Banks 27
6 Objective of the Study 28
7 Hypothesis of the Study 29
8 Literature Review 30
8(8.1) Introduction & Definition of Stress 31
8(8.2) What is Stress 36
8(8.3) Coping with Stress at Workplace 40
9 Stress Management 43
9(9.1) Workplace Stress 46
9(9.2) Causes of Workplace Stress 47
9(9.3) How to reduce Stress 50
10 Research Methodology 57
10(10.1
)
Research Objective 57
10(10.2
)
Sampling 59
10(10.3
)
Data Analysis and Interpretation 62
10(10.4 Chi-square Test 68
3

4. )
10(10.5
)
Employees opinion to reduce stress 69
10(10.6
)
Limitation of Survey 70
10(10.7
)
Advantages of Written Questionnaires 70
10(10.8
)
Disadvantages of Written
Questionnaires
71
11 Findings 73
12 Conclusion 76
13 Recommendations 77
14 Bibliography 81
15 Annexure 82
4

5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The satisfaction that accomplishes the successful completion of any work is when we
say thank you to the people who made it possible, whose constant encouragement and
guidance has been a source of inspiration throughout the course of the my project.
I would like to express my deep sense of gratitude to the management of the Bank of
Maharashtra and Dena Bank for giving me an opportunity to complete my project I also
express my deep senses of gratitude to my project guide, his valuable guidance during
the project. I also express my sincere thanks to AGM of Bank of Maharashtra and Dena
Bank. I am also in debt to my family members and friends for their valuable help and
cooperation throughout the project.
SYNOPSIS
5

6. The research project entitled “Stress Management among Bank employees” is an attempt
to understand the stress of the employees they face while working in the organization
due to several reasons.
The scope of the study encompasses –
 To know the stress of the employee
 Identify situations that causes stress
 Be more knowledgeable on techniques to alleviate stress
The data was collected from the two Government Banks namely Bank of Maharashtra
and Dena Bank. This research study was carried out by conducting a survey on managers
of the two banks. This study involved primary data for collecting information. The
primary data was collected with the help of a survey – questionnaire administered on 35
Bank Employees of same designation, which were selected through simple random
sampling technique
Findings:
A survey of 35 respondents was done on the basis of questionnaire which was pertaining
to stress. The response collected during the data analysis has been represented with the
help of pie charts this includes:
1. Around 86% of the respondents are overload with work and responsibility out of
100%.
2. It was found that out of 100 percent, 90% are stressed because don’t achieve their
targets.
3. It was observed that 82% of the respondent has solution for the problem of their
stress.
6

7. It was concluded that more than 85 %of the people are stress in the banks.
Employees at bank are too much stressed with their jobs with heavy workload, so the
employees can have some refreshing events to add up in their workplace like
entertainment trips, intervals once in a while during lumps of work. As they are
loaded with work the employees are not able to achieve their targets which are the
main causes of stress.
3. Industry profile
7

8. Bank It is generally said that the word “BANK” has been originated in Italy. In the
middle of 12th century there was a great financial crisis in Italy due to war. To meet the
war expenses, the government of that period a forced subscribed loan on citizens of the
country at the interest of 5% per annum.Such loans was known as “compare”, “Minto”.
In Germany the word “Monte” was named as “Bank”. It is also said that the word
“Bank” has been derived from the word “Banco” which means a Banch. The Jews
money lenders in Italy used to transact their business sitting on banches at different
market places.
3(3.1) History of Bank
The word ‘Bank’ is used in the sense of a commercial bank. It is of Germanic origin
though some person trace it origin to French word ‘Banqui’ and the Italian word
‘Banca’. It referred to a bench for keeping lending and exchanging of money lenders and
money chargers. There was no such word as banking before 1640. All though the
practice of safe keeping and saving flourished in the temple of Babylon as earlier as
2000 B.C. Chanakya in his Arthashastra written in about 300 B.C. mentioned about the
existence of Merchant of Bankers who received deposits advanced loans and hundise.
The 1st bank in India was the ‘Bank of Hindustan’ started in 1770 by Alexander and co.,
an English agency house in Kolkata which failed in 1782 with the closer of the agency
house. But the 1st bank in the modern sense was established in the Bengal presidency as
the Bank of Bengal in 1806.
8

9. 3(3.2) Growth of Bank
Merchant bankers issued ‘Hundis’ to remit funds in India such Merchant bankers were
known as Seth’ The next stage in the growth of banking was the Goldsmith he started
charging something for taking care of the money and bullion. The next stage in the
growth of banking is the money lenders, the goldsmith found that on an average the
withdrawal of coins were much less than the deposits with him. So he started advancing
the coins on loan by charging interest as a safeguard he kept some money in the reserve
thus the goldsmith –money lenders became a banker who started performing the 2
functions of modern banking that of accepting deposit and advancing loan
3(3.3) Meaning of Bank Chamber’s
20th century dictionary defines a bank has an institution for the keeping lending and
exchanging of money. Economists have also defined a bank highlighting its various
functions. According to Crowther “The bankers business is to take the debts of other
people to offer his own in exchange and there by create money”. Thus a bank is an
institution which accepts deposits from the public and in term advances loans by creating
credit. It is different from other financial institution in that they can’t create credit
though they may be accepting deposit and making advances.
9

10. 3(3.4) Types of Banks
Commercial Banks.
Exchange Banks.
Industrial Banks.
Agricultural Banks.
Co-operative Banks.
Central Banks.
Private sector Banks.
10

11. 4. Company profile
BANK OF MAHARASHTRA
The bank was founded by a group of visionaries led by the late V. G. Kale and the late
D. K. Sathe and registered as a banking company on 16 September 1935 at Pune.
The bank was registered on 16 September 1935 with an authorized capital of 1 million,
and began business on 8 February 1936. Bank's financial assistance to small units has
given birth too many of today's industrial houses. After nationalization in 1969, the bank
expanded rapidly.
11

12. Shri Narendra Singh, who had assumed the office of Chairman and Managing Director
from 1 February 2012, left his office on 30 September 2013 on attaining superannuation.
Shri Sushil Muhnot is the new Chairman and Managing Director.
The bank attained autonomous status in 1998. As a result, the bank has limited
interference of Government bureaucracy in its decision making process and internal
affairs.
Vision
To be a vibrant, forward looking, techno-savvy, customer centric bank serving diverse
sections of the society, enhancing shareholders’ and employees’ value while moving
towards global presence.
Mission
 To ensure quick and efficient response to customer expectations.
 To innovate products and services to cater to diverse sections of society.
 To adopt latest technology on a continuous basis.
 To build proactive, professional and involved workforce.
 To enhance the shareholders’ wealth through best practices and corporate
governance.
 To enter international arena through branch network.
 To be a vibrant, forward looking, techno-savvy, customer centric bank serving
diverse sections of the society, enhancing shareholders' and employees' value
while moving towards global presence.
12

13. 13

14. 14

15. 4(4.1) Product and Services
Deposits:
Loans: Some of the most common loan products are:
15

16. Other services pertain to:
Apart from the ATM, the Bank of Maharashtra has other multiple delivery channels such
as Internet banking and SMS banking. The bank also has business ties with Visa Inc. to
provide credit card and debit card services.
16

17. 4(4.2) Growth of the Bank
On the back of robust growth in treasury income, Bank of Maharashtra net profit saw a
three-fold rise this quarter to Rs 261.56 crore compared with Rs 87.89 crore in the
corresponding quarter of the last financial year. The total income of the bank increased
30 per cent, driven mainly by an almost 10-fold increase in treasury income at Rs 270.24
crore (Rs 28.38 crore). Its net interest income stood at Rs 585.71 crore (Rs 503.27
crore), up 16 per cent. An increase of 41.97 per cent in core deposits has also aided the
bank, which has reduced its dependence on high-cost deposits by about 42 per cent. “We
will focus more on growth of low-cost deposits, core deposits, reducing dependence on
high-cost deposits and substituting them with core deposits,” The bank’s cost of deposits
was 6.62 per cent (6.92 per cent). The focus will also be on “better liability management
through overall reduction in cost of deposits.
4(4.3) Competitors for the Bank
 SBI
 PNB
 Union Bank
 Indian Bank
 Oriental Bank
 Central Bank
17

18. 4(4.4) SWOT Analysis
A SWOT analysis consists of evaluating a company internal strength and weakness and
its external opportunities and threats. The strategy must produce a good fit between a
firm’s internal capability and external situation. A scan of internal and external
environment is an important part of the strategic planning process. Environmental
factors internal to the firms can be classified as strength (S) and weakness (W), and
factors external to the firm can be classified as opportunity (O) and Threat (T). Such
analysis of internal and external factors is referred to as SWOT analysis. The SWOT
analysis has been useful tool for the industry. The process of utilizing the SWOT
approach requires an internal survey of opportunities and threats. The following are the
strengths, weakness, opportunity, and threats of Bank of Maharashtra
STRENGTHS
• The bank is a pioneer in introducing several initiatives such as agricultural financing
and door-to-door banking, which are now recognized as benchmarks by the industry.
• The bank has won 25 awards for its excellence in providing banking services. It also
offers a wide range of products to serve various needs of its customers.
The bank is the first public sector bank to provide BPO services and is also ISO
certified.
• The bank is well aware of its social responsibility and has been actively involved in
the development of the society since its inception.
18

19. • Strong rural presence is key strength of Bank of Maharashtra as it has strong presence
in the rural India. Rural India is having big growth potential as the urban areas are
becoming saturated and is facing stiff competition.
• Bank of Maharashtra is a government owned bank.
WEAKNESSES
• Increasing Net performing assets.
• Poor qualification of many employees.
• It has just started implementing its core banking solutions across many of its branches.
• In urban areas its growth is less.
• Bureaucratic culture still prevailing in the ban
OPPORTUNITIES
• It has created a good customer base and it is time that it leverages on this strength to
cross sell and up sell its various products to them.
• The Bank should enhance its technological capabilities to differentiate products and
services from those of its competitors and continue to implement its Core Banking
Solutions plan.
• The Bank should also expand its presence in international liberalization. Liberalization
of banking sector in 2009 will force the government to de regulate the sector.
• Indian bank will have the opportunity to go abroad.
• The investors are scared of private sector banks, so opportunities are more to the public
sector.
19

20. THREATS
• Increasing competition posed by global and private sector banks
• Better performance by private sector banks as well as some of its public sector
counterparts
• Commencement of MNC bank posting.
• Government regulation
20

21. 4(4.5) Milestones in the journey for nation building:
Commitment stated in the prospectus issued on 21-10-1935:
“Steadily to spread its business operations all over Maharashtra and as opportunity
allows, outside that area offering varied services to the general public while trying to be
useful to trade , commerce and industry consistently with high standards of safety and
efficiency”
1936 Commenced operations on 08-02-1936 in Pune.
1938 Second branch of the bank was opened in 1938 at Fort, Bombay.
1940 Third branch came up at Deccan Gymkhana, Pune.
1944 Status as Scheduled Bank obtained.
1946 Deposits crossed Rs One crore marks.
Formed fully owned subsidiary, The Maharashtra Executor &
Trustee Company.
First branch outside Maharashtra opened in Hubli (Mysore State,
Now Karnataka).
1949 Expansion to AP: Hyderabad branch opened
1963 Expansion to Goa: Panjim Branch opened
1966 Expansion to Madhya Pradesh: Indore branch opened.
Entered in Gujarat: Baroda branch opened.
1969 Nationalized along with 13 other Banks.
Entry in Delhi by opening Karolbagh branch on 19-12-69.
1974 Deposit base crossed Rs. 100 Crore mark.
1976
Marathwada Grameena Bank, first RRB established on 26-08-
1976.
1978
New Head Office building inaugurated by Hon'ble Prime
Minister of India Shri. Morarji Desai
Deposits crossed the figure of Rs.500 Crores
1979
“Mahabank Agricultural Research and Rural Development
Foundation”, registered as a public trust, was established for
undertaking research and extension work and to provide more
extensive services to farmers.
1985
500th branch in Maharashtra state was opened at the hands of
the then Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi at Nariman Point,
Mumbai.
21

22. First Advanced Ledger Posting Machine (ALPM) was installed
at the branch.
Golden Jubilee Year Celebrations launched at the hands of Dr.
Manmohan Singh, Governor Reserve Bank of India.
1986 Thane Grameena Bank sponsored.
1987
The 1000th branch of the Bank was inaugurated at Indira
vasahat, Bibwewadi, Pune at the auspicious hands of Dr.Shankar
Dayal Sharma, the Honourable Vice President of India.
1991 "Mahabank Farmer Credit Card” was launched.
Entered in to Domestic Credit Card Business.
Main Frame Computer installed.
Became member of the SWIFT.
1995
Diamond Jubilee Celebrations - Dr C Rangarajan the RBI
Governor was the Chief Guest.
Deposits crossed Rs 5000 crore mark.
1996
Moved into “A” category from the earlier “C” category.
Autonomy obtained.
2000 Deposits crossed Rs 10000 crore marks.
2004 Public Issue of Shares – 24% owned by Public.
Listed in BSE and NSE.
2005 Bancassurance and Mutual Fund distribution business started.
2006 Crossed total business level of Rs.50, 000 Crore.
Branch CBS Project started.
2009 Entered in to 75th year of dedicated service to the Nation.
Adopted 75 underdeveloped villages for integrated overall
development.
2010
100% CBS of branches achieved Total Business crossed Rs One
lakh crore.
Opened 76 branches in the Platinum Year taking the total to
1506.
Platinum Jubilee Year concluding ceremony at the hands of the
then Finance Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee held at Vigyan
Bhavan, New Delhi.
New initiatives like Mahachetana, opening of E-lounges in Pune,
Mumbai and Delhi, Micro Asset Recovery cells were
implemented.
2011 First SHG Branch opened in Pune.
Bank sponsored Maharashtra Gramin Bank achieved 100% CBS
in record 77 days.
22

23. 77th anniversary of Foundation day celebrations at the hands of
Honble Finance Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee dedicating 5
specialized branches to SHGs and opening of 5 Mid-Corporate
branches on the occasion.
First ever visit of Union Finance Minister to Bank’s Central
Office - Honble Finance Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee visits
Lokmangal, the Bank’s Headquarters in Pune on 7-11-2011.
2012
Hon’ble Union Finance Minister Shri P Chidambaram
inaugurates the Bank’s 1624th branch at Rajgambiram on
25.08.2012.
Sept 2012: Bank’s total business crossed Rs.1, 50,000 cr and
reached the level of Rs. 1, 51,320 crore.
Bank of Maharashtra awarded “Best Banker – Customer
Friendliness” for 2012 by The Sunday Standard.
Received the Dun & Bradstreet – Polaris Financial Technology
Banking Award 2012 as Best Public Sector Bank under the
category “Asset Quality”.
BoM hosted Bancon 2012 in Pune on 24th-25th November
2012. Hon’ble Union Finance Minister Shri P. Chidambaram
inaugurated the Conference.
2013 Launch of Rupay card launch by Sonia Gandhi in Delhi
50 Branches opened on 15th August 2013
Total Business Crossed Rs. 2.00 Lakh Crore
2014
162 new branches; largest number to be opened in a single year,
opened taking the branch network to 1890
1129 ATMs installed taking the total number to 1827
23

24. 5. DENA BANK
Dena Bank was founded on 26th May, 1938 by the family of Devkaran Nanjee under the
name Devkaran Nanjee Banking Company Ltd .It became a Public Ltd. Company in
December 1939 and later the name was changed to Dena Bank Ltd.
In July 1969 Dena Bank Ltd. along with 13 other major banks was nationalized and is
now a Public Sector Bank constituted under the Banking Companies (Acquisition &
Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1970. Under the provisions of the Banking Regulations
Act 1949, in addition to the business of banking, the Bank can undertake other business
as specified in Section 6 of the Banking Regulations Act, 1949.
24

25. The logo of Dena Bank depicts Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, according to
Hindu mythology It was the desire of the founding fathers of the Bank that the Bank
should be a symbol of prosperity for all its clients, and the logo represents this promise.
The contemporary 'D' in the logo reflects the dynamism, dedication and the drive
towards customer satisfaction.
Vision
DENA BANK will emerge as the most preferred Bank of customer choice in its area of
operations, by its reputation and performance
Mission
Customers - premier financial services of great value,
Staff - positive work environment and opportunity for growth and achievement,
Shareholders - superior financial returns,
Community - economic growth
25

26. 5(5.1) Product and Services
Deposits
Loans
26

27. Other services
Apart from the ATM, the Dena Bank has other multiple delivery channels such as
Internet banking and SMS banking. The bank also has business ties with Visa Inc. to
provide credit card and debit card services.
27

28. 5(5.2) Growth of the Bank
On the back of robust growth in treasury income, Dena Bank net profit saw a three-fold
rise this quarter to Rs 561.56 crore compared with Rs 97.89 crore in the corresponding
quarter of the last financial year. The total income of the bank increased 30 per cent,
driven mainly by an almost 10-fold increase in treasury income at Rs 270.24 crore (Rs
28.38 crore). Its net interest income stood at Rs 585.71 crore (Rs 503.27 crore), up 16
per cent. An increase of 41.97 per cent in core deposits has also aided the bank, which
has reduced its dependence on high-cost deposits by about 42 per cent. “We will focus
more on growth of low-cost deposits, core deposits, reducing dependence on high-cost
deposits and substituting them with core deposits,” The bank’s cost of deposits was 6.62
per cent (6.92 per cent). The focus will also be on “better liability management through
overall reduction in cost of deposits.
5(5.3) COMPETITORS FOR THE BANK
 SBI
 Syndicate Bank
 Cooperative Bank
 Union Bank
 Indian Bank
 Oriental Bank
 Central Bank
 Bank of Maharashtra
28

29. 6. Objective of the study
 To know the stress of the employee
 Identify situations that causes stress
 Be more knowledgeable on techniques to alleviate stress
 Identify emotional, physical and mental stress.
29

30. 7. Hypothesis of the study
H0: If employees are overload with workload & responsibilities then they are stressed.
H1: If employees don’t achieve their targets then they tend to get stressed.
30

31. 8. Literature Review
Introduction to Stress
A lot of research has been conducted into stress over the last hundred years. Some of the
theories behind it are now settled and accepted; others are still being researched 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 defended.
What complicates this is that intuitively we all feel that we know what stress is, as it is
something we have all experienced. A definition should therefore be obvious…except
that it is not.
31

32. 8(8.1) 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 of whether the situation was positive or negative.
Since then, a great deal of further research has been conducted, and ideas have moved
on. Stress is now viewed as a "bad thing", with a range of harmful biochemical and long-
term effects. These effects have rarely been observed in positive situations.
The most 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 is able to
mobilize.” In short, it's what we feel when we think we've lost control of events.
This is the main definition used by this section of Mind Tools, although we also
recognize that there is an 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
32

33. Mechanical
• Stress (physics), the average amount of force exerted 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 types include:
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 Workplace stress, stress caused by 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
33

34. Other
• Stress (game), card game
• Stress (linguistics), phonological use of prominence in language
Stress (physics), the average amount of force exerted per unit area.
Stress is a 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 into the theory of elasticity by Cauchy around 1822. Stress is a
concept that is based on the concept of continuum. In general, stress is expressed as
Where
Is the average stress, also called engineering or nominal stress, and
Is the force acting over the area .
Chronic Stress
Chronic stress is stress that lasts a long time or occurs frequently. Chronic stress is
potentially damaging.
Symptoms of chronic stress can be:
34

35. • upset stomach
• headache
• backache
• insomnia
• anxiety
• depression
• anger
In the most severe cases it can lead to panic attacks or a panic disorder. There are a
variety of methods to control chronic stress, including exercise, healthy diet, stress
management, relaxation techniques, 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 a magnesium deficiency.
It has been discovered that there is a 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 stress and disease, the
authors found that stress plays a role in triggering or worsening depression and
cardiovascular disease and in speeding the progression of HIV/AIDS.
Compressive stress:
35

36. Compressive stress is the stress applied to materials resulting in their compaction
(decrease of volume). When a material is subjected to compressive stress, then this
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 yield 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 -- an increase of
compressive force F leads to structural failure due to buckling at 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 with positive values.
Stress in Biological terms:
Stress is a biological term which refers to the consequences of the failure of a human or
animal body to respond appropriately 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,
36

37. muscular tension, inability to concentrate and a variety of physical reactions, such as
headaches and accelerated heart rate.
The term "stress" was first used by the endocrinologist Hans Selye in the 1930s 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 laypersons in a metaphorical rather than literal or
biological sense, as a catch-all for any perceived difficulties in life. It also became 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.
8(8.2) What is Stress?
Stress refers to the strain from the conflict between our external environment and us,
leading to emotional and physical pressure. In our fast paced world, it is impossible to
live without stress, whether you are a student or a working adult. There is both positive
37

38. 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 effectiveness and efficiency.
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 be seen as a motivating
force, it is important to manage stress levels so that 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 the form of monetary needs, or emotional frictions.
Competition at work and an increased workload can also cause greater levels of stress.
38

39. 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
stomachaches.
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 a 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 the boss, 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 such as the death of a 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 advantages. 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 been misunderstood to be negative, with few people acknowledging the
importance and usefulness of 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 harness the power of positive stress to help us achieve more.
39

40. There are 4 main categories of stress, namely eustress, distress, hyper stress and hypo
stress. Negative stress can cause many physical and psychological problems, whilst
positive stress can be very helpful for us. Here’s how we differentiate between them.
Eustress:
this 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 a 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. Examples include highly stressful jobs, which require 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
40

41. 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.
8(8.3) Coping with Stress at Work place
With the rapid advancement of technology, the stresses faced at work have also
increased. Many people dread going to 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.
41

42. Stress refers to the pressure and reactions to our environment which results in
psychological and physical 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 professionals on ways to increase connectedness and motivation
of their employees.
Some companies organize parties and make their employees feel valued at work. These
are measures to motivate employees and help them to feel secure at their jobs, translating
into greater productivity. However, not all companies have such measures in place, and
some have not gotten it quite right. Hence, it is up to you to make sure that you can cope
with stress at your workplace, and use it to help you work 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 are facing rising levels of stress, tipping the scales
from positive to negative. This is important, as being 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 reactions, such as excessive sweating or heart palpitations, or the onset of
42

43. headaches, irritability or the need to escape. If you experience any of these reactions,
identify if you are feeling any overwhelming negative emotions, and if you are
constantly worried.
Step 2: Identify the Cause
You need to be able to analyze the situation and identify what is causing the rise in
stress. These stressors can be external and internal. External stressors refer to things
beyond 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
when a combination of stressors working together exceeds our ability to cope.
Keep a diary or a 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, we can change the way that we cope with it.
Step 3: Coping with Stress
In order to deal with the situation that is causing you stress, you need to calm your mind
and body so as to stave off the reactions and cope with it in a positive way. This can be
through different methods, such as taking 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 thought process until you are able to deal
with it logically.
43

44. The key to making these 3 steps work for you is to practice them. These are not
instantaneous solutions, and you need to condition your mind and practice them so that
you can implement it when you are feeling stressed.
9. 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 plaguing 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 of 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
44

45. '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.
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 causes 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 spells,
tight muscles or various body 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:
45

46. 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 that 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 hyper tension.
• It provides good cardiac conditioning especially 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).
46

47. • Laughter cleanses the lungs and body tissues of accumulated stale air as it empties
more air than it takes 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.
9(9.1) 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 encompass 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 may 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.
47

48. 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-quarters of employees believe the worker has
more on-the-job stress than a generation ago. Evidence also suggests that 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
increases 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 illnesses.
9(9.2) Causes of Workplace Stress
48

49. Job stress results from the interaction of the worker and the conditions of work. Views
differ on the importance of worker characteristics versus working conditions as the
primary cause of job stress. The differing viewpoints suggest different ways to prevent
stress at work. According to one school of thought, differences 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 viewpoint leads to prevention
strategies that focus on workers and ways to help them cope with demanding job
conditions. Although the importance of individual differences cannot be ignored,
scientific evidence suggests that certain working conditions are stressful to most people.
Such evidence argues for a greater emphasis on working conditions as 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 factors for job
stress, were conducted in Member States of the European Union in 1990, 1995, and
2000. Results showed a trend across these periods suggestive of increasing work
intensity. In 1990, the percentage of workers reporting that they worked at high speeds at
least one-fourth 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
one-fourth 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 Americans 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
49

50. represent a considerable increase over the previous three decades, especially for women.
According to the Department of Labor, there has been an upward trend in hours worked
among employed women, an increase 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 on 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 accumulating to suggest that stress plays an
important role in several types of chronic health problems-especially cardiovascular
disease, 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 workload is in line with workers' capabilities and resources.
• Design jobs to provide meaning, stimulation, and opportunities for workers to
use their skills.
50

51. • Clearly define workers' roles and responsibilities.
• Give workers opportunities to participate 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) changes in hospital policies and procedures
to reduce organizational sources of stress, and (3) establishment of employee assistance
programs. In one study, the frequency of medication 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 claims in a matched group of
22 hospitals that did not implement stress prevention activities.
9(9.3) How to reduce stress
1. Job analysis: -
We have all experienced that appalling sense of having far too much work to do and too
little time to do it in. We can choose to ignore this, and work unreasonably long hours to
51

52. 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 these 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 the action-oriented skills that we look at is Job Analysis. Job Analysis is a
key technique for managing job overload – an important 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, fast-moving, high-pressure role, it is
oftentimes something that is easy to overlook.
By understanding the priorities in your job, and 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 from 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 heart of what you need to do.
2. Rational & positive thinking: -
You are thinking negatively when you fear the future, put yourself down, criticize
yourself for errors, doubt your abilities, or expect failure. Negative thinking damages
confidence, harms performance and paralyzes mental skills.
52

53. Unfortunately, negative thoughts tend to flit into our consciousness, do their damage and
flit back out 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 Diary. When you analyze your diary 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 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.
53

54. Thought awareness is the first step in the process of managing negative thoughts, as you
cannot manage thoughts that you are unaware 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:
• Feelings 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 of your practice was
less than perfect, then remind yourself that the purpose of the practice is to
identify areas for 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
54

55. 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 incident. OK, you made a mistake at
work, but that doesn't mean you're bad at your job.
Similarly, make sure you take the long view about incidents 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 were 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
55

56. 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 & 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 damage 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."
56

57. • 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 will 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 to 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
57

58. 10. Research Methodology
10.(10.1) Research Objective:
Stress is a dynamic condition in witch 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 at or near their maximum. Similarly, many professionals see the
pressures of heavy workloads and deadlines as positive challenges that enhance the
quality of their work and the satisfaction the get from their job.
58

59. But it is different in the case of bank employees. The bank 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 have to face the problem of stress. Due to recession the banking sector is also facing
the problem of employee cut-offs and so the work load 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
taxing 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 plaguing 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 of 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.
59

60. This research is to carry out the study that how much stressed the employees of the
banks are and how do their stress affect their work life, social life, output etc. so a
sample of 35 employees are selected from all the two banks for the research of stress
among them.
10(10.2) Sampling
Sample: I have taken the sample of 35 employees from two different banks of Mumbai.
All the employees were of the same designations.
Reason: As we find the employees of the bank to be more stressful as more and more
employees are taking VRS and are dismissed because of inflation. I have selected only
those two banks which are affiliated to the public and are specialized in consumer needs
fulfillment.
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.
60

61. 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 to 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 a 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
61

62. 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 actual
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 of stratified sampling.
Like stratified sampling, the researcher first identifies the stratums and their
proportions as they are represented in the population. Then convenience or
62

63. judgment sampling is used to select the required number of subjects from
each stratum. This differs from stratified sampling, where the stratums are
filled by random sampling.
 Snowball sampling is a special non-probability method used when the
desired sample characteristic is rare. 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.
10(10.3) 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.
Pie chart no 1
1. Are you satisfied with the performance you give at your work?
63
Yes
No

64. 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.
2. Do you think that you are Pie chart no 2
Suffering from depression?
Analysis: 30 % of the employee feels that they are suffering from depression while 70 %
of the employee feels that that they are free from the depression.
3. Do you worry about your colleague's opinion about you? Pie chart no 3
Analysis: 76% of the employees
worry about their colleague’s
opinion about them while 24% of the employees are not concern with the opinion about
their colleague.
Yes No
27 8
Yes No
10 25
Yes No
26 9
64
Yes
No
Yes
No

65. 4. Do you discuss your problem with your spouse or friend or any other close to
you? Pie chart no 4
Analysis: 57% of the employees of the bank discuss their problem and share their
feelings with their spouse or friends or others while 43% of the employee is not
concerned with it.
5. Do you work more than 8 hours? Pie chart no 5
Analysis: 77% of the
employees work for more than
8 hours which is the starting
point of the stress while 23 % of the employees don’t work for more than 8 hours.
Yes No
20 15
Yes No
27 8
65
Yes
No
Yes
No

66. 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? Pie chart no 6
Analysis: 43 % of the employees are proved
to be work dedicated and they are ready to
miss the important function at their house
while 57 % of the employees said no.
7. Do you regularly spend time for entertainment? Pie chart no 7
Analysis: 29% of the
employee spent regular time
on entertainment which helps
us to remain stress free while
71 % of the employees don’t
do that.
8. Is your social life balanced? Pie chart no 8
Analysis: 23 % of the
employees find their
social life to be
balanced while 77 %
of the employees don’t have their social life balanced.
Yes No
15 20
Yes No
10 25
Yes No
8 27
66
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No

67. 9. Do you plan your work before doing? Pie chart no 8
Analysis: It is a good
habit to plan the work you
do. 63 % of the employees
plan their work before
doing while 37 % of the
employees don’t plan their work.
10. Do you find yourself to be overload with work and responsibility?
Pie chart no 9
Analysis: It is
found that 86%
of the
employees think
that they are
overloaded with responsibilities and work while 14 % of the employees think that they
are able to do the work .
11. Do you fear about the quality of your performance? Pie chart no 10
Analysis: 74% of the
employees fear the quality
Yes No
22 13
Yes No
30 5
67
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No

68. of performance which they give while 43 % of the employees don’t fear the quality of
their work
12. Do you feel mental, emotional or physical stress? Pie chart no 12
Analysis: 80% of the
employees get the
feeling of mental, emotional or physical stress while 20 % of the employees does not
feel that way..
13. Do you get stressed at the non-achievement of your targets? Pie chart no 13
Analysis: 90% of the employees get stressed at non- achievement of their targets while
10 % of the employees does not feel stressed when didn’t reach their target.
14. Do you try to find any
solution for the problem of
your stress? Pie chart no
14
Yes No
28 7
Yes No
32 3
Yes No
24 11
68
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No

69. Analysis: 69% of employees found the solution of their stress while 31% of employees
say that they don’t have any solutions.
15. (IF YES) Do you
practice yoga or any
other ayurvedic
therapy for reducing
stress?
Pie chart no
15
Analysis: 31% of the employees try the yoga and other ayurvedic techniques to reduce
their stress while 51 % of the employees use other techniques to reduce stress
Yes No
13 21
69
Y es
No

70. 10(10.4) Chi-Square Test
H1 = Employees when are overloaded with work and responsibilities get stressed.
H0 = Employees when are overloaded with work and responsibilities are not stressed.
Stress due to overload of work and responsibilities
No of
Categories
Observatio
n
Value (o)
Expected
Value (e)
Yes 31 25 1.44
No 4 10 3.6
Total 35 35 5.04
= 5.04, df = n-1(where n is the no. of categories of response) = 2-1= 1 , in
this case Degree of freedom (df) = n-1 where n is the number of classes
Df 0.05
1 3.841
70

71. The value of chi- square is 5.04, & the value of the alpha (0.05) is 3.841 so therefore
since the value of chi- square is more than the value of alpha and hence in this case we
reject H0. Hence we can conclude that people are stress when they are overloaded with
work and responsibilities.
10(10.5) Employee’s opinion about how to reduce
stress
This project consist of the information about the employees undergoing from stress who
working in the banks. 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 banks. 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 two banks of Mumbai like
Bank of Maharashtra and Dena Bank it was marvelous and they have given their
valuable opinion about reducing stress as a result of the last question included in the
questionnaire. So the opinion if the employees were as follows:
 “Just smile away” An employee- Bank of Maharashtra
 “Just believe in your self and just do what your heart wants” An employee-
Bank of Maharashtra.
 -“Talking to family members, - Watching TV or listening good music, - Going for
a walk or long drive” An employee- Bank of Maharashtra
 “Believe in God” An employee- Dena Bank
 “Respect yourself and give time to yourself” An employee- Dena Bank
 “Play and watch cricket” An employee- Dena Bank
 “Get adjusted with others, Find and spend time for prayer An employee- Dena
Bank
71

72. These opinions are seemed to be valuable and effective as one of the effective things.
It is also noticed that in the Bank of Maharashtra 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 8 employees have
given their opinion how to reduce stress. So we can understand that how overloaded the
employees of the bank are.
10(10.6) Limitation of the survey
 The questionnaires were filled be 35 employees working in the two major Banks of
Mumbai i.e. Bank of Maharashtra, Dena Bank. So the scope of sample findings was
less.
 The questionnaire was filled by 35 employees of same designations of different ages.
So the point of view of employees differs as per their ages.
 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.
 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
10(10.7) 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.
72

73. 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.
10(10.8) 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.
73

74. 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.
74

75. 11. Findings
It is analyzed from the questionnaire filled by the employees that the employees who
have low confidence about their work 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 .From the sample of 35 bank employees who have been surveyed, one is found to
be a heart patient. This can be because of high level of stress.
Many of the employees are to be found suffering from depression. It is proved from the
survey that many employees are concern about the opinion of their colleagues. Among
them some employees are there who 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.
75

76. The employees 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 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 the boss pressure and their dedication.
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 majority of the employees did not have their social life balanced. Thus it is proved
that stress may affect their social life also.
The employees were asked whether they plan their work or not, majority of the
employees has answered that they do well planned their work in advance to avoid chaos.
But even 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 fear about their quality of work they give. This aspect depends
upon the dedication of work due to work pressure they may not give the better quality of
work which is expected from them.
A question was asked that weather you get stressed at the non-achievement of their
target? Most of the employees have responded positively. From this we can conclude
76

77. 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.
A question was asked that do the employees get stressed at the non-achievement of their
targets. Majority of the employees out of 35 sample size, 32 have responded positively
stating that they get stressed when they don’t achieve their daily or monthly targets. This
can be one of the major reasons for the stress.
Out of 35 employees 30 employees stated that they find their selves to be overload with
work and responsibility which can be another major reason for bringing stress in
employees.
Out of 35 employees of the sample 30 of the employees accepted that the reason for their
stress is workload.05 employees are not stressed because of the workload. All the 24
employees have accepted that they try to find the solution of their stress.13 employees
out of 30 employees practice yoga to reduce their stress and the other 22 employees
don’t practice yoga.
Thus we can conclude that the employees have reduced their stress by yoga therapy and
other employees have just opted for walk, listening to music, watching TV and playing
some indoor or outdoor games.
The above analysis is done by the data received from the questionnaire. So the accuracy
of data depends upon the response of the employee
77

78. 10. Conclusion
Finding and conclusion are based on the survey conducted and these points are to be
looked into and steps are to be taken in this regards.
Stress is something that happens in our daily lives and is usually associated with a
particular event such as work, family or other responsibilities. There are many situations
that we can’t control, but there are ways to control how we deal with certain situations.
Effective Stress Management is something that our lives can go little more smoothly.
Stress management is as simple as talking a walk. It was been proven that physical
activities would improve a person’s mental health, help with depression and relieve the
side effects of stress. This makes a person’s heart rate increase and will be more likely to
affect by stress. It is vital that stress management techniques are implemented into our
daily live. Coping with stress is an individualized task. A person that is stressed takes so
much away his or her performance levels.
Employees at bank are too much stressed with their jobs with heavy workload, so the
employees can have some refreshing events to add up in their workplace like
entertainment trips, intervals once in a while during lumps of work. As they are loaded
78

79. with work the employees are not able to achieve their targets which are the main causes
of stress.
Even working for more than 8 hours employees tend to feel stress, is another reason
why bank employees are getting stress. Though many of the employees have various
solutions for the problem of stress. Finally I would like to conclude by saying that this
project worked has given immense knowledge about the functioning of Government
sector. Its great advantage to have good insight about such banks before the end of the
course.
13. Recommendations
1. Know what stresses you most.
79

80. Not your co-worker, friend, husband, or wife. YOU!! Get your feelings out. Write
them out and describe each situation. Share all bad feelings with a friend or in a journal.
Before you can conquer your stresses you must know what is stressing you.
2.Say no.
Focus on you own goals, not your spouse's or parents'. You must know yourself, your
dreams, and your passions. If asked to chair another group or take on another
responsibility, look at your mission statement or goals for the day. If it is does not fit it
there say thank you but I just cannot. Saying no is one of the hardest things in life, but
will help make you a success in your chosen field.
3. Learn to relax
Work hard but know when to take time off to be with the family, go to the beach, or read
a book. Work all day if you must but when you get home play, watch cartoons, or tell
your child a story. This allows stress tension to go away and helps you calm the heart's
pace and digest food normally, and protect your immune system. Learn to meditate and
take deep breaths to calm down.
80

81. 4. Eat Healthy
Eat less junk food and more fruit and vegetables for amazing overall lowering of stress
levels. We can actually lower the amount of the bad stress hormone, Cortisol, by taking
vitamins. Take those vitamin pills daily
5. Keep laughing
81

82. Keep a sense of humor. Studies show a good attitude helps lower cancer rates, makes
surgery more effective, and keeps a relationship together through hard times.
6. Ask yourself WHY
Why are you doing this? Write down your wants, needs, goals, hopes, and dreams. Does
what you are doing now help you get fulfill any of these things? What is your
motivation? The more you understand why you doing what you are doing the less stress
you will have. If you cannot come up with a good reason, then stop doing it.
7. Stay active
Exercise is a great way to relive tension and gives you a great break from exams. A
healthy body makes a happy body. Even a three-minute jog is helpful at taking your
mind off your pressures. You'll come back with an acute focus and renewed
energy.
8. Follow your bliss.
82

83. Try to know which subjects and type of people you enjoy .Structure your life around
activities that you love. Joseph Campbell, a wise philosopher, advises you to
follow your bliss. The more you do in life that goes with your own flow, the more
passion you will have for what you do.
9. Organize and Prioritize.
Do the worst and hardest tasks first. Keep a to-do list and calendar with you at all times.
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
14. Bibliography
o www.mindtool.com
o Organizational Behavior “Stephen P. Robbins”
o www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-management.
o www.tutorialspoint.com.
83

84. o Manage Your Time to Reduce Your Stress: A Handbook for the Overworked,
Overscheduled, and Overwhelmed “Rita Emmett”
84

85. 15. ANNEXURE
Questionnaire
Code No:
Name of the organization:
Age: (25 – 30) (30 – 35) (35 – 40) (40 – 45)
Designation:
Experience:
Q1. Are you satisfied with the performance you give at your
work?
(a) Yes (b) No
Q2. Do you think that you are suffering from depression?
(a) Yes (b) No
Q3. Do you worry about your colleague's opinion about you?
(a) Yes ( b) No
Q4. Do you discuss your problem with your spouse or friend or
any other close to you?
(a) Yes (b) No
Q5. Do you work more than 8 hours?
(a) Yes (b) No
Q6. You have an important function at your home and your
boss asks to give a 4 hour over time, what will be your
response?
(a) Yes (b) No
Q7. Do you regularly spend time for entertainment?
(a) Yes (b) No
Q8. Is your social life balanced?
(a) Yes (b) No
Q9. Do you plan your work before doing?
(a) Yes (b) No
Q10. Do you find yourself to be overload with work and
responsibility?
85