Stress can be physical, emotional, or traumatic in nature. Physical stress comes from activities or events that tax the body, emotional stress arises from relationship or life problems, and traumatic stress results from experiences that threaten bodily harm. Stress can be either acute, occurring for a short period, or chronic, persisting long-term. Human resource managers employ strategies like wellness programs, flexible work arrangements, identifying stressors, and reviewing policies to help employees manage and prevent workplace stress.

2. What is Stress?
 Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It
can come from any event or thought that makes you
feel frustrated, angry, or nervous.
 Stress is your body's reaction to a challenge or
demand. In short bursts.
 Stress can be positive, such as when it helps you avoid
danger or meet a deadline.

3. Physical symptoms of stress
1. Low energy.
2. Headaches.
3. Upset stomach.
4. Aches, pains, and tense muscles.
5. Chest pain and rapid heartbeat.
6. Insomnia.
7. Frequent colds and infections.
8. Loss of sexual desire and/or ability.

4. Stress in HRM
 Stress has been defined as the interaction between an
individual and the environment characterized
psychological and psychological changes that cause a
deviation from normal performance.

5. Stress management
 Stress management is a wide spectrum of techniques
and psychotherapies aimed at controlling a person's
level of stress, especially chronic stress, usually for
the purpose of improving everyday functioning.

6. Different Kinds of Stress
Physical Stress
Emotional Stress
Traumatic Stress
Acute vs. Chronic Stress

7. Physical Stress
 A common type of stress is physical stress, which refers to
actual physical activities and events on the human body.
One good example is travel.
 Traveling frequently can send you to different time zones,
which makes sleeping and waking difficult.
 Physical stress also includes stress brought on by sleeping
too much, not getting enough sleep, spending too many
hours on your feet or working long hours.
 If you ever spent a day chasing your kids around an
amusement park or stuck in an airport and dealing with
flight delays, you have likely experienced physical stress.

8. Emotional Stress
 Out of all the different kinds of stress, emotional stress is
the most common.
 This can occur after you go through an intense break up or
divorce, lose a loved one, have a fight with your spouse or
experience any other problem that causes you to feel
depressed or anxious.
 Emotional stress often manifests in the same way that
depression does.
 You may experience weight changes, changes in how you
fall asleep or how long you sleep, feelings of isolation and
mood swings.
 Emotional stress can also occur when you feel
overwhelmed at home or at work.

9. Traumatic Stress
 When thinking about the types of stress, many people
don’t think about traumatic stress.
 Traumatic stress is a type of stress that occurs because
of some type of trauma to the human body and may
lead to intense pain, coma or even death.
 It often relates to some kind of physical change that
occurs.
 If you went through an operation, your body may
experience stress until you recover from that surgery.
 A car accident, second or third degree burns may all
cause traumatic stress.

10. Acute vs. Chronic Stress
 According to the American Psychological Association,
chronic stress refers to an extended type of stress that
impacts people every day of the year and can last for
years or even decades.
 Acute stress is a type of stress that only occurs for a set
period of time or only because of certain factors in the
environment. This may include the stress you feel after
a fight with your kids, a meeting at work or an
encounter with another driver on the road.
 Stress causes people to feel sick and tired and may lead
some to suicide.

11. Environmental Events that can be
Stressful
 Time pressure.
 Competition.
 Financial problems.
 Noise.
 Disappointments.

12. HR STRATEGIES TO MANAGE
STRESS
 Implementing wellness programs
 Stress management calls for the initiation of wellness
programs by the human resource manager.
 These programs assist in managing employee’s lives by
eliminating stress at work and home.
 Such programs include EAPs, also known as employee
assistance programs, workshops specially made for effective
stress management, fitness subsidies, gyms and massage
days at work.
 This package includes corporate cafeterias, amenities like
dry cleaners, pharmacies, worker’s concierge services and
pharmacies.

13.  Flexible work arrangement
Other tips for managing stress include flexible work
arrangements and schedules. With these tips, there is
ease in reaching work.
Examples of these mechanisms include
telecommuting, flexible working hours, part-time
schedules and job sharing.
 These programs can help employees in maintaining a
work-life balance. Some employees are more
productive at home than at work.
With flexible schedules offering such permission,
there will be a less stressful environment at work. This
is another way of reducing stress at work.

14.  Providing the health and safety measures
 Human resource works with other departments like
health and safety to formulate and pass policies based
on the solutions that the employees have identified.
Although these standards are not compulsory, there
are high chances that they provide the best-proven
approach to effective stress management at work.

15.  Identification of primary causative agents
Usually, human resource focuses on finding out why
an employee is distressed.
Just like in a hospital, it is vital for the human resource
to explore the options for treatment.
When the factor is identified, depending on how
related to work it is, treatment is administered. These
causative agents must offer insight on how to manage
stress effectively.

16.  Management of standards
 Human resource management is ideally placed as the
bridging gap between the management and stressed
employees.
This department acts as the daily project managers
responsible for handling stress management in
workplace.
This is done through organizing, planning, and
outsourcing relevant feedback to the management.

17.  Review irrelevant policies
Organizations can have irrelevant policies in relation
to healthy and safety at work. These policies might
have a negative effect on employees.
 As a result, the workers could be stressed. It is the
duty of human resource to review these policies and
dictate the terms of implementing useful policies
towards stress management in workplace.
Usually, the new policies must be relevant to the
initiation of strategies on how to manage stress
effectively.

18.  Showing empathy
Cases of injuries at work have been known to induce
work related stress compensation. After the injury, it
can be difficult for an employee to claim
compensation.
The human resource department is in charge of
initiating a meeting with personal injury lawyers.
 The aim of this meeting is to handle the work related
stress compensation.Even for the human resource
department, handling work-related stress
compensation becomes easy with the personal injury
lawyers in place.

19. PREVENTION OF STRESS
 Become aware of your own reactions to stress.
 Reinforce positive self-statements
 Focus on your good qualities and accomplishments.
 Avoid unnecessary competition.
 Develop assertive behaviors.
 Recognize and accept your limits.
 Remember that everyone is unique and different.
 Get a hobby or two. Relax and have fun.
 Exercise regularly.
 Eat a balanced diet daily.
 Talk with friends or someone you can trust about your
worries/problems.