3. Introduction
The origin of the concept of stress predates antiquity.
Derived from the Latin word “stringere”.
The concept of stress borrowed from the natural sciences. It was first introduced by Hans Selye
in 1936.
It is a costly business expenses that affect both employee health and corporate profits.
Stress featured in Indian corporate world since 80’s when the Indian market turned competitive.
But now, it has become a subject of great concern and action.
Stress bears a debilitating effects on both the employee and the employer.
4. Meaning
The term stress is used variously by scholars of different disciplines & professions.
In physics – stress is a force which acts on a body to produce strain.
In physiology – the various changes in physiological function in response to evocative agents
donate stress (rather than strain).
In psychology – stress refers to a particular kind of state of the organisation resulting from some
interaction b/w the persons and the environment.
In general sense, stress is the pressures people feel in life due to their reaction to situation.
5. Definition
According to Hans Selye, stress is -
“an adoptive response to the external situation that results in physical, psychological, and / or
behavioural deviations for organisational participants.”
According to experts, the definition of stress is the body's innate response to a physical, mental
or emotional stressors that can either be real or imagined.
6. Stress in Workplace
While some workplace stress is normal, excessive stress can
i. Interfere with your productivity and performance.
ii. Impact your physical and emotional health.
iii. Affect your relationships and home life.
Stress can even mean the difference between success and failure on the job.
In a stressful you can’t control everything in your work environment, but that doesn’t mean
you’re powerless—even when you’re stuck in a difficult situation.
There are steps you can take to protect yourself from the damaging effects of stress
i. Improve your job satisfaction and,
ii. Bolster your well-being in and out of the workplace.
7. Stress in Workplace
A little bit of stress can help you stay focused, energetic, and able to meet new challenges in the
workplace.
Long hours, tight deadlines, and ever-increasing demands can leave you feeling worried,
drained, and overwhelmed.
Stress exceeds it burst.
8. How to Manage or Cope with Stress?
The various strategies can be classified into two broad categories,
At individual level
At organisational level
9. At Individual Level
Physical Exercise
Behavioural Self-control
Social Support
Yoga And Meditation
Changing Gears
Pampering Oneself
Warming Up Oneself
Rearranging One’s Job Schedule
10. At Individual Level
Physical Exercise
Walking, jogging, swimming, riding, bicycling or playing games helps people combat stress.
Side effects of exercise such as relaxation, enhanced self-esteem & simply getting off one’s mind
off work for a while.
Work as inoculation
Relieving pressure and making it possible to deal effectively with it next day.
Behavioural Self-control
A conscious analysis of the causes and consequences of their own behaviour help mgrs.
controlling the situation instead of letting the situation control them.
11. Contd.
Social Support
“Misery loves company”
Studies have suggested that social support moderates the effect of stress on personal well-
being.
It is the one of the important aspects of the quality of social milieu.
Yoga and Meditation
These affects the psychological well-being of people.
Mediators were less anxious than non- mediators.
According to Patanjali Yoga is , a “suspension of the function of mind”. It is an integrated system
which emphasises harmony of body and mind.
Yoga can help mgrs. a stress free life and be more effective
12. Contd.
In yoga two set of behaviours Yam and Niyam
Lack of adherence to these guidelines lessens the positive effects of yoga on the physical psychological
and spiritual well beings of mgrs.
Asan – helps reduce the deliberating effects of stress and tension of life.
Meditation relates to psycho-spiritual process.
It is one step further concentration.
Concentration focuses on an object, meditation opens it.
Both self and external world blend together harmoniously.
Meditation is a “state of mind”.
Positive effect
Buffer stress.
13. Contd.
Changing Gears
Shifting one’s attention from main work to something else.
Helps in removing one’s attention from pressure of work.
On the other hand, draining of pent-up tensions on the other.
Pampering Oneself
We pampers others when they experience a crisis in life.
Break routine and help cope with stress.
14. Contd.
Warming Up Oneself
Warm up before starting work.
Warming up is to set tone for the day.
Prepare one for the tensions he’ll have to encounter during the day.
Rearranging One’s Job Schedule
Rearrange the schedule to reduce job stress.
An effective way to dal with stress is to confront difficult tasks when one is fresh.
15. At Organisational Level
Setting Clear Objectives
Stress Audit
Counselling
Spread the Message
Fit Between Person and Work
Clarity in Roles
16. At Organisational Level
Setting Clear Objectives
Setting clear objectives helps minimise role ambiguity which usually filters down the
organisation in the form of neurosis.
Stress Audit
According to Pestonjee, when an organisation decides to have a scientific peep into mental an
physical health status of its backbone group (executives), the exercise is called a stress audit.
The best proactive intervention to combat stress.
17. Contd.
Stress audit as an OD intervention involves the following 4 stages.
Phase – I : Conducting an exploration of ‘Stress Tolerance Limit’ (STL) with the help of
psychometric instruments.
Phase – II : Identify the dominant organisational role stress dimensions by measuring
‘Role Efficiency Index’ (REI) for the executives.
Phase – III : Collecting both qualitative & quantitative information on stress variable &
their impact on individual health & task performance with the help of
conducting structure interviews.
Phase – I : Modification of organisational activities and practices. Organisational
restructuring.
18. Contd.
Counselling
Helping employees in identifying their strengths and weaknesses help them better cope with
stress.
Dissemination of information to employees.
Spread the Message
Spreading the messages about the importance of regular habits.
19. Contd.
Fit Between Person and Work
Striking a fit between worker and his/her work environment serves as one of the best strategy to
manage stress.
Attained by linking the worker to their job characteristics.
Clarity in Roles
Defining individual roles through role efficacy.
A result of an individual movement from a reactive.
Role efficacy negatively related with role stress.
Role efficacy helps in overcoming the experience role stress.
20. Conclusion
Stress is the pressures people feel in life due to their reaction to situation.
It is the body's innate response to a physical, mental or emotional stressors that can either be
real or imagined.
It is a costly business expenses that affect both employee health and corporate profits.
Stress exceeds it come up with high blow of burst.
Stress can be managed mainly through two strategies; at individual level and organisational
level.
21. References
Dr. S S Khanka, Organisational Behaviour, S.Chand & Company Pvt. Ltd., Ram Nagar, New Delhi,
first Edition 2002, Reprint 2014 .
Jeanne Segal, Ph.D., Melinda Smith, M.A., Lawrence Robinson, and Robert Segal M.A,
Helpguide.Org , Stress in the Workplace, Last updated: October 2017 -
www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-in-the-workplace.htm.
American Psychological Association, Coping with stress at work , 2017, -
www.apa.org/helpcenter/work-stress.aspx.