Workplace Stress Management - Essay Example

? Workplace Stress Management Assignment) Introduction A Spirited workforce is one of the competitive advantagesof every modern organization. Therefore, organizations today heed their genuine concern to issues associated with workplace stress with intent to enhance HR cohesion and thereby the overall business sustainability. Workplace stress is one of the major constraints to the sustainable growth of a firm. Any sort of physical or mental turmoil or emotional responses to work related issues can be termed as workplace stress. The condition is attributed to numerous factors including personal as well as organizational environments. Though stress has a direct impact on the individuals concerned, it will also indirectly affect the organizational functions as a whole. This paper will explore the various factors that normally cause workplace stress, and the effects of job stress on individuals as well as on organization. It will also discuss some mostly accepted stress management strategies which can be implemented in organizational settings as well as in personal environment. Factors causing workplace stress According to Centers and Disease Control and Prevention (CDC – NIOSH) findings (n.d.), heavy workload is one of the key reasons for the stress in the workplace. Long working hours and shift work may impose heavy workload on the workers which may have several impacts on the physical as well as mental health of the workers. The rapid changes in the nature and the schedule of work have well influenced the life of workers. It has been scientifically proven that an individual can fully concentrate on a work only for a limited time. So the schedule of long working hours and shift work may reduce the efficiency of the work being performed. Hectic routine tasks may make the workers mechanical and monotonous (CDC – NIOSH). The mode of management style practiced can well influence the mental attitudes of employees (CDC – NIOSH, n.d.). Lack of involvement in decision making may restrict the individuals from expressing their views which may eventually give way to misunderstanding and poor communication within the organization. The paucity of employee-employer interaction will create unfriendly atmosphere as a result of which the employees may feel uninterested to work or to develop their abilities. The management should emphasize on the implementation of family-friendly policies which would make the working atmosphere gracious and sociable (CDC – NIOSH). Man is a social animal and it’s very necessary to maintain a social environment at the workplace. Nowadays the attitude and outlook of the people have changed. The unbearable and heavy responsibilities persuade individuals to concentrate on their work and betterment rather being social and interactive. The obsession to succeed within short span of time prevents employees from creating a better social environment and from the coworkers being supportive to each other (CDC – NIOSH). The work becomes stressful as individuals lack support, advice, and encouragement from the coworkers and supervisors. The lack of guidance from supervisors compels workers to develop their own ideas and practices which may not be apt to the situations. The lack of cooperation and support among workers makes the working atmosphere unhealthy and stressful. The exceeding aspirations to meet the demanding needs and to attain good social status have great impact on workers’ behavior (CDC – NIOSH). Profit driven companies tend to retain only the individuals with outstanding abilities. The intension to improve the social status as well as professional skills forces workers to limit leisure. Mounting responsibilities and great expectations make them concentrate on work and stick bound to the working atmosphere. This work-oriented mind without enough relaxation affects one’s physical as well as mental conditions. According to Centers and Disease Control and Prevention, the higher career concerns are also key factors for job stress. An individual working in a particular post for long time may not be exposed to other opportunities. This may restrict the growth and advancement in his career. At this juncture, every individual expects appreciation of the work being performed. They wish their effort and struggle be rewarded in the form of promotion. When the worker is not provided with better prospects and admiration, he may gradually lose interest. The peace of mind and enjoyment of the work being undertaken is very important. In addition, the exposure of the workers to rapid and unexpected changes may degrade their attention and enthusiasm as they may not be prepared for the unpredicted alterations. All the above, in some field of work, workers have to satisfy both their customers and the management equally; this may confuse them and may result in mental stress (CDC – NIOSH). Workers may be exposed to unpleasant or dangerous physical conditions such as crowding, noise, or air pollution. These environmental conditions may be intolerable for workers and can have several distresses on workers’ well being. Crowded atmosphere and excess noise may have negative impact on employees’ physical as well as mental status. Air pollution is observed to result in various health hazards some of which are communicable. Pollution is regarded as one of the major threat to health and hence it is very important to keep the environment ‘pollution free’. Each and every individual adapts differently to different environments based on individual characteristics such as personality and coping style. Effect on organization The research conducted by “the American Institute of Stress estimated that stress and ills it can cause absenteeism, burnout and mental health problems. It is expected to cost American business more than $300 billion a year” (cited in logisense.com). Communication skill is an essential factor in order to sustain successfully in a firm. The workers mentality of response to a particular situation also matters lot. It is very important to cautiously distinguish between two identical situations and respond accordingly. In fact, it is important to avoid pitfalls by identifying the knee-jerk habits which would well help in mitigating the stress at workplace (Stress at Work: How to Reduce and Manage Workplace and Job Stress). “The number of people falling sick due to the stress at workplace has tripled in the past four years. Some workers think that their coworkers need help managing stress” (Daniels, 2002). Stress is always considered to be unfavorable for a healthy working organization. It would significantly affect the organizational functions. The stress at workplace may reduce the efficiency of work and thereby the expected result. This would eventually affect the competitive advantages of the firm in the long run What Individual can do The best way to manage job stress is to avoid the stressor maximum (Stress Management: How to Reduce, Prevent, and Cope with Stress). As prevention is better than solution, it is very essential to identify the exact sources of stress, which may be a topic or situation and try to stay away from them. It is better to modify the stressful situation if it is not avoidable. Involving in organization’s decision making process by putting forward requests and suggestions would help individuals to minimize or alter the stressor even though it is inevitable. It would be beneficial to keep friendly relationship with co-workers because it would improve the working surroundings. In other words, being social and expressive would improve the alteration of stressor to an acceptable situation. As a matter of fact, the chances of a situation being stressful can be well avoided by reforming the outlook towards the situation. Another significant action to manage stress is to adapt to the stressor in a possible way. “The best way to adapt to the stressor is to view the stressful situation from a more positive perspective and look at its opportunity to pause and regroup” (Stress Management: How to Reduce, Prevent, and Cope with Stress). Humans are enriched with adaptive ability which would be useful in transforming any stressor to an acceptable one. Situations need to be well analyzed before assuming it as a stressful one. When feeling stressed, individuals should focus on the positive aspects of them which are considerable and appreciable (Stress Management: How to Reduce, Prevent, and Cope with Stress). Identifying the potential and tallying it with situation effectively is the best way to adapt. It is good to be feeling satisfied with the work rather than aspiring unnecessary targets. Try to sort out the actual source of the stressor and plan the best possible remedies to adapt to that. There may be situations which cannot be avoided, altered or not even adaptable. In such uncontrollable circumstances, it is advisable to accept the stressor rather than making the things more complicated which may result in more stressful situation. As an example, behavior of some people cannot be managed, in such situations it would be better to react in a manner which would make the situation healthier one (Stress Management: How to Reduce, Prevent, and Cope with Stress). It would be better to accept the stressful situation as an opportunity to improve the abilities. Sharing the essence of the stress with trusted ones and accepting the imperfection would also reduce the impact of accepting the stressor. What Management can do Management should take initiative to provide the workers with adequate time to get engaged with something which would relax their mind and body such as weekend outings which is advisable in reforming the stressful situations to satisfactory ones. The workers should not be compelled to undertake long and hectic working hours including shift work which may impose heavy workload on the workers. Workers’ skills need to be well utilized by identifying the actual potential of each and every individual. Organization’s environmental conditions such as crowding, noise or other distracting aspects must be avoided. It’s necessary to undertake the work which gives satisfaction in addition to the economic benefit. The feeling of superiority or inferiority among the workers may raise emotional constraints among the coworkers which would make the workplace stressful. These sorts of disagreements and clashes may have negative effect on the performance level of workers. The workers may find it uneasy to work among coworkers as they experience stress. Hence these kinds of conflicts should be avoided to the maximum extent. Conclusion The ever changing business environment exerts heavy pressure on every working individual regardless of one’s rank or role in an organization. Stress management and stress reduction strategies have become one of the major concerns of HR function these days. Effective stress management requires collective effort of employees and the management. The factors which lead to stress at workplace include hectic schedule and heavy workload, long working hours, environmental condition of the organization etc. The quality and range of interpersonal relationships and the managerial strategies implemented also determine the intensity of stress. The nature and the source of stress need to be recognized and responded accordingly. Stress management tactics for individual practice involve mainly three steps i.e. ‘avoid, alter or adapt to the stressor’. The situations which cannot be avoided need to be accepted and responded accordingly. References CDC - NIOSH Publications and Products - STRESS...At Work (99-101). (n.d.). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved January 28, 2011, from http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/99-101/  Daniels, C. (2002). The last taboo: it’s not drinking; it’s stress-and it’s soaring. Fortune.com Retrieved Jan 28, 2011 from http://www.hroneinc.com/stress_the_last_taboo.htm Facts and figures about stress in the workplace. Retrieved 28 Jan 2011 from http://www.logisens.com/PDF/resources/stress_facts&figures.pdf On-the-Job Stress is U.S. Workers' Biggest Complaint. (n.d.). Gallup.Com - Daily News, Polls, Public Opinion on Government, Politics, Economics, Management. Retrieved January 28, 2011, from http://www.gallup.com/poll/142715/Job-Stress-Workers-Biggest-Complaint.aspx  Stress Management: How to Reduce, Prevent, and Cope with Stress. (n.d.). Helpguide.org: Expert, ad-free articles help empower you with knowledge, support & hope. Retrieved January 28, 2011, from http://helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm Stress at Work: How to Reduce and Manage Workplace and Job Stress. (n.d.). Helpguide.org: Expert, ad-free articles help empower you with knowledge, support & hope. 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