Work-Related Stress - Essay Example

?Psychology Part Work-related Stress To start with, workplace stress is the mental pressure which one experiences within his nerves, which deriveshis energies out of the body and seems to have a long-lasting effect, both on the body as well as the mind. The implications are thus both physical as well as psychological in the real sense of the word. A large number of people face these kinds of problems and try to overcome it by their own respective manners and fashions (Carayon 1999). The National Mental Health Association according to a survey stated that a large number of them are stressed people are so depressed, sad and heartrending that they are unable to work properly in their day-to-day lives. They encounter serious kinds of attacks frequently while some overcome them with consummate ease, depending upon the nature of stress one has to go through over a period of time. Workplace stress also entails within it issues of anxiousness at work whereby it is regarded as another kind of mental anomaly, which tears down the mind and the body in a number of different ways. Workplace stress leads to different kinds of depressions within oneself on top. The employees start feeling alienated with the tasks and feel their bodies having all forms of aches every now and so often. These people also comprehend the pressures from their job settings which in reality are of a normal nature and have little bearing on them in the real sense. The pressure-exertion effect makes them feel more stressed at the end of the day, which then again is a very perilous thing. Workplace stress can be reduced when employees know that the task they are putting their best energies at, are worth the shot and in the end, the same will help them to grow exponentially. In fact they must be apprised of their hard work and the rewards that they get. This is indeed a nice gesture which means a lot on the part of the hard working and committed employees and workers (Harmon 2003). The hard working employees should balance their work commitments with their physical and mental needs as 100 percent commitment can only be made possible when there is zest and enthusiasm from within and not when a person is made to do one thing or the other by force or against his wishes. The reason why one should believe this approach will work is because in the initial sense, it will build a strong rapport between the firm and its employees and also it will convey a strong message that the organization does not compromise on the needs of the employees who are working for it day in day out just for having that extra bit of work completed by them (Bergman 2003). It also means that the organization is thorough and professional in its approach and is not willing to surrender in a rat race when the talk goes out loud of competing within the relevant industry or even with companies just for the sake of nothing but competition. The intensity within organizations is pretty much understandable but the madness should not be substituted on the part of the employees and getting work done out of them so that the figures could be reached and new records could be broken within the shortest possible time is nothing but insanity to say the least. Other useful workplace stress removing remedies are accounted for in the form of exercising regularly, having an intake of healthy diet, taking proper sleep, developing trustworthy social support regimes and more than anything else enjoying quality family time (Linton 2000). The physical and psychological implications thus have direct and serious effects on the way the employees look after their work tasks and thus the bottom line remains all jammed up for a number of reasons – most of which are related with stress in one way or the other. It is true to state that workplace stress affects employees at all levels which could include the physical, emotional, cognitive and behavioral stages. The physical indications entail the speech difficulties and complexities, headaches, ulcers, infertility issues, fatigue and sudden weight loss and gain matters, high and low blood pressure, gastric problems and so on. The emotional variable looks at the irritability, depression, insomnia, jealousy, lack of interest in certain job and hostility to name a few (Mcnally 2003). The cognitive and perceptual symptoms include the habits related with forgetfulness, lack of concentration, reduced creativity levels, disorientation, attention deficit syndrome, self esteem aspects, blurred vision and so on (Johansen 2002). If these physical and psychological issues crop up at work, there are quite a few reasons that could make the employees feel stressed and that too, all in a negative manner. Therefore it would be right to state here that the role of workplace stress in the growth of mental problems is immense and that this could tantamount to severe complexities within the organizational settings. What mental health means is the fact that the individual can withstand the stressful aspects related with their work regimes (Cooper 2002). Related studies and surveys into the field of emotional stress settings have stated that it contributes towards the aggravating half of all medical problems if seen in the broader perspective. There is little doubt in the fact that workplace stress is the single most fundamental reason related with all the employee emotional problems. In order to control the prevalence of these mental disorders, one needs to put workplace stress on hold at all times and work till the levels he can best afford to have (Sacks 2001). The organizations should also understand their due roles within the midst of things and try to relax the employees more often than not. The most important thing is to understand that there should be a balance or homeostasis in everyone’s life. To conclude with the discussion, it is significant to outline the fact that there is a dire need for having a balance between the professional life and the personal life of a human being as he has to give in his best on both the fronts so as to have a worthy lifetime. A balance is must between the family commitments and professional duties so that the end result is one which is both satisfying for the individual himself and the family and work colleagues that he is attached with (Hodge 1995). If a person neglects any aspect of his personal or professional life, then he is sure to get the problems attached with the missing aspect of these lives and there would surely be repercussions in the wake of the very same (Schultz 2003). There could be problems in the form of distressing situations at work, the boss getting unhappy for all the wrong reasons, the colleagues feeling agitated with this person’s behavior and so on and so forth. Problems with Managing Diversity at Work Global business offers a host of opportunities for the people to get excited. They can receive so much from the global business domains than merely sitting in a single nation’s lengths and breadths. The need is to realize how these global excitements cash in, with respect to an employee and how these opportunities will suffice with regards to his experience and education. However there are some other aspects which need to be comprehended beforehand. These comprise of the manner in which the workforce gets assembled within the global business enterprises of today (Pitts 2005). The success of the workforce comes about due to collective efforts on the local as well as the global levels. There is a dire need to understand that the global message must be one – unity must remain supreme at the end of the day. This solitary attitude within the message of the workforce, coming from the ranks of global business domains is something which documents in a very cordial way, amongst the masses. A diverse workplace offers reasons for happiness – nearly everyone can see him/her to be a part of the biggest organizations that the world has seen. However these require proper training and experience before one can move up the ladder (Buttner 2006). The different forces working within the workplace assist this culturally diverse workplace to demonstrate its true character. The workplace becomes an easy catch for the different sets of people. They raise their hopes in line with the changing demands of the business. They emphasize confidence and they receive the same in a very symbiotic way. This relationship keeps on getting manifested with each passing day (Stretch 2006). The advantages and benefits are there for the taking and that too for everyone around. The workplace starts becoming a strong source of contentment and satisfaction (Hengelbrock 2006). People base their hopes on the way they get hired and thus give in their very best, for the sake of the organization that they work for as well as their own personal grooming regimes. The diverse workforce discussions center on the premise of the strengths that the employees give in, as well as the confidence and exuberance they offer to the global business. If the organization finds out that these personnel are highly motivated and charged up, they hire them and thus the journey starts. The diverse workforce basis starts getting its true basis with the help of one and all. The top management is the most important savior for such diverse workforce employees. It enacts policies which will make the task easier, as far as the employees are concerned (Hayes 2005). The hiring, recruiting and firing policies are devised and all of these are designed in such a manner that there are absolutely no issues of ill-will or nepotism for the culturally diverse workforce regimes. There is proper methodology in place and each and every employee who forms up as a part of the organizational philosophy knows beforehand what he can expect from such an organization in the long run and what he needs to give in, with respect to his inputs, training regimes and a host of other endeavors which he has to undertake on a consistent and proactive basis. It would not be wrong here to suggest that a culturally diverse workplace is filled with positive energies al round and people know beforehand that they can expect their own selves getting encouraged when they are at their workplaces. This indeed is a very motivating feeling and one which can bring instant rewards as far as the organizational profits and environment building measures are concerned. A theory that could be particularly understood here is offered by Geert Hofstede. He has pinpointed his ideology on the cultural differences that exist at individuals working within the different domains of a business and he has raised pretty interesting concerns in relation with the same. He has literally dispelled the impression that is present in the wake of the individuals acting like each other and working towards a common goal – where the organization wants to reach at a particular point in time within the future. Rather he has looked at it from a different perspective. What he has stated is that it is difficult to come to terms with the cultural differences that the employees bring with them and hence it gets frustrating at times to get the work done in a cohesive manner (Cappelli 1999). One should believe that what Geert Hofstede preaches through his cultural dimensions is quite accurate since little effort is paid to the fact that diverse set of employees actually bring about successful results for the organization. In essence, the organizations are also not in agreement with this logic at all, which at the end of the day is quite appalling. Business leaders and managers have skepticism in their minds when they assign task jobs and delegate work to the culturally foreign individuals since they believe these workers would not be able to deliver beyond expectations let alone on them. This brings in an issue of tension and worry within the organization and thus the employees start feeling agitated. Cultural dimensions need to be judged from an angle which does not hinder work ethics from personality aspects. It might be possible that the most under-rated individual at the workplace is indeed the most efficient when it comes to getting the job done (Ward 2004). It is up to the business leaders and managers to judge talent and help these employees serve in the best interest of the organization. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions state the exact problems related with diversity within business ranks. If these are solved within an organizational setting, then there are all the more chances that the most effective and efficient tasks could be achieved within the organization. A culturally diverse workforce looks to settle the different employees within the related settings. What this means is the fact that the business offices located in different areas of the city have culturally diverse employees, who are better adept at understanding the local languages, cultures and working environments. These employees comprehend the real meaning behind being local in a globally changing business scene (Cross 2000). They understand the experience that the new employees face once they set their feet within the midst of an organization. Similarly as an example, these organizations comprehend that their culturally diverse workforce will face problems once they enter into a new arena and hence they devise ways and means under which these issues and problems could be minimized, if not completely removed from the roster. The significance of this workforce is that the company is taken in a nice stead by the different stakeholders – the customers, the food and beverage agents, and the transport company and so on. These people realize that the organization is doing its very best to bring to them the people who had excellence within their folds, no matter where these employees belonged from. They knew how to cater to large functions and parties and thus their experience speaks for its own self. Diversity management comes about in an easy and free flowing way if the culturally diverse workforce co-operates with the management regimes and tries its best to manifest its message through solid inputs (Knight 2007). By that one could mean that the culturally diverse workforce needs to show their peculiar strengths time and time again so that the issues which resurface in the wake of human resources regimes are tackled in a pretty sound and cohesive fashion. The problems must be settled at the managerial level and should involve the respective employees and their managers only (Claire 2007). These problems must not destruct the process of smooth relations and their eventual building amongst all of the employees in the workplace. Part 2: Counseling with Work-related Stress Counseling works to good effects within the stress domains, more particularly when the same takes place in a work related setting. It helps the employees to properly differentiate between the correct modes and the wrong incorporations that they have been making in the past within their work routines and chores. Stress issues if properly addressed and counseled to could mean that the employees can turn into productive individuals within their workplace domains and they would be able to have better appraisals and self-assessments than the same used to be the case in the past. There would be incremental changes which would start looking better with each passing day (Brewington 2000). Work-related stress is such an epidemic that it can only bring destruction for the employees, however if it is handled in a proper manner, there could be serious positive ramifications. Counseling would help the organization succeed as a whole as it helps the employees within their work performance levels. Stress is a killer but it should always be dealt with in a proper manner. Stress is an epidemic because it slowly hurts the basis of employees in a very negative fashion (Flanagan 1990). Counseling with Problems in Managing Diversity at Work Counseling helps in understanding how problems are managed with regards to diversity issues at work. This is important because counseling helps achieve many difficult tasks in an easy going way. It establishes the link that exists between people who are not ready to work with one another as well as amongst those who have no know-how about others at all. Counseling helps in making employees understand that they can work along with different people who come from distinctive backgrounds (Brendel 2003). It tells them that diversity is something that is a good omen for any organization and thus it should be dealt with a positive mindset on the part of the employees. Also diversity turns problems into possible areas of growth and development because diversity makes people realize that they need to give room to others, whilst allowing themselves to expand their horizons all this while. There is a dire need to embed the problems with the areas of strength so that success could be derived in the end. The problems in managing diversity at work can always be taken care of when the counseling regimes are incorporated in a better way (Thompson 2003). This is important to understand because counseling helps solve quite a few problems and that too in a quick way. Conclusion It would be sound to state that counseling helps resolve a lot of problems within the workplace domains. Both stress and diversity related issues are taken care of by counseling, which suggests that its role should be expanded over a period of time. The role of the human resources management department in incorporating counseling as a part of the organizational philosophy is an important one undoubtedly (Blocher 2000). Without any confusions coming to the fore, one can easily decipher the true meaning of counseling being the facilitator amongst the employees and the management in the long run. Counseling brings together the areas of strength in close harmony with one another, and in the time and age of today it makes people realize what kind of shortcomings exist within their folds, and what more could be derived from their realms in essence. It would be sound to suggest that counseling is indeed the vital link that the human resources management domains have within their own selves as they can fix problems as and when they come, whilst allowing the individuals to let them grow and develop with the changing times. References Bergman, B (2003). The Validation of the Women Workplace Culture Questionnaire: Gender-Related Stress and Health for Swedish Working Women. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, Vol. 49 Blocher, D (2000). Counseling: A Developmental Approach. John Wiley & Sons Brendel, J (2003). Counseling Multicultural and Diverse Populations: Strategies for Practitioners. Brunner-Routledge Brewington, J (2000). Older Adults: Work-related Issues and Implications for Counseling. The Career Development Quarterly, Vol. 49 Buttner, E. Holly. (2006). The Influence of Organizational Diversity Orientation and Leader Attitude on Diversity Activities. Journal of Managerial Issues, Vol. 18 Cappelli, Peter. (1999). Employment Practices and Business Strategy. Oxford University Press Carayon, P (1999). Work Organization, Job Stress, and Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders. Human Factors, Vol. 41 Claire, Eau. (2007). A Longitudinal Evaluation of Senior Managers' Perceptions and Attitudes of a Workplace Diversity Training Program. Human Resource Planning, Vol. 30 Cooper, L (2002). Managing Workplace Stress: A Best Practice Blueprint. John Wiley & Sons Cross, E (2000). Managing Diversity--The Courage to Lead. Quorum Books, pp. 51 Flanagan, C (1990). People and Change: An Introduction to Counseling and Stress Management. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Harmon, J (2003). Reducing Workplace Stress and Aggression: An Action Research Project at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Human Resource Planning, Vol. 26 Hayes, Cassandra. (2005). The Business Case for Diversity. Black Enterprise, Vol. 36, October Hengelbrock, Jurgen. (2006). Re-Ethnicizing the Minds? Cultural Revival in Contemporary Thought. Rodopi Hodge, J (1995). Stress and Stress Management. SAM Advanced Management Journal, Vol. 60 Johansen, J (2002). Stress and Communication. Business Communication Quarterly, Vol. 65 Knight, Chris. (2007). The Evolution of Cultural Diversity: A Phylogenetic Approach. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, Vol. 13 Linton, J (2000). Stress on the Job: Self-Care Resources for Counselors. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, Vol. 22 Mcnally, R (2003). Progress and Controversy in the Study of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Annual Review of Psychology Pitts, David W. (2005). Diversity, Representation, and Performance: Evidence about Race and Ethnicity in Public Organizations. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Vol. 15 Sacks, S (2001). Care after Chaos: Use of Critical Incident Stress Debriefing after Traumatic Workplace Events. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, Vol. 37 Schultz, V (2003). The Sanitized Workplace. Yale Law Journal, Vol. 112 Stretch, John. (2006). Managing Diversity: Toward a Globally Inclusive Workplace. Social Work, Vol. 51 Thompson, R (2003). Counseling Techniques: Improving Relationships with Others, Ourselves, Our Families, and Our Environment. Brunner-Routledge Ward, Dan. (2004). Strategic Staffing: A Practical Toolkit for Workforce Planning. Human Resource Planning, Vol. 27 Read More