Management of Occupational Stress - Literature review Example

Managing Stress Managing Stress Introduction Stress is key among the factors that affect the performance of employees at the workplace. When a number of employees are under stress, the impact on the whole organization may be dire; from employee exits to reduced market performance and even closing down of the company. An organization’s human resource capital is one of the most valuable assets on which it relies for innovation and development. All the four basic principles of organizational behavior advanced by Fredrick Taylor touches on how an organization can best deploy its human capital in order to achieve maximum performance. The principles emphasized the need to find the best equipment and people for a given task and then monitoring performance. He specified the role of management as managing and control, which includes employing techniques of rewards and punishment to help employees achieve their best. It is this last principle of Taylor’s, which several individuals associate with the levels of stress in any organization. Employees strive to perform their best and outshine each other in an effort to gain recognition (George & Jones, 2012). On the other hand, the managers feel motivated by the desire to increase profit margins, exert pressure on their employees by pushing them to perform extra tasks. Work related stress has over the years been singled out as the major cause of poor productivity, occupational ill health and several cases of human error resulting from a blurred judgment. Stress refers to the adverse reaction people have when faced with excessive pressures or demands placed on them at the workplace (HSE, 2012). Pressure at the workplace can sometimes create a buzz, in which it would function as a motivating factor for the employees to work harder. On the other hand, it also works against aspirations by creating high expectations that demoralize employees. Michie defines occupational stress as the psychological and physical state of mind resulting from the feeling of inadequacy when an individual’s resources are not sufficient (Michie, 2012). Stress incidence on individuals varies depending on the situations and an individuals’ level of tolerance to pressures of work. Different people cope differently with the varied situation, which makes the causes of stressful work to contrast significantly between organizations (George & Jones, 2012). Stress manifests itself in different ways. The most common symptom of a stressed up individual are withdrawal, lack of concentration and a noticeable reduction in productivity (Oktug, 2013). The situations that may give rise to stress are several, but the most common ones involve those that have uncontrollable or unpredictable work routines. They can also be due to uncertainty, the ambiguousness of a given task, failure to meet performance expectations or even work that involves conflict (HSE, 2012). Causes of Work Related Stress Studies point poor work organization as the main cause of stress in the workplace. According to Leka, Griffiths and Cox (2013), an article published by the World Health Organization, poor work design can lead to excessive or unmanageable work demands on the employees. Researchers have also pointed out that the most stressful jobs are those that emphasize more on unmanageable work demands that do not match an employee’s qualifications. The demands of the workplace should match to the worker’s knowledge and abilities. George and Jones point corporate downsizing as a source of stress in the place of work (George & Jones, 2012). Downsizing involves cutting on cost by laying off some employees, which may include the manager. The employees who may be lucky to remain often work under stress since they think that the next layoff may target them. This makes them try to work hard so that the management can spare them; hence, they experience stress. Chenevert, Jourdain, Cole and Banville (2013) have also underscored the importance of structured and procedural interactions between different departments and tasks in an organization. In their paper published in the Journal of Health Organisation and Management; the authors link lack of clear procedures and guidelines to stress and perception of injustice among employees. Unclear circumstances surrounding one’s work was found to affect an employee’s commitment to the organization directly (Vani, 2013). The researchers established that there was a higher likelihood of employees feeling less valued by the managers, whom they worked for with no clear definition of their tasks. The other elements that the researchers termed as interactional justice, informational and interpersonal at the workplace is also important. Lack of this element appears to be a source of increased distress among the employees. There are several other reasons, which attempt to explain the sources of work-related stress in modern organizations. These causes vary according to the prevailing events in the business world. CIPD identifies some of the factors in the contemporary world as overdependence on technology (CIPD, 2013). Organizations face an increased competitive pressure in the changing business environment. These pressures are directly passed on to employees whose performance the company depends to beat the competition and stay on top of the industry. The increased work intensification, therefore, is also attributable to the pressures facing the whole organization. The human resource policies that use rewards linked to performance as a motivational incentive for the employees to perform better may also lead to frustration. It is likely to be quite a number of employees who might not be meeting their targets regularly while their fellows consistently meet and even exceed targets (Choudhury, 2012). Others may resort to less professional methods of meeting target so that they gain the recognition and acceptance of the organization. The other stress causative factors that have been researched by Michie include, working for long hours or work overload and pressures, which affects an employee’s personal life (Michie, 2012). The long hours spent at the office means that an employee has very limited time with their family. Much more limited is the time that the employee has to rest and refresh. Michie also cites lack of control in an individual’s work and limited or no participation in decision-making. This is closely related to lack of or poor social support systems at the workplace. Other researchers have also cited poor management styles or unclear management structure as a key source of frustration for an employee. Impacts of Stress on the Organization The implications of stress on the performance of the organization are varied and in many cases terrible. Studies demonstrate a direct correlation between the rates of staff turnover to stress levels in an organization’s working environment. There is a high likelihood that stressed employees will leave their jobs to look for opportunities that they perceive as less stressful (George & Jones, 2012). The most obvious indicator of a stressed workforce is the level of absenteeism and sickness leave requests. A recent study also discovered the level of productivity of an employee was inversely related to the stress levels experienced at the workplace. Stress reduces an individual’s productivity by interfering with concentration and mental health (George & Jones, 2012). When an organization fails to manage stress that its employees experience, the result will show to the external stakeholders through poor customer service and lackluster public relations efforts. Management of Occupational Stress There are several research works that tie the management of stress among the employees of an organization to sound human resource policies that the firm may choose to adopt. Ihionkhan and Aigbomian (2014b) investigated the influence of some five dimensions of human resource management practices on the commitment of employees to their organizations in different manufacturing firms. The five dimensions were teamwork, training and development, performance appraisal, communication, and reward and recognition (Ihionkhan and Aigbomian, 2014). The researchers discovered that all the five elements had a positive association with an employee’s commitment to the organization. Determination of an employee’s commitment to the organization by several factors including availability of alternative opportunities, motivation, and being valued (Mathur & Sareen, 2013). The most important determinant is the occupational stress resulting from the nature of tasks an employee has to handle, as well as the working environment. The human resources department is central to creating or fostering an organizational culture that makes employees feel valued and appreciated and hence enhancing the possibility of long-term commitment to the organization. The strategies employed by the organization for managing stress at work should aim at combating the vice at the source. This would entail identification of symptoms or situations that might cause stress feelings on the employee. According to Leka, Griffiths and Cox (2013), the most effective way of managing works stress is through a risk management approach. This approach involves assessment in the work environment for possible hazards that may cause harm to employees. Since these hazards have connections to the design and management of the working environment and conditions, it implies that they are identifiable, and their effects managed just like other hazards (Vani, 2013). Once the identification of the hazards is complete, the management should conduct a study of the employees to understand their views on how to solve the problem. Additionally, the management need to focus on dealing the effects of layoffs due to downsizing since it makes the remaining employees work under stress (George & Jones, 2012). Another level of interventions for stress in the organization would be to focus on the manager level solutions. These are specific to problems that affect the teams or departments under one particular manager. According to CIPD, this kind of intervention would involve learning and development programs whose aim would be to empower the manager with the necessary and requisite skills needed to manage stress (CIPD, 2013). Due to the nature of their work, managers are some of the people who are more prone to being affected by workplace stress. Equipping them with the skills of identifying and managing stress would not only empower them to manage their situations but also identify the possible sources and symptoms of stress among their team members. Empowerment of managers is a proactive approach to stress management. George and Jones suggest that the provision of time off from work, as well as sabbaticals, is helpful in reducing any stressful feelings that an employee can experience (2013). The strategy works by enabling the employees to put aside any stress attributable to the workplace. In addition, providing personal days also work the same. The sources of stress for the employees do not have limitations on those factors arising from the workplace. Other sources of stress include family, health or other social engagements. Studies have found a very close correlation between workplace depression and an employee’s family problems. Employees usually export their problems to their workplaces, which makes it important for the organization to develop a comprehensive stress management plan that do not restrict elimination of the workplace stressors. In addition, such programs are vital to eliminating personal stressors (George & Jones, 2012). Conclusion An organization competing in the modern day competitive world faces myriads of challenges from copyright infringement on its key products and innovative designs (Ihionkhan & Aigbomian, 2014). Its most valuable asset, therefore, is the human capital. Investment in the five elements of teamwork, performance appraisal, training and development, communication and reward and recognition would work to serve the organization better. The most important of these five elements are teamwork and training and development. The former serves as the source of support while the latter appeals to an individual’s desire for achievement and self-advancement. References Aigbomian, P. I. (2014a). The influence of human resource management practices on organizational commitment: a study of manufacturing organizations in Nigeria. Indian Journal of Commerce and Management Studies, 5(1), 18-28. Aigbomian, P. I. (2014b). The link between human resource management practices and organizational commitment. Indian Journal of Management Science, 4(1), 10-18. Choudhury, K. (2012). Managing workplace stress: the cognitive behavioural way. India: Springer Science & Business Media. CIPD. (2013). Managing stress at work. Chattered Insitute of Personnel Development, Guide. Denis Chênevert, G. J. (2013). The role of organizational justice, burnout, and commitment in the understanding of absenteeism in the Canadian healthcare sector. Journal of Health Organization and Management, 350-367. George, J.M. & Jones, G.R. (2012). Understanding and Managing Organizational Behavior (6th). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall HSE. (2012). Managing the causes of work-related stress: a step by step approach using the management standards. Richmond: Crown Publishers. Mathur, G., & Sareen, P. (2013). Role of emotional intelligence in managing occupational stress. Review of HRM, 2, 121–129. Michie, S. (2012). Causes and management of stress at work. Occupational and Environmental Medicineoem.bmj.com, 59(1), 67-72. Oktug, Z. (2013). Managing emotions in the workplace: it’s mediating effect on the relationship between organizational trust and occupational stress. International Business Research, 6(4), 81–88. Stavroula Leka, A. G. (2013). Work organization and stress. Nottingham: World Health Organisation. Vani, G. (2013). Managing stress through wellness interventions: a study of select software companies of Hyderabad. Review of HRM, 2, 323–330. Read More