How stress can be damaging to an individual employee with particular reference to the work/life balance - Essay Example

It is pragmatic and realistic to expect some stress at the workplace. However, too much stress at the work place and the inability of the employees and the management to manage that stress could prove to be counterproductive and debilitating. The Health and Safety Executive defines workplace stress as, “The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them at work (Health and Safety Executive 2014, p. 1).” Workplace stress needs to be a crucial cause of concern for both the managements and the employees. Too much stress at the work place could reduce the productivity of the employees (Eastman 2014, p. 1)). Stress beyond an optimal level at the work place could also harm the physical and emotional well being of the workers (Eastman 2014, p. 1)). Hence, the ability of an employee to manage the workplace stress does play a pivotal role in assuring productivity and efficiency at the work place. Certainly, managements can play a salient role in this area. Realistically speaking, the employee stress at the workplace could be traced to an array of factors and managements could really do a lot towards helping the employees balance the pressures and demands experienced by them at the work place. Key Areas of Employee Stress Though workplace stress is universal and ubiquitous, still, an individual’s response to the workplace stress depends a lot on one’s personality (Bratton 2010, p. 102). Hence, an employee’s personality has a lot to do with one’s potential to respond to and cope up with the workplace stress (Bratton 2010, p. 102). Personality in this context involves as to how an employee perceives oneself, what personal and professional experiences one has gone through and how does an employee feel when exposed to stress. Employee stress has a lot to do with the demands placed on one at the workplace (Bratton 2010, p. 215). If the work affiliated demands placed on the employees at the workplace fail to commensurate with the skills and abilities they have at their disposal, this may culminate into lots of stress. This mismatch and contradiction between the works related demands and the innate abilities of the specific employees may challenge their capacity to cope up with stress. Workplace stress could also occur when an employee feels that one does not have the ability and the capacity to align with the demands placed on one (Bratton 2010, p. 215). Things may even get worse when this is accompanied by a belief on the part of an employee that one could not expect much support from one’s team members and supervisors. Allowing little or no control to the employees over the workplace processes could also materialize into workplace stress (Mullins 2008, p. 175). Stress at workplace also depends a lot on the role assigned to an individual employee or a specific team. It is important that the employees do comprehend the roles assigned to them at the workplace. It is also necessary for the managements to look to it that the employees do not have conflicting and contradictory work place roles (Allen 2011, p. 1). Inability on the part of an employee to understand one’s role at the workplace could lead to stress. Employees subjected to contradictory or conflicting roles could also become victims of the workplace stress. Stress could also be a result of the employee relationships at the workplace. Unacceptable or strained workplace relationships or the mismanagement of the organizational conflicts on the part of the managers could also lead to stress. Cultural diversity at the workplace could also give way to stress (Dalton 2010, p. 335). Differences in cultural dimensions at a work place may lead to stress. Diversity at the workplace could give way to many stress related issues. Language differences and the employees’ approach towards time, space and work related aims and objectives could create stress for both the employees and the management (Dalton 2010, p. 337). The failure on the part of the management to identify the new demands placed by a diverse workforce may be a big cause of stress. Work/life balance happens to one other source of stress (Yukl 2010, p. 51). The conflicts experienced by the employees owing to their inability to manage and balance the push and pull ensuing from the workplace demands and domestic responsibilities could also cause stress at work. Stress and Work/Life Balance As already mentioned, an employee may have to bear with stress owing to a poor work/life balance. Work/life balance pertains to the degree to which an employee is able to do justice to one’s work and the personal aspects of one’s life. (Schermerhorn, Osborn & Hunt 2012, p. 38) It pertains to the ability of an employee to create a distinct boundary between one’s work and the other facets of one’s life. Proper work/life balance involves creating a healthy balance between varied dimensions of one’s life, are they professional, domestic, familial, spiritual, fitness and health (Schermerhorn, Osborn & Hunt 2012, p. 39). An inability on the part of an employee to balance various aspects of one’s life could readily give way to stress at the workplace. If an employee is able to mark boundaries between one’s work life and one’s personal life, this leads to a sense of well being and ease. Employees having a proper work/life balance tend to feel more satisfied and fulfilled. Work/life balance gives way to a mental state that is marked by much clarity, confidence and decisiveness (Schermerhorn, Osborn & Hunt 2012, p. 41). In contrast a poor work/life balance leads to much confusion, frustration and stress (Schermerhorn, Osborn & Hunt 2012, p. 41). Unrealistic demands and faulty roles at the workplace may give way to scenarios where the employees may feel that they are not able to retain a balance between their jobs and their personal life. This leads to a marked sense of stress and tension amongst the employees. The employees may feel that they are trapped in a vicious cycle where they lack the skills, resources and the help required, to be able to meet both the professional and personal aspects of their life. Such a situation may make the employees compromise on their commitment to work and may make them feel fatigued and cynical. Poor work life balance may also dilute an employ’s efficiency and productivity at work. The managers need to be cognizant of the serious consequences of a poor work/life balance amongst their employees. A poor work/life balance may make an employee feel stressed both at work and when one is at home. Work/life balance is something that is very important for both the employees and the managers. Poor work life balance may impact varied aspects of an employ’s life that may unable one to perform well at work. For instance, employees having a poor work/life balance my get vulnerable to conflicts and tensions in the family (Saner 2010, p. 1). Such employees may also face problems in their personal and professional relationships. Work/life imbalance is also the gateway to more of physical and mental health issues (Saner 2011, p. 10). Work/life imbalance has also been found to curtail creativity and energy at the workplace and is associated with a higher turnover rate. Though it is primarily the employees who happen to be responsible for managing the personal aspects of their life, still managements cannot deny their responsibility in this area. Why Managements Need to be Concerned about Employee Stress Managements need to be concerned about the stress faced by the employees, because stress amongst the employees is something that tends to harm both the organizations and workers. The one big thing about the stress faced by the employees is that it hampers their physical and psychological health. The stress faced by an employee at work owing to one’s inability to meet the demands placed on one could make an employee prone to health issues like elevated blood pressures, cardiovascular disease, sleep disturbances, insomnia and headaches. Stress may also lead to psychological and emotional issues amongst the employees like poor anger management, irritability, anxiety, and depression (Saner 2010, p. 1). Such conditions may inhibit an employee from concentrating at work and at home. Under high stress, the employees may feel demotivated and lacking in the energy required for performing well at work (Saner 2010, p. 1). Stress may also cloud an employ’s ability for clear thinking and one’s capacity for making the right decisions at work. Loss of memory is one other serious issue associated with stress amongst the employees (Saner 2010, p. 1). The thing that needs to be understood is that the consequences of stress not only impact the physical, emotional and professional well being of the employees, but they do tend to be really debilitating for the organizations also. Stress amongst employees could lead to a high absenteeism linked to physical and psychological health issues (Allen 2011, p. 1). High stress amongst the employees may make them feel dissatisfied with the organization they work for and may give way to high turnover (Allen 2011, p. 1). Thereby, the organizations may lose skilled and experienced employees owing to stress. Stress amongst employees also causes poor productivity and performance. Stress has a direct bearing on the morale of the individuals and teams working in an organization. Stressed employees most of the times feel demotivated and fatigued and lack the energy and the enthusiasm to perform well. Organizations with high employee stress do have to bear with multiple and regular complaints from the employees. Such organizations are also required to suffer poor productivity owing to frequent illnesses and domestic issues amongst the employees (Allen 2011, p. 1). Hence, there is no doubt regarding the fact that organizations do get negatively impacted by a high stress amongst the employees and thereby they need to pursue such policies that decrease the stress amongst their employees. What can Managements Do? Managements can take a series of measures to reduce stress amongst the employees. While allocating job responsibilities, managers need to look to it that the tasks assigned to the specific employees and teams do happen to be in consonance with the abilities and skills they possess. Care needs to be taken to assign such targets to the employees that happen to be realistic and readily achievable by them. Unrealistic and unachievable goals and targets need to be shunned at all costs. Managers should also make certain that the employees are suitably empowered to perform the tasks assigned to them. They need to assure that the employees do have the requisite resources and the abilities to do the job assigned to them (Eastman 2014, p. 1). Care needs to be taken to see to it that the employees work in a safe and healthy work environment. The employees should be provided the appropriate help and guidance as and when required by them. Negative organizational politics and obsolete and counterproductive organizational values must be discouraged at all levels within the organizations (Eastman 2014, p. 1). Organizations with a diverse workforce must take measures to promote proper communication and encourage cultural literacy amongst the employees. The roles ascribed to the employees need to be clear and distinct. Managements should also take steps to appreciate and encourage work/life balance amongst their employees. Managements can resort to flexible place of work and work hours requirements to facilitate work/life balance (Eastman 2014, p. 1). Employees need to be made to work only for as many hours, which do not interfere with their domestic and personal responsibilities. Managements should lay stress on developing an organizational culture that promotes work/life balance. The employees should be extended fully paid leaves to allow them to take care of special personal responsibilities like maternity and taking care of the sick children and the aged at home. Conclusion Stress amongst employees is something that can never be totally obliterated in a realistic context. This may be linked to a variety of reasons like unrealistic targets, undefined job responsibilities and roles, organizational politics and conflicts, poor diversity management at work and a faulty work/life management. Stress amongst employees directly translates into a poor sense of well being. It also leads to a compromised efficiency and productivity at work. Thereby, it is crucial for the managements to be concerned about the unwanted and unnecessary stress faced by their employees. They need to take measures to curtail employee stress and to promote a healthy work/life balance. Reference List Allen, K 2011, ‘Stress now Commonest Cause of Long-term Sick Leave-Report’, The Guardian, 5 October, viewed 15 April 2014, . Bratton, J 2010, Work and Organizational Behavior, Palgrave Macmillan, London. Dalton, K 2010, Leadership and Management Development, FT Prentice Hall, London. Eastman, V 2014, ‘MT Expert: What Really Happens when your Team is Under Pressure’, Management Today, 21 March, viewed 15 April 2014, < http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/news/1286297/MT-EXPERT-really-happens-when-team-pressure/?DCMP=ILC-SEARCH>. Health and Safety Executive 2014, What is Stress, viewed 15 April 2014, . Mullins, LJ 2008, Essentials of Organizational Behavior, Financial Times, Prentice Hall, Harlow, Essex. Saner, E 2010, ‘How to Survive Workplace Stress in the Recession’, The Guardian, 17 May, viewed 15 April 2014, . Schermerhorn, JR, Osborn, RN & Hunt, JG 2012, Organisational Behaviour, Wiley, London. Yukl, G 2010, Leadership in Organisations, Pearson, London. Read More