Comparison Between Stress Levels in Canada and Other Countries - Assignment Example

Comparison between Stress Levels in Canada and Other Countries: (Question The comparison between stress levels in different countries can be done on the basis of sources of stress in different countries as well as the effects of stress on the individuals in those countries. The corporate sectors of different countries have different working environments and thus have different causes of stress at workplace and consequently the effects these stresses yield on the working individuals are also different. The stress levels in different countries are as follows: 1. United States: 34% with quite a lot of stress (PsychCentral.com) 2. United Kingdom: 31% with detrimental stress (smallbusiness.co.uk) 3. Singapore: 37% experiencing mental stress at work (straitstimes.com) 4. India: 51% demanding mental therapy to reduce stress (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) 5. China: 45% feel stressed (ChinaDaily.com) 6. Denmark: 9.9% with quite a lot of stress (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) 7. Sweden 17.3% not satisfied with their workplace life ( Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development) The statistics show the above mentioned countries have higher levels of stress in their working individuals as compared with those in Canada (22% with quite a lot stress) (22% is the average of Alberta 22.4%, Atlantic Canada 18.4%, British Columbia 22.7%, Ontario 23.1%, The Prairies 20.5% Quebec 26% as mentioned in the chapter). Only Denmark and Sweden have stress levels lower as compared to China. The difference in stress levels in different countries is mainly because of the reason that every country has its own sources of stresses. If we consider the above mentioned countries, India is the only country with an underdeveloped/developing economy while US, UK, Singapore, China, Denmark, Sweden and Canada as well have much stronger economies as compared with India but it the economic activity in India is also very high so this means that in India people have the same workload but lesser facilities to reduce their stress levels which is the reason behind the high stress levels. On the other hand China which is a strong economy has high stress levels because the working class and the working individuals are not given importance. This is because of the fact that China being the most populous country of the world has large manpower and workforce which gives employer the liberty to apply more workload on the working individuals. There are various factors which control the stress levels in a country and environmental conditions like pollution is one of them. The high stress values in India and China are because of the high levels of pollution in the metropolitans of these countries while in Denmark and Sweden the pollution levels are less and so are the stress levels. Medical services and living conditions also affects the stress levels in any country. US have comparatively high stress levels because of deteriorating medical facilities in the country; lack of family support to working individuals is also a reason for higher stress levels in US. The above discussion shows that the stress levels in different countries have the same controlling factors (Economics, Employment, Family Support, Pollution, Medical Services, Risk Level, Organizational Structure, Workload and Living Conditions) but the difference in stress levels is decided by the difference in the extent to which a particular factor is affecting the individuals in a country for example Medical Services affects the stress more in countries like Sweden where all kinds of medical facilities are provided by government as compared to India where the individual has to find out the medical facilities. The effect of stress on different individuals is also varies from culture to culture. Stress does not only affect the individual himself, it also affects the people who are very closely related to him and this is where culture comes in. For example in cultures like India where joint family systems are still present the effect of work stress on one particular individual who is the sole bread earner of the family affects a larger number of people as compared to cultures where the families are small. Similarly in cultures where the use of drugs are very common the individuals which experience high stress at workplace are more likely to start using drugs as compared to cultures where drugs are not easily available. So the effect of stress on individuals hailing from different cultures is different because of the prevalent difference in the lifestyles. Stress Management in different Organizations in Canada (Question 2) IBM Canada: IBM Canada is the leading computer hardware manufacturer in Canada and is currently running extensive programs for its employees for stress management. General public can also be a part of these programs but these are actually meant for the employees because IBM feels that improvement in the stress levels of the working individuals using technology as well as developments in management techniques can bring diminishing returns. The stress management program comprises of following steps: 1. Giving value to knowledge of workers: For companies like IBM the knowledge of workers is the most important issue for the organization and the most important factor for an employee too because it’s the knowledge of the worker which counts. So feeling stressed or not all depends on the recognition an employee gets for his knowledge; if an employee is not getting credit for his knowledge is not given value he will certainly feel ignored which will ultimately result in stress. For this IBM Canada is providing special bonuses for individuals who excel in research and announces the researcher of the month, by this the employees get the monetary as well as social return for their efforts for the company. 2. Idea sharing sessions: IBM Canada is holding idea sharing sessions which reduces the stress on individuals who start to interact and share ideas creating a healthy and encouraging working environment. When you give people the tools to communicate and collaborate, the simple exchange of ideas can create new solutions and simplify the goals for individuals thus reducing stress. This also discourages bullying at workplace. 3. Holding Courses and Workshops on Stress-Management: IBM Canada regularly holds courses and workshops on stress-management and the employees are encouraged to attend them by giving special allowances for attending these courses. The courses determine the stress levels in employees through questionnaires and suggest different techniques (Individual Transitions, Workplace Values, and Nutrition, Eye Relaxation etc.) to overcome stress. Agriculture Financial Services Corporation Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) is a provincial crown corporation with a private sector Board of Directors that provides agriculture based loans in Alberta. AFSC is one among the top 20 employers of 2010 in Canada. AFSC also has a stress-management program for its employees as it values its employees and believes in maintaining the health of employees rather than issuing health claims for the greater interest of the company. The stress-management program comprises of the following programs: 1. Harassment and Bullying Awareness Program: The organization holds this program to create a better working environment at the workplace and to enable individuals to point out the wrongdoers. The sessions are conducted in a very flexible manner and there is a plenty of opportunity for questions and discussions. 2. Lifestyle Management Program: AFSC holds programs for lifestyle management of individuals because the lifestyle of individuals has direct effect of the stress levels of individuals. These program help individuals improve their daily routine by highlighting the importance of routine things like drinking water and relaxation techniques for changing their attitude so that they can stay calm and focused under pressure. 3. Personal Well-being Program: The positive relation between personal well-being and performance is unquestioned. This program includes guidance on improving personal health, relationships, diet, activities for leisure time etc. Nexen Inc. Nexen is a Canadian based global company and is also among the top 20 employers for the year 2010 in Canada. It has the following stress-management programs for its employees. 1. Workshop on Boosting Energy-Levels: The organization holds workshop for boosting energy levels of employees. The workshop gives importance to quality sleep and nutrition maintenance for maintaining energy levels. 2. Anger Management at Workplace: Anger is one of the basic causes of stress at workplace that is why the organization holds sessions for anger management for its employees. 3. Day-Care Centers at Workplace: Nexen Inc has also established day-care centers at workplaces which have helped employees a lot because they can concentrate on their work better. 4. Community Investment: Nexen Inc. also invests in programs (Education, Arts and Culture, Community Development and Aboriginal Relations etc.) for the betterment of community and the employees gets benefits from these programs directly. Common Themes The common theme in these programs is improving the working environment for the individuals. Also all three companies focus on personal stress-management as well by improving the attitude of individuals towards stress-management. Unusual Programs Each organization has some unusual programs which are in accordance with the needs of their employees. The Giving Value to Knowledge of Individuals by IBM, Lifestyle Management by AFSC and Community investments by Nexen Inc. are some of the programs which are not usually found in organizations. All the programs are actually designed by the organizations to fulfill the needs of their employees and the programs are best suited to the type of work employees do and the type of stress they face at workplace. For example in IBM research projects are most likely to cause stress and IBM is holding idea-sharing sessions for that. AFSC has extensive works at particular months of year and that’s why the organization gives importance to personal well-being because employees have to work somehow or the other during those high workload days and they will not experience stress if their mental and physical health is fine tuned. Nexen Inc. being a global company is investing in programs for the well-being of community because employees from different social backgrounds require different types of stress management programs and the best way is to invest to improve their social life. Technological Changes at Workplace and Stress (Question 3) The recent advances in technology have a high impact on the working environment and thus the stress levels of individuals. These technological changes are beneficial but these have negative aspects associated to them as well. Over the long run the benefits are long term while the disruptions though frequently painful are short term. The technological changes can occur in three different ways: 1) Introduction of technology as working aid to the employee like cell phones, pagers, intranets, computers, printing devices, local area messaging systems etc 2) Introduction of technology so as to replace the working individuals or minimize the tasks, this includes automation of certain industrial works and introduction of computer printing instead of typewriters etc 3) Introduction of technology as facilities for the working individuals these include devices like air-conditioning, coffee makers, stress relieving equipments like massagers, entertainment devices for leisure time during breaks etc Positive Benefits The working aids have been found very much of good use to the working individuals as they allow them to communicate effectively with their colleagues and co-workers while at work and also with their family. Communication devices are very useful gadgets for doctors while doing emergency shifts and for engineers working at site. Printing aids and computers have minimized the work of individuals to large extent and they feel relieved at this. Intranets and local area messaging systems act as conference rooms and saves time. The facilities certainly have positive effects like air conditioning keeps the environment healthy and fresh. Downsides The communication devices do not allow the working individuals to concentrate on their work while at work and these devices sometimes hampers the provision of quality time to their family. The individuals with unjustified and excessive use of these communication devices are always in a transition state i.e. they are at work and at home at the same time. Sometimes, sharing of ideas on local area messaging networks and intranets, leave ambiguities which can only be clarified by face to face. Automation of different industrial tasks (e.g. processing industry) and organizational tasks (e.g. budgeting) can lead to high stress levels in individuals who feel job insecurity. Partial automation of different works leads to feelings of being neglected among the individuals. Provision of facilities at workplace through technological changes has only one bad impact that if misused, they can lower productivity which ultimately causes stress to individuals. As an employee staying connected is very much important for me but also I have to maintain a balance between my professional, social and personal life. For this I will set up priorities for maintaining balance and these priorities will be time and location based, for instance, while at work I will give priority to work on personal life but emergency situations are an exception to this rule. Overtime at work and leave from work for family also serve the purpose of maintaining balance for me because I overtime and take leave at the right time. Responsibility of Individuals and Organizations for Managing Stress (Question 4) The first and foremost responsibility for stress management is on the individual who is experiencing stress. One of the reasons that many individuals seem to consistently struggle with the concept of stress management is that the individuals are not willing to take the responsibility for their own part in the stress which they are experiencing and thus do no contribute to stress management. The individuals who experience stress should realize the fact that for managing stress one should first admit that the main cause of stress is one’s own self and to minimize the stress one has to take the responsibility otherwise stress is likely to continue. Organizational role is secondary in this regard and one should avoid pointing fingers on other people for his stressed state and should do something on his own for minimizing the stress rather than waiting for the organization to take steps. Stress management is largely dependent upon the response of individuals to stressed situations in life. Each individual have complete control over every single aspect of his life because he determines his thoughts, emotions and the ways to cope with situations that occur in life. So we can say that the largest responsibility for managing a stress faced by an individual lies on the individual himself, organization has to play its role but if the efforts of the organizations can only be fruitful if the individual himself takes responsibility for managing the stress. Organizations on the other hand have to take responsibility for minimizing the workplace stress faced by its workers, for that the organizations have to get involved in the personal lives of their employees. But this involvement should be in specified limits so that it may not affect the personal life of the individual. It’s in the organization’s best interest to keep stress levels at workplace to a minimum but organizations must act positively for this. Organizations can minimize the stress levels of their employees in two ways, by involvement in the personal life of the workers and by organizational changes. The best way to manage stress is to keep the involvement in personal life of the individual to a minimum; and organizational changes to a maximum. For example if an employ has to pick up his kids from school at a particular time and he has to do an organizational task at the same time, the organization must try to reschedule the task for the individual rather than forcing him to arrange some other way for picking up the kids. Similarly if an employ is facing stress due to financial problems the organization should try to give financial incentives in the form of bonuses and awards rather than forcing the employ to revise his budget. In the case of day care centre the organization should pay the expenses of a nearby day care centre for their employs instead of establishing a day care centre at the workplace. The pros and cons are very clear from the above discussion. An individual taking responsibility for their stress and managing their stress is the right approach in is actually essential for stress management because if the individual himself does not take responsibility the organizational efforts will be futile. On the other hand if the individual is trying to minimize his stress but he is not getting support from the organization he will manage to minimize his stress but this minimization will be very less. Summing up it can be said that the individual’s role is the first and most important step of the process of stress management which is incomplete without the organizational role. References Brown, D., & Harvey, D. (2006). Employee Empowerment and Interpersonal Interventions. In An Experiential Approach to Organization Development (pp. 240-278). London: Pearson Education. Clark, S., & Cooper, C. (2004). The Effects of Stress on Employee-related Outcomes. In Managing the Risk of Workplace Stress (pp. 13-28). Routledge. Cooper, C., Sutherland, V., Bond, F., & Weinberg, A. (2010). Organizational Stress Management. Hampshire: Palgrave MacMillan. Cotton, D. (1990). Stress Management. Psychology Press. Cunningham, B. (2000). Myths Associated with Stress. 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