Effect of Stress on Personnel and Organizational Behavior - Essay Example

Running Head: Effect of Stress on Personnel and Organizational Behavior Effect of Stress on Personnel and Organizational Behavior [Institute’s Name] Effect of Stress on Personnel and Organizational Behavior Causes of Employees’ Stress Two out of every three on-job individuals in United States portray their employment as stressful. The United Nations’ International Labor Organization has described work-related stress as a ‘universal epidemic’. By knowing the frequent reasons of employee stress, organization can start the process of recognizing prospective “trouble spots” (Maslach and Leiter, 1997, p. 72) within their own business. Poor collaboration in addition to futile management were the two major issues causing employee stress, with poor collaboration concerns having the “strongest influence” (Maslach and Leiter, 1997, p. 81) on job exhaustion, physical wellbeing issues, and performance setbacks. In a recent study, the workers who felt exhausted were put into three groups of managers - (1) best, (2) moderate, (3) worst - employees with the ‘worst’ managers felt exhausted and were more expected to have sleep disorders as a result of job uncertainties. In addition, workers with the worst managers were 60 percent more liable to have colleagues who were thinking about leaving the company. Job-related stress was directly linked with exhaustion, physical and mental fitness issues, as well as performance problems, for instance, absence, increase in employee turnover, poor value, mishaps, and blunders. At the moment, major apprehension of employees was looking for a technique to create stability in professional and personal life responsibilities. In view of the fact that flexibility is an extremely vital apprehension for workers, having slight flexibility in the career will be an important basis of stress. “The additionally practical as well as unyielding a business is regarding taking time off, finding out professional agendas, and so forth, the higher the stress level of its workforce” (Maslach and Leiter, 1997, p. 87). When employees are stressed as a result of work surplus or time constraints, they are more liable to disregard security practices or overlook the utilization of appropriate security mechanism, considering “they do not have time for either” (Gee and Gee, 2011, p. 99). Since stress neglects an individual’s capability to think, without a doubt, the worried workers are more expected to operate without paying attention to the possible outcomes of hazardous practices. A worker, who is tensed due to excess of work, is likely to rush and attempt to go as rapidly as feasible with a task. This raises the possibilities of blunders, mishandling objects, and taking no notice of safety warnings that could avoid a disaster. In addition, when staff members are overloaded with work, they are more prone to start on a given task without bothering to look for the data and training needed to carry out the task securely. Recent studies reveal that stress hinders the brain’s capacity, causing “compromised coordination” (Gee and Gee, 2011, p. 101). As a result, the tense worker is expected to be clumsy. Following are the most common causes of employees’ job-related stress: Insufficient Power Workers feel extremely stressed when they think that they have no power on their contribution or the result of their effort. Well-informed executives are familiar with the importance of workers’ ideas, remarks, and participation in the business. A very small number of executives knows as much regarding the “individual jobs as those doing the work day after day” (Gee and Gee, 2011, p. 113). Unsatisfactory Communication Lack of proper communication - both upward as well as downward - causes stress and leads to unproductiveness. Management should listen to employees because better communications can provide individuals a prospect to ‘pass along’ thoughts, plans, as well as criticisms, decreasing stress and facilitating in accomplishing more. No Appreciation Inability to show admiration for workers’ involvement creates stress and jeopardizes potential attempts for the same. Regularly appreciating the employees for their effort and hard work increases productivity. Lack of Feedback Individuals would like to know the way they are performing, and whether or not they are meeting the beliefs. If management does not convey its thoughts on employees’ performance, they remain stressed regarding their efforts. Ambiguity about Job Responsibilities If workers are indecisive regarding their professions as well as jobs, there is a sense of vulnerability and being uncontrollable. This exceeds the “job description and annual performance review” (Lundberg and Cooper, 2010, p. 111). Employees would like to know that their “job is secure and know what is expected of them” (Lundberg and Cooper, 2010, p. 111). A number of employees would also like to have knowledge of professional progress and the things that are required to do to move ahead, keeping employees updated about business conditions, risks, and barriers that have to be conquered. Vague Strategies Lack of concentration creates further doubt and destabilizes assurance in management. Clear communication about strategies as well as business objectives is essential, and it should surpass the organizational level. Not each and every middle manager is perfect in conveying these essential themes, so top executives are required to correspond in a way that everybody is certain where the business is heading on and what business strategies are in place. Management should make use of memorandums, personal conferences, small teams, proclamations, and everything else that strengthens company’s guiding principle. Recurrence is vital; activities steady with strategy are more significant than the words. Workplace Politics Such circumstances keep everybody nervous as well as doubtful regarding the upcoming times. Management of conviction as well as equality is simply as significant as any other administration tool. If workers have no faith in administration, productivity drops. Moreover, everybody is influenced if even single worker is treated unjustly. Organizations have to ascertain everybody is treated justly - in reality as well as in observation. “Word spreads quickly” (Sheridan, 2012, p. 199) and everyone feels bad for the sufferer. Inequality can also be observed in organization’s approval of individuals who flourish on workplace politics. Management should not support workplace politics at any cost, because in that case, self-esteem decreases and stress increases. Persistent Doubt Doubt is caused by continuous, inadequately described, or unexpected amendment. Keeping the workforce update can lessen stress and enhance efficiency. Management should stay in touch with human resources and put the information in a printed memorandum so they can evaluate the details. When employees are stressed, they usually have trouble in focusing because they are paying attention to the basis of their stress instead of the task assigned to them. In addition, employees have trouble in focusing because stress can get in the way of mind’s capacity to concentrate. In this scenario, the employee’s focus persistently drifts from “one thought or thing to another” (Sheridan, 2012, p. 201). This failure to focus on one’s work is obviously quite serious when the job is somewhat risky or entails handling heavy apparatus. Among the most serious reasons of stress is having a lack of power on one’s state of affairs. Within the office, workers have a feeling of hopelessness when they are unable to handle the level of their job or control the way to do their job. They as well face this within a situation where workers’ participation is discouraged or disregarded. When employees stop thinking that they have some affirmative power on their state of affairs, they try to find harmful methods of applying power in their lives. This can take account of persisting on carrying out things according to their way, even if that way could be risky. Stress can as well cause a disobedient, insolent approach of “I’m going to do it my way, regardless of what you say!” (Stranks, 2005, p. 100) since stress usually makes employees mentally ill. In this reverted condition, a usually dependable, sensible worker can begin behaving similar to a defiant youngster. Importance of Stress Management Stress management within the office is a helpful technique that many do not “take advantage of” (Cooper et al, 2010, p. 127). In the organization, stress can be basis of every sort of business concerns as well as apprehensions. These concerns as well as apprehensions left unnoticed will eventually damage self-esteem as well as earnings. One easy way out for handling stress is to recognize what is stress management and what is the way to deal with organizational stress. The results of stress on self-esteem as well as on organizational traditions can be overwhelming. Workers can become distracted, aloof, troubled, and even quick tempered. Collaboration may as well stop working. Stressed workers are lacking in enthusiasm and will make it complicated to put employee inspirational policies in motion. Management should take into consideration that inspiration within the organization is an influential system to develop collaboration and maintain employee self-confidence. Dealing with stress at work will keep efficiency points on satisfactory levels. With stress levels in hand, there will be a small possibility of a reduction in efficiency. It should be remembered that there are other aspects, ahead of stress, that can harm efficiency. A number of examples of these aspects are moral values, inefficient communication, and unsatisfactory performance in addition to poor time management abilities. Dealing with stress will recover the prospects of attaining sustainable efficiency levels. “Unethical issues often rear its ugly head in times of high stress. There have been times when unethical practices are used for shortcut purposes. Usually the outcome here is more stress than before. The next thing that will happen will involve human resources and its investigation. Whenever human resource gets involved, it ends up being another distraction that is not needed” (Cooper et al, 2010, p. 135). Stress management within the organization can be the answer to all issues related to employee stress. A number of stress management courses have argued that stress has an important part in majority of organizational problems. The company may never be competent enough to stop the worker from selecting to be honest approach “for reasons that are not stress related” (Cooper et al, 2010, p. 138). However, it can arrange stress management seminars to restrict the possibilities of stress-related unjust practices. References Cooper, C. Sutherland, V. and Weinberg, A. 2010. Organizational Stress Management: A Strategic Approach. Palgrave Macmillan. Gee, V. and Gee, S. 2011. Business Improv: Experiential Learning Exercises to Train Employees to Handle Every Situation with Success. McGraw-Hill. Lundberg, U., and Cooper, C. L. 2010. The Science of Occupational Health: Stress, Psychobiology, and the New World of Work. Wiley-Blackwell. Maslach, C., and Leiter, M. P. 1997. The Truth About Burnout: How Organizations Cause Personal Stress and What to Do About It. Jossey-Bass. Sheridan, K. 2012. The Virtual Manager: Cutting-Edge Solutions for Hiring, Managing, Motivating, and Engaging Mobile Employees. Career Press Stranks, J. 2005. Stress at Work: Management and Prevention. Butterworth-Heinemann. Read More