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Managing Stress at Work |
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Topic Name: Managing Stress at Work Managing an over worked and stressed human resource have become a
challenging and ever difficult task for today's managers. With a view to
utilize the available human resource thus minimizing costs and
maximizing profits, today both managers and their subordinates have to
coop with work related stress. This stress if it goes to certain extent
without being controlled can affect the person's family/social life,
health, performance etc and changes the employee's whole attitude towards
work- frustrating, demotivating and frightening him/her which in the long
run damages the organization and the employee both.
This paper will briefly examine the various
stress-management interventions adopted by three reputed companies to
improve efficiency in the work place
Key Words: Stringers, Biofeedback, stressors, Food
exchange. All of these factors add up to a very stressful work
environment. Ultimately employees take work home and worry about missing
deadlines or performing inadequately and end up working longer hours.
Stress can be caused by many things in life, pressures
from work, the family, social commitments and other everyday events. The
word stress is derived from the Latin term 'Stringers' which means
"to draw tight". Some define stress as the non-specific response
of the body to any demands made on it. Stress is our physical, mental, and
emotional response to the various demands, changes, and events in our
life. It is an internal phenomenon and a mental attitude.
In some cases, stress motivates and encourages us to
complete a task we find difficult so that we can take pride in ourselves
and what we achieve.
Hans Selye was one of the founding fathers of stress
research. His view in 1956, which holds true today also, was that stress
is not necessarily something bad it all depends on how one takes it.
In an ideal world, there should be just enough stress to keep employees
working to their full potential, but not enough to cause overwhelm or
excessive anxiety. Too much or too little stress is where we run into
problems.
Stress symptoms begin to manifest themselves when an individual perceive or feel that life demands are exceeding their ability to deal with them. When stress begins to take its toll, they may experience both physical and psychological effects. Causes or Sources of Stress The sources of stress may be classified into two broad
categories as follows: Organizational Stressors 4. Organizational Structure a) Lack of participation 5. Physical Environment a) Working conditions like noise, lighting, aesthetic appeal of rooms etc. 6. Change a) Individual life stages 7. Career Development a) Status conflicts Consequences of Stress 1. On the Individual: a. Physical Aliments e.g. headache, insomnia and heart
problems 2. On the Organization: Low productivity, poor quality, absenteeism, low job satisfaction, accident proneness and poor interpersonal communication. Indian Methods of managing Stress Indian philosophy consisting of Upanishadas, Vedanta, etc,
is very helpful in winning stress. Dr. Satish Chandra Pandey (8m Journal,
JIMS April-June 1997) has given some valid points on managing stress, some
of which are as follows- Stress Management Techniques There are numerous techniques that experts recommend for relieving the symptoms of stress. 1. Talk about your worries to colleagues, spouses or friends 2. Exercise take up physical activities such as jogging, walking, and cycling which can relieve the feelings of stress. Chemicals released in the brain during exercise produce a 'feel good' mood. 3. Learn biofeedback this is a relaxation method in which a person learn to consciously control your breathing rate and heart rate so that stressful situations do not elicit a major physiological reaction. 4. Take up a new hobby like gardening or join a group so that you can socially interact with people who have the same passions. 5. Join a Yoga class yoga is one of the oldest forms of relaxation known to man. 6. Learn the difference between work and home- By separating the two main areas of your life you can leave the stress of work behind when you finish for the day. 7. Help out with a charity- Charities are always looking for volunteers to help with events and collecting. Find a charity that you are passionate about and donate a few hours to helping them in the community. 8. Take time to read- Novels and autobiographies are particularly good for diverting your thoughts away from the stresses and worries of the day. 9. Learn to meditate- the art of meditation is easy to learn and as it allows you to suspend your thoughts for a period of time it is great for forgetting about the pressures that you are under. 10. Vacation away- helps in avoiding and changing the stressors or environment for a short time. It doesn't matter which type of stress relief method you choose because they will all work to some degree however some people will prefer physical activities such as dance or exercise whereas others will prefer meditation and relaxation techniques. Find what works for you and have fun doing it. Stress management techniques applied in some organization Dell Inc Dell was founded in 1984 with $1,000 and an idea by Michael Dell. The idea was to build relationships directly with customers. Michael Dell, born in February 1965, is presently the chairman of the Board of Directors and chief executive officer of Dell. Mr. Dell became the youngest CEO ever to earn a ranking on the Fortune 500. Dell Inc. (Dell) is a technology company, which offers a range of product categories, including desktop computer systems, storage, servers and networking products, mobility products, software and peripherals, and enhanced services. Dell entered Asia-Pacific/Japan in select markets and began investing in regional facilities, management, service and technical personnel in 1993, with its first operations in Japan and Australia. Dell direct sales operations are currently in 13 markets in the region: Australia, Brunei, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. In addition, 38 distributors serve another 31 markets. Dell was the No. 3 vendor in the industry in the region in 2007. Dell had a market value of $4 billion (20 Oct, 2007). Industry Type: BPO/Call Center (Dell) Some stress management techniques adopted at Dell are as follows- 1. Lighting-Bright light with carefully chosen wall
colours 5. Food exchange-employees are encouraged to bring home made food. These foods are exchanged-this technique help bridge cultural differences as employees get to taste may be Bengali, Marathi, Andhra or Punjabi food. Small rewards are offered to the best recipe. 6. Quarterly tours are organized. If the place is far or exceeds budget, Dell pays part expense. 7. Gaming stations, cricket pitch (net practice) and table tennis playing provisions are also maintained. 8. Dell also undertakes social services like sponsoring education to some poor children. These children are brought to Dell office and the employee interacts with them along with a in-house cafeteria party. 9. For newly joined employees mentoring (buddy) is done relieving the new appointees stress and helping him/her settle down. 10. Quarterly good performers are rewarded along with a party (recently held in Taj Deccan) with theme based programme like Hollywood night. Best dressed individuals are also rewarded. Sipera Systems Inc Founded in 2003, Sipera is headquartered in Richardson, Texas US, with a development center in Hyderabad, India. Sipera is backed by three well-established venture capital firms and is led by a seasoned, experienced management team. Industry Type: IT/Software Some stress management techniques adopted at Sipera Systems are as
follows- TATA Group The Tata Group comprises 98 operating companies in seven business sectors: information systems and communications; engineering; materials; services; energy; consumer products; and chemicals. The Group was founded by Jamsetji Tata in the mid 19th century, a period when India had just set out on the road to gaining independence from British rule. The Tata Group is one of India's largest and most respected business conglomerates, with revenues in 2006-07 of $28.8 billion (Rs129,994 crore), the equivalent of about 3.2 per cent of the country's GDP, and a market capitalization of $59.64 billion as on January 24, 2008. Industry Type: Steel 1. A spate of cultural activities, including a "Hasya Kavi
Sammelan" (stand-up comedy) and an art exhibition, was organised by
the Jharia Division during the last few months.
Reference: 1. Source: http://www.tatasteel.com/webzine/tatasteel_news/page_22.htm |
