Stress is the body’s response to physical and mental demands. Stress in general is defined as “a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation.”

The concept of job stress is often confused with challenge, but these concepts are not the same. Challenge energizes us psychologically and physically, and it motivates us to learn new skills and master our jobs. When a challenge is met, we feel relaxed and satisfied. Thus, challenge is an important ingredient for healthy and productive work.

Job stress is a type of stress and is caused by conditions in the workplace that negatively affect an individual’s performance and/or overall well-being of his body and mind.

Learn about:- 

ADVERTISEMENTS:

1. Introduction and Meaning of Job Stress 2. Sources of Job Stress 3. Causes 4. Effects 5. Techniques to Tackle Stress among Employees 6. Reducing Job Stress 7. Overcoming Job Stress.

Job Stress: Meaning, Sources, Causes, Effects, Techniques to Tackle and Methods for Overcoming Job Stress


Contents:

  1. Introduction and Meaning of Job Stress
  2. Sources of Job Stress
  3. Major Causes of Job Stress
  4. Effects of Job Stress
  5. Techniques to Tackle Stress among Employees
  6. Reducing Job Stress
  7. Overcoming Job Stress

Job Stress – Introduction and Meaning

Stress is the body’s response to physical and mental demands. Stress in general is defined as “a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation.”

One type of stress is job stress. With job stress, the stressors involved are work-related. Job stress is a type of stress and is caused by conditions in the workplace that negatively affect an individual’s performance and/or overall well-being of his body and mind.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

Work-related stress is the result of a conflict between the role and needs of an individual employee and the demands of the workplace. Research has shown that feeling stressed at work is not confined to particular occupations or levels within organizations. Workers with management responsibilities also show stress symptoms. Different individuals may react differently to stress and the same person may react differently to stress at different times.

The concept of job stress is often confused with challenge, but these concepts are not the same. Challenge energizes us psychologically and physically, and it motivates us to learn new skills and master our jobs. When a challenge is met, we feel relaxed and satisfied. Thus, challenge is an important ingredient for healthy and productive work.

People get confused about the difference between pressure and stress. Pressure is part and parcel of all work and helps to keep workers and managers motivated. It is excessive or uncontrolled pressure which can lead to stress which undermines performance, is costly to employers and above all can make people ill.

Stress is therefore a response to pressure. To some degree pressure can be beneficial, when it inspires motivation and commitment, but excessive pressure becomes stress which is harmful and can lead to major illness, even death. There is no such thing as ‘good’ stress.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

There are many definitions of stress. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (1999) defines stress as- ‘The harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, needs of the worker’.

The HSE or the Health and Safety Executive (2001) defines it as- ‘The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them’.

However, a cognitive definition focuses more on the perceptions of an individual. One example is- ‘Stress occurs when the perceived pressure exceeds your perceived ability to cope’.

Stress is an inevitable part of today’s fast life. Although stress is unavoidable, reduction of stress is essential for human life.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

On the whole, stress is a disease of modern times and it afflicts people regardless of their tension in life. It is present in the lives of the rich and poor, literate and illiterate, men and women. Stress is, however, more evident and is probably more widespread in technologically advanced countries, and is common among highly qualified professionals. We find that various kinds of stress- physical, emotional and intellectual.


Job Stress – Top 6 Sources: Factors Intrinsic to the Job, Role in the Organization, Relationships at Work, Career Development and a Few Others

Judi Marshall and Cary Cooper have conducted in-depth research on Executive Stress. Their results reveal that middle managers show more psychological and physical stress symptoms than senior managers as a result of “time pressure, having a responsible job, problems with managing people, lack of autonomy and concern about career problems”.

Cooper and Marshall have identified six sources of stress for managers at work:

(i) Factors Intrinsic to the Job:

These factors usually include working conditions, work overload and work under load both qualitative as well as quantitative, long hours, excessive travel, too many decisions, deadlines and time pressures.

(ii) Role in the Organization:

ADVERTISEMENTS:

Sources of stress in organizational role include role ambiguity, role-conflict, responsibility for people and things and other stressors. Role ambiguity involves lack of clarity about goals, expectations of peers and about the nature, scope and responsibilities of the job. Role conflict arises where the individual is exposed to conflicting demands and conflicting expectations or required to do things which he does not want to do.

Responsibility for people is more stress generating than responsibility for things, (i.e. equipment, plans, materials etc.) Other role stressors include lack of participation in decision-making, lack of managerial support and need for maintaining and improving standards of performance.

(iii) Relationships at Work:

Interpersonal relationships with colleagues, superiors and subordinates form a major source of stress. Poor interactions generate poor human relations as a result of which people experience low trust, low co-operation, low supportiveness and low interest in listening to others. Lack of adequate social support and lack of group cohesion generate job stress too often.

(iv) Career Development:

Feeling of getting stagnated in one’s career is highly frustrating and stressful. Again, if there is under or over promotion, status incongruity results. Another factor is lack of job security, fear of redundancy or early retirement. Lack of proper career planning and career development can be a source of considerable uncertainty and stress.

(v) Organizational Structure and Climate:

ADVERTISEMENTS:

This source of stress includes factors like line-staff conflicts, little opportunity for advancement, high degree of specialization and centralization.

Similarly, there is lack of participation in decision making, lack of mutual trust, lack of belongingness, lack of effective consultation, absence of helping relations and co-operation. Poor organizational climate is linked to poor communications which result from inability as well as unwillingness to communicate. Factors like inadequate information, inaccurate assessment of performance and poor feedback are also included in this category.

(vi) Extra-Organizational Sources of Stress:

These sources of stress include varying factors like social change, technological change, family problems, life-strains, financial difficulties, relocation, residential conditions, and conflict in work-home interface and life crises.

It can be seen that most stressors revolve around self-expectations and other human relationships. Large amount of stress in organizations comes from the inability or unwillingness to maintain healthy interpersonal relations and communications.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

“Bad Boss” is generally considered to be a great source of stress as he is unpredictable, as he erodes self-esteem of subordinates, as he grabs the credit for work done by others, as he makes unwarranted or unjust criticism and ridicules or disparages subordinates. Bad boss usually creates win/lose situations and the boss must win necessarily. Those who lose, feel down trodden and the atmosphere becomes distrusting and hostile.

Job stress has become an important topic for study of organizational behaviour since it adversely affects the physical and mental health of employees and their contribution to the efficiency and effectiveness of organizations. There is now enough knowledge and understanding of stress and work adjustment to indicate that much of the stress experienced by today’s employees is unnecessary and can be managed.


Job Stress – 9 Major Causes: Job Insecurity, High Demand for Performance, Workplace Culture, Management Style, Environmental Conditions and a Few Others

Job stress may be caused by a complex set of reasons.

Some of these causes of workplace stress are:

Cause # 1. Job Insecurity:

Organized workplaces are going through metamorphic changes under intense economic transformations and consequent pressures. Reorganizations, takeovers, mergers, downsizing and other changes have become major stressors for employees, as companies try to live up to the competition to survive.

These reformations have put demand on everyone, from a CEO to a mere executive. Hence concerns about job security, impending layoffs, lack of opportunity for growth, advancement, or promotion; rapid changes for which workers are unprepared, temporary work and fixed term contracts all lead to stress.

Cause # 2. High Demand for Performance:

ADVERTISEMENTS:

Unrealistic expectations, especially in the time of corporate reorganizations, which, sometimes, puts unhealthy and unreasonable pressures on the employee, can be a tremendous source of stress and suffering. Increased workload, extremely long work hours, taking work home, not taking vacation, unrealistic deadlines and intense pressure to perform at peak levels all the time for the same pay, can actually leave an employee physically and emotionally drained.

Excessive travel and too much time away from family also contribute to an employee’s stressors. But at the same time insufficient workloads, may make people feel that their skills are being underused and can also leave them stressed.

Cause # 3. Workplace Culture:

Adjusting to the workplace culture, whether in a new company or not, can be intensely stressful. Making one adapt to the various aspects of workplace culture such as communication patterns, hierarchy, dress code if any, workspace and most importantly working and behavioural patterns of the boss as well as the co-workers, can be a lesson of life.

Maladjustment to workplace cultures may lead to subtle conflicts with colleagues or even with superiors. In many cases office politics or gossips can be major stress inducers. A lack of interpersonal support or poor working relationships leads to a sense of isolation. A blame culture within your business where people are afraid to get things wrong or to admit to making mistakes can be a huge stressor.

Cause # 4. Management Style:

Weak or ineffective management which leaves employees feeling they do not have a sense of direction, or over-management, which can leave employees feeling undervalued and affect their self-esteem causes stress. Multiple reporting lines for employees, with each manager asking for their work to be prioritized, is sure to result in job stress. Micromanagement too can cause stress, that is, if you work in an environment where you do not have much authority or control, you can become stressed out. Some employees have management looking over their shoulders monitoring and scrutinizing their every step.

Cause # 5. Environmental Conditions:

Unpleasant or poor physical working environment such as crowding, noise, air pollution, malfunctioning equipment, excessive heat or cold and ergonomic problems like inadequate lighting, uncomfortable seating. Dangerous or hazardous physical conditions can also cause a great deal of stress like employees at mining sites.

Cause # 6. Technology:

ADVERTISEMENTS:

The expansion of technology, computers, pagers, cell phones, fax machines and the Internet. Has resulted in heightened expectations for productivity, speed and efficiency, increasing pressure on the individual worker to constantly operate at peak performance levels. There is also the constant pressure to keep up with technological breakthroughs and improvisations, forcing employees to learn new software all the times. Workers working with heavy machinery are under constant stress to remain alert.

Cause # 7. Job Stress and Women:

Women may suffer from mental and physical harassment at workplaces, apart from the common job stress. Sexual harassment in workplace has been a major source of worry for women, since long. Women may suffer from tremendous stress such as ‘hostile work environment harassment’, which is defined in legal terms as ‘offensive or intimidating behaviour in the workplace’.

This can consist of unwelcome verbal or physical conduct. These can be a constant source of tension for women in job sectors. Also, subtle discriminations at workplaces, family pressure and societal demands add to these stress factors

Cause # 8. Personal or Family Problems:

Employees going through personal or family problems tend to carry their worries and anxieties to the workplace. When one is in a depressed mood, his unfocused attention or lack of motivation affects his ability to carry out job responsibilities, which ultimately leads to stress.

Cause # 9. Worker Characteristics:

According to one school of thought, differences in individual characteristics such as personality and coping style are most important in predicting whether certain job conditions will result in stress-in other words, what is stressful for one person may not be a problem for someone else.


Job Stress9 Major Effects

Job stress or work stress affects both the employee as well as the organization.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

The effects on the individual are as follows:

i. Insomnia

ii. Loss of mental concentration

iii. Anxiety

iv. Stress

v. Depression

ADVERTISEMENTS:

vi. Substance abuse

vii. Family conflict

viii. Extreme anger and frustration

ix. Physical illness such as heart disease, migraine, headaches, stomach problems, and back problems.

Studies show that stressful working conditions lead to the following factors, which affect the organization:

i. Increased absenteeism

ADVERTISEMENTS:

ii. Tardiness

iii. Intentions by workers to quit their jobs

iv. Rise in sickness absences

v. Increase in staff turnover

vi. A fall in employees productivity

vii. Poor decision-making

viii. An increase in mistakes which may in turn lead to more customer complaints

ix. Poor workplace relations

x. Poor timekeeping

xi. Reduced performance, e.g., inability to concentrate

xii. Overworking or failure to delegate

xiii. Indecisiveness

The costs of neglecting stress in an organization can be high. The unexpected absence of just one member of staff can affect productivity, and efforts to secure cover can be costly and time-consuming. Stress often has a cumulative effect. If one member of staff becomes ill through stress, it places added pressure on those covering for them. A stressed manager may find it difficult to create a positive working environment and monitor stress levels in others.


Job Stress – Techniques to Tackle Job Stress among Employees in an Organization

Here are some techniques that will help organizations to tackle stress among employees.

(a) Participative Decision Making:

Giving employees’ participation in decision can affect their job performances and management increase control over employees and reduce the role stress.

(b) Redesigning Jobs:

It means enriching jobs either by improving job content factor or improving job core characteristics. Stress among employees can be reduces by giving them more responsibility and meaningful work, greater autonomy and increased feedback.

(c) Organizational Communication:

Effective communication means can be used as a mean to shape employee’s perception which helps in moderating stress-response relationship management. Increase in formal communication reduces uncertainty developed by role ambiguity and role conflict.

(d) Selection and Placement:

It’s an organization’s responsibility to select a proper candidate with respect to their capability to handle stress. Individuals with less experience are more prone to stress.

(e) Goal Setting:

The use of goals can reduce stress as well as provide motivation. Goals that are perceived as attainable can clarify performance expectations. Goal feedback reduces uncertainties to job performance and weakens employee frustration and role ambiguity.

(f) Wellness Programmes:

Today, in many organizations, wellness programmes are being arranged. They focus on total physical and mental health of employees. Such programmes encourages healthy habits like breathe regulation, muscle relaxation, positive imagery, nutrition management and exercise enabling full potentials in employees.

(g) Changing Cognitive Reactions-Emotive Therapy:

The rational emotive therapy involves the idea that people chose to appraise the situation as involving demands that are beyond their abilities. The aim of this therapy is to make people aware of their irrational and self- defeating quest. The problem with therapy is that if focuses the blame on the individual.

(h) Changing Behaviors:

Employee Assistance Programmes- EAP deals with employees in order to reduce negative impact of stress. They are offered opportunity of assistance to deal with their problems. Though EAP is ineffective to deal with environmental factors causing stress.

(i) Counselling:

It is a specific remedy including therapies based on changing cognitions. A counselling session may lead an individual to reappraise a situation, but also encourages thinking other strategies that can be used to cope with problems. Several organizations have introduced counselling services, for both employees and organizations experiencing stress.

There are number of literature reviews being published on job related stress.

Some of them are given below:

(a) In national surveys, more than two-thirds of respondents reported that work is a significant source of stress and more than half said they were less productive at work as a result of stress. In addition to affecting employee health, chronic stress can have serious repercussions for employers.

A study of a large, multi-employer, multi-site employee population found that healthcare expenditures for employees with high levels of stress were 46 percent higher than those for employees who did not have high levels of stress. In all, job stress is estimated to cost U.S. industry more than $300 billion a year in absenteeism, turnover, diminished productivity, and medical, legal and insurance costs.

(b) K.K. Jain, Fauzia Jabeen, Vinita Mishra and Naveen Gupta in their study in 2007 – Job Satisfaction as Related to Organizational Climate and Occupational Stress- A Case Study of Indian Oil published in the International Review of Business Research Papers found the results of the study also confirmed the assumption that high age group managers as well as high age group engineers were equally satisfied with their jobs and the study revealed the same findings when low age group managers and low age group engineers were compared on their job satisfaction level.

A subsequent 2000 Integra Survey reported that:

i. 65% of workers said that workplace stress had caused difficulties and more than 10 percent described these as having major effects;

ii. 10% said they work in an atmosphere where physical violence has occurred because of job stress and in this group, 42% report that yelling and other verbal abuse is common;

iii. 29% had yelled at co-workers because of workplace stress, 14% said;

iv. They work where machinery or equipment has been damaged because of; workplace rage and 2% admitted that they had actually personally struck; someone;

v. 19% or almost one in five respondents had quit a previous position because of job stress and nearly one in four have been driven to tears because of workplace stress;

vi. 62% routinely find that they end the day with work-related neck pain, 44% reported stressed-out eyes, 38% complained of hurting hands and 34% reported difficulty in sleeping because they were too stressed-out;

vii. 12% had called in sick because of job stress;

viii. Over half said they often spend 12-hour days on work related duties and an equal number frequently skip lunch because of the stress of job demands.

In order to reduce and prevent the effect of stress, many organizations in India are being engaged into stress management activities and employee wellness programmes, e.g., TATA, Reliance, LG Godrej etc. They are providing facilities such as monthly health checkup, facilities to play indoor and outdoor games, counsellor’s assistance, gym facility, organizing sports competition as well as conducting workshops on stress related issues and practicing relaxation techniques.


Job StressHow to Reduce Job Stress?

There are many ways to alleviate stress. Such simple things as getting more sleep or eating better are meditation.

Finding a more suitable job, getting counselling and planning each days’ activities also help reduce stress Dr. Albrecht (1979) suggested the following:

(i) Build rewarding, pleasant, cooperative relationships with as many of your colleagues and employees as you can.

(ii) Don’t bite off more than you can chew.

(iii) Build an especially effective and supportive relationship with your boss.

(iv) Understand the boss’s problems and help him or her to understand yours.

(v) Negotiate with your boss for realistic deadlines on important projects.

Be prepared to propose deadlines yourself, instead of having them imposed on you.

(i) Find time every day for detachment and relaxation.

(ii) Get away from your office from time to time for a change of scene and a change of mind.

(iii) Don’t put off dealing with distasteful problems.

(iv) Make a constructive “worry list”. Write down the problems that concern you and beside each write down what you’re going to do about it.

On the part of the organization there are four steps to alleviate stress:

1. Identification- The HR department must analyse the incidence, prevalence and characteristics of stress/burnout in individuals, work groups or the organization.

2. Prevention- Attempts are made to prevent the process of stress/burnout before it begins by providing employee friendly environment.

3. Mediation- The HR department, with the help of experts, must develop procedures for slowing, halting or reversing the burnout process.

4. Remedy- There must be immediate help to individuals who have already reached the stage of burnout or are rapidly reaching the end stage.


Job Stress – How to Overcome Job Stress: Individual Methods for Overcoming Job Stress and Organizational Methods for Overcoming Job Stress

High level of stress affects the individuals directly and through this, their families and organizations are also affected. Therefore, efforts should be made to overcome the negative consequences of high stress through stress management. Stress management is required when an individual is unable to cope with the demanding environment.

This inability generates anxiety and produces defensive behaviour and stress symptoms. Therefore, the actions are required for developing adaptive behaviour so as to overcome the consequences of stress. Such actions may be taken at individual level as well as at organizational level.

I. Individual Methods for Overcoming Job Stress:

At the individual level, the following efforts may be made:

1. Physical Exercise:

Physical exercise is a good strategy to get body fit and to overcome stress. Physical exercise of different types such as walking, jogging, swimming, playing, etc. are good methods of overcoming stress. The role of Yoga, a scientific technique of physical exercise to keep body fit and to overcome stress, has been recognized in most part of the world.

Physical exercise helps people to better cope with stress generally as a side effect such as relaxation, enhanced self-esteem, and simply getting one’s mind off work for a while.

2. Relaxation:

Impact of stress can be overcome by relaxation. The relaxation can be a simple one or some specific technique of relaxation such as bio-feedback and meditation. In bio-feedback, the individual learns the internal rhythms of a particular body process through electronic signal feedback that is wired to the body area (for example, skin, brain, or heart). From this feedback, the person can learn to control body process in question.

Meditation involves quiet concentrated inner thought in order to rest the body physically and emotionally. Transcendental meditation is one of the more popular practices of meditation. In this practice, the meditator tries to meditate for two periods of fifteen to twenty minutes a day, concentrating on the repetition of some mantra.

Any meditation essentially involves a relatively quiet environment, a comfortable position, a repetitive mental stimulus, and a passive attitude. Meditation has been recognized as a powerful technique for reducing stress. Whether a person takes easy one or specific relaxation technique, the intent is to eliminate the immediately stressful situation or manage a prolonged stressful situation more effectively.

3. Work-Home Transition:

Work-home transition is also like a relaxation technique. In this technique, a person may attend to less pressure inducing type or routine work dining the last 30 or 60 minutes of work time. For instance, during the last hour of work, the person can review the day’s activities, list the priorities of the activities that need to be attended to the next day. Thus, he can finish his day’s work and come back in relaxed manner.

4. Cognitive Therapy:

Because of increasing stress, special cognitive therapy techniques have been developed by psychologists. In these techniques, lectures and interactive discussion sessions are arranged to help participants to- (i) recognize events at work and what cognitions they elicit; (ii) become aware of the effects of such cognitions on their physiological and emotional responses; (iii) systematically evaluate the objective consequences of events at work; and (iv) replace self-defeating cognitions that unnecessarily arouse strain.

5. Networking:

Networking is the formation of close associations with trusted, empathetic co-workers and colleagues who are good listeners and confidence builders. Such persons provide mental support to get the person through stressful situation.

II. Organizational Methods for Overcoming Job Stress:

At the organizational level, the following efforts may be made to overcome job stress:

1. Supportive Organizational Climate:

Many of the organizational stressors emerge because of faulty organizational processes and practices. To a very great extent, these can be controlled by creating supportive organizational climate. Supportive organizational climate depends on managerial leadership rather than the use of power and money to control organizational behaviour.

The focus is primarily on participation and involvement of employees in decision-making process. Such a climate develops belongingness among people which helps them reduce their stress.

2. Job Enrichment:

A major source of stress is the monotonous and disinteresting jobs being performed by employees in the organization. Through more rational designing of jobs, jobs can be enriched. Improving content factors such as responsibility, recognition, opportunity for achievement and advancement, or improving core job characteristics such as skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback may lead to motivation, feeling sense of responsibility, and utilizing maximum capability at the work. Such a phenomenon helps in reducing stress.

3. Organizational Role Clarity:

People experience stress when they are not clear about what they are expected to do in the organization. This may happen because either there is ambiguity in the role or there is role conflict. Such a situation can be overcome by defining role more clearly. Role analysis technique helps both managers and employees to analyze what the job entails and what the expectations are.

Breaking down the job to its various components clarifies the role of the job incumbent for the entire system. This helps to eliminate imposing unrealistic expectations on the individual. Role ambiguity, role conflict, and role overload can be minimized, consequently leading to reduced stress.

4. Career Planning and Counselling:

Career planning and counselling helps the employees to obtain professional advice regarding career paths that would help them to achieve personal goals. It also makes them aware of what additional qualifications, training, and skills they should acquire for career advancement.

A variety of career counselling programmes can be adopted:

(i) Devices designed to aid the individuals in self-assessment and increased self-understanding;

(ii) Devices designed to communicate opportunities available to individuals;

(iii) Career counselling through interviews by managers, counselling professionals, and personnel and educational specialists;

(iv) Workshops and educational activities designed to assist the individuals in goal setting and establishing action plan for change;

(v) Educational and experimental programmes to prepare individuals with skills and knowledge for new activities and new careers; and

(vi) Programmes for enhancing the individuals’ opportunities to make job and career changes. Various career planning and counselling programmes for individuals go a long way in providing them satisfaction and reducing the stress.

5. Stress Control Workshops:

Organizations can organize periodical workshops for control and reduction of stress. Such workshops may help individuals to learn the dynamics of stress and methods of overcoming its ill effects. Stress counsellors, either from within or from outside, can participate as experts who can guide the individuals how to overcome stress.