Introduction

One of the words that you hear most commonly in workplaces today is the word ‘stress’.

• “There is so much stress at work”

• “I’m so stressed about this tender document we are working on.”

• “Every time that client calls me, my stress levels hit the roof.”

People everywhere are stressed. Or think they are stressed. Or they like to talk about being stressed. It’s such a common phenomenon in the 21st century that maybe historians looking back will refer to this era as the Stressed-Out Age.

The workplace had become a high stress environment in many organizations cutting across industries. Employees were experiencing high level of stress due to various factors such as high workload, tight deadlines, high targets, type of work, lack of job satisfaction, long working hours, pressure to perform, etc.

Factors such as increasing competition, corporate restructuring, and downsizing have compelled employees to work longer hours to meet their deadlines. Organizations also try to generate more output from fewer people in a shorter span of time. This trend pressurizes employees leading to negative consequences such as burnout, high turnover, aggression and stress. Work stress has become the latest corporate catchword and is a reason for genuine concern. Forbes magazine estimates that the American industry will lose $300 billion per annum due to absenteeism, health costs, and stress management programs. Some of the symptoms of stress are headaches, obesity, insomnia and depression. These symptoms have an effect on employee performance.

Interpersonal conflicts at the workplace, such as boss-subordinate relationships and relationships with peers, were also a source of stress. Experts believed that the dysfunctional aspects of stress could directly impact an organization's performance and also affect the well-being of its employees. Stress at the workplace was linked to absenteeism, higher attrition, and decreased productivity. Stress led to fatigue, irritability, poor communication, and quality problems/errors.

High stress levels also affected the morale and motivation of the employees. Prolonged exposure to stress without effective coping mechanisms could lead to a host of physical and mental problems. For instance, stress could lead to stress-induced gastrointestinal problems, irritable bowel syndrome, acidity, acid reflux, insomnia, depression, heart disease, etc.

Moreover, stress could push the victim toward high risk behavior such as smoking, drinking, and substance abuse. Stress-related illness led to increase in absenteeism and attrition affecting the profitability of the organizations.

Organizations cutting across industries were gearing up to provide employees with a stress-free healthy environment. The efforts to address this issue were more pronounced in some industries than others. Experts felt that, though stress at the workplace is a global phenomenon, professionals in some industries were more susceptible to stress than others.

Even in India, organizations had woken up to this menace and were resorting to novel methods including teaching the employees dancing and music, trekking, etc, to reduce stress at the workplace. For instance, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. had started different clubs like Theatre Club, Bibliophile Club, Adventure & Trekking Club, Fitness Club, Sanctuary Club, Music Club and Community Services Club, etc.

Infosys Technologies Ltd. focused on increasing self-awareness and provided the employees with guidance on how to cope with stress through a series of workshops by experts. In addition to conducting stress management workshops, organizations were also conducting off-site picnics, games, and inter-departmental competitions. Some companies were also using a system of mentors and promoted open communication to improve interactions and camaraderie at the workplace. Employees in most of the established companies had access to in-house counseling centers. Some companies had also employed nutritionists to provide healthy food at the office canteens and counsel the employees on healthy eating habits and lifestyle. Some companies were also considering employing psychologists to counsel their employees.

Experts felt that organizations were resorting to creative methods to address the issue of stress at the workplace, but more action was required on this front, both in terms of assessment of the situation and implementation of concrete steps to tackle the problem

In the present complex and competitive environment, stress level is increasing both in the workers and managers at large. Therefore more and more managers are showing signs of fatigue and boredom. Stress reduces efficiency, productivity and profitability. Stress is physical, mental and chemical reasons to circumstances that frighten, confuse, endanger or irritate. If the stress is controlled it works like a friend and strengthens to encounter many failures.

In order to understand the implications of work-related stress, we must first understand the meaning of stress. We will then analyze the various causes of work-related stress. Extra-organizational, organizational, group or individual factors may cause stress. Finally, we will discuss various individual and organizational strategies to cope with stress.

Concept Of Stress

In the present complex and competitive environment, stress level is increasing both in the workers and managers at large. Therefore more and more managers are showing signs of fatigue and boredom. Stress reduces efficiency, productivity and profitability. Stress is physical, mental and chemical reasons to circumstances that frighten, confuse, endanger or irritate. If the stress is controlled it works like a friend and strengthens to encounter many failures.

Stress refers to

• Physiological discomfort

• Some kind of emotional unhappiness

• Strained relationship with other people

In very simple words, stress refers to an individual’s reaction to a disturbing factor in the environment. Stress is a general term applied to various psychological (mental) and physiological (bodily) pressures experienced or felt by people throughout their lives.

Definition of Stress

Stress is defined as “a state of psychological and physiological imbalance resulting from the disparity between situational demand and the individual's ability and motivation to meet those needs.”

Dr. Hansely, one of the leading authorities on the concept of stress, described stress as “the rate of all wear and tear caused by life.”

Gregory Moorhead and Ricky W.Griffin define stress as "a persons adaptive response to a stimulus that places excessive psychological and physical demands on him or her."

According to this definition, stress is induced by a stimulus known as a stressor. Stressors may be physical or psychological in nature, and place excessive demands on the individual. People adjust or adapt to them in a variety of ways.

Stephen P Robbins defines stress as "a dynamic condition in which an individual is confronted with an opportunity, constraint, or demand related to what he or she desires and for which the outcome is perceived to be both uncertain and important.

T.A. Beehr and J. E. Newman define job stress as "a condition arising from the interaction of people and their jobs and characterized by changes within people that force them to deviate from their normal functioning."

Types Of Stress

Stress can be positive or negative:

1. Stress is good when the situation offers an opportunity to a person to gain something. It acts as a motivator for peak performance.

2. Stress is negative when a person faces social, physical, organizational and emotional problems.

Dr. Hans Selye, an endocrinologist, was also a pioneer in stress research. His research highlighted that stress is a constant feature of our daily lives. His most important contributions to the field of organizational behavior are the concepts of 'eustress' and `distress' and the phenomenon of the 'general adaptation syndrome'. Although stress is generally viewed as a negative emotion, Seyle believes that it can be both positive and negative. He coined the term eustress to describe the positive side of stress. The word eustress is derived from the Greek word 'eu', which means 'good.' Positive stress is a pleasant form of stress caused by desirable stimuli. Some examples of positive stress are excelling in an examination, or being offered lob promotion. etc.  Positive stress enhances a person’s performance. On the other hand, negative stress or distress can cause mental agitation. For example, financial troubles and heavy workload tends to make a person agitated. Prolonged exposure to negative stress can have many harmful effects on the individual.

To manage stress well, you need to understand the four types of stress. The "Four Quadrant Stress Grid" below, uses a simple, well-known color-coding system to rate the four main types of stress. Green means good or go, yellow means proceed with caution and red means stop or bad.

Staying in any of the four zones for extended periods or on a repeated basis, will cause the body to create millions of free radicals, leading to extreme free radical damage or oxidative stress, which then leads to serious chronic degenerative disease (CDDs). More than 200 known CDD's are believed to be caused by oxidative stress, of which about half are inflammatory diseases and the other half are auto-immune diseases.

These four types of stress are perfectly complemented by the four main fields of stress (chemical, physical, electromagnetic and emotional). Being continually or repeatedly stressed out in any of the fields is extremely dangerous and should be avoided.

Of course, the red zone and even the yellow zone do the most damage, because the human body requires significant periods of non-stress from all four fields and all four types for the sake of optimal health and wellness. By respecting the limitations of the four types and the four fields of stress, you will be able to achieve and maintain optimal health and wellness.

Chronic

• adjective:  being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long suffering ("Chronic indigestion")

• adjective:  having a habit of long standing ("A chronic smoker")

Acute

• adjective: having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course ("Acute appendicitis")

• adjective:  extremely sharp or intense ("Acute pain")

Eustress (Good Stress as in Euphoric Stress)

• stress that is deemed healthful or giving one the feeling of fulfillment

• the optimal state of stress to be the most productive

Distress (Bad Stress or Destructive Stress)

• great pain, anxiety, or sorrow; acute physical or mental suffering; affliction; trouble.

• a state of extreme necessity or misfortune.

1. Quadrant one - chronic eustress

Quadrant one is known as Chronic Eustress or long lasting, recurrent, good stress. This is, by far, the very best of the types of stress out there. This is when the body can be in its most productive state.

This quadrant should be every person's goal in life. While it is an excellent goal to stay in this quadrant as much as possible, the body also needs downtime from all types of stress. Be creative, be aggressive and be consistent because this is the quadrant where "real" productivity exists, but be sure to build in significant amounts of rest and relaxation.

If things happen in life, that take you out of this quadrant for a time, then that's OK, but every effort should be made to deal with the problem and move back to this safer quadrant. Even in this quadrant, free radicals can be created so be sure to take steps to counter any free radicals being made by the body and to repair free radical damage that has already happened.

Words like fun, happiness, success, peace, joy, laughter, fulfillment, spirit and love exist in this quadrant. When we are in a state of chronic eustress, our bodies have very high levels of the feel good hormones like Dopamine, Endorphins, Nitric Oxide and Oxytocin.  These hormones make it possible for us to have high levels of self-esteem and to have really strong relationships in all areas of your life, whether they be romantic, parental or work-related.

2. Quadrant two - acute eustress

Quadrant Two is known as Acute Eustress or rapid onset, short, intense good stress. On a 'types of stress' scale of 1-10, with 1 being bad and 10 being good, this quadrant sits at about 6-7.

When you get some really fantastic news or you are engaged in a feel great workout or when something really wonderful happens to you, you experience this kind of stress. The body is temporarily, intensely and quickly flooded with feel good hormones like Dopamine and Oxytocin.

Of the four types of stress, this type is desirable and it does a body good to experience acute eustress often.

3. Quadrant three - acute distress

Quadrant Three is known as Acute Distress or rapid onset, short, intense bad stress. As far as types of stress go, this one is no fun but is not terribly dangerous and in fact it can save your life.

Of the four types of stress, this one is the most respectful of your body's built in stress response system. This type of stress response happens when we feel shocked or threatened and your fight or flight stress response system kicks into gear. The HPA Axis in the body sends out a flood of emergency response hormones such as Adrenaline and Cortisol. These hormones allow us to be alert, to have increased strength, endurance, speed and energy, thereby allowing us to respond to danger.

This type of stress comes from things like a car accident or if you are attacked or if you feel extreme fear. While this type of stress is classified as a bad stress, it is not dangerous in the long term, assuming it is not over-used, because it does not last a long time and the body will wash away these extra hormones when the danger or threat has passed. This stress helps us to survive. Usually, this stress response in the body leaves a residue of Cortisol behind and if you follow this acute stress response up with some wonderful physical exercise, you can eliminate most of the Cortisol even faster. However, it's not a great idea to expose yourself to acute stressors often.

4. Quadrant four - chronic distress

Quadrant Four is known as Chronic Distress or long lasting, recurrent bad stress. This is by far the worst of the types of stress in our lives. Unfortunately, it is also the most common. When this situation is left unchecked, the body produces extreme free radicals leading to plenty of oxidative stress.

Chronic distress is the cause of most peoples' problems. With this kind of stress, your body is constantly flooded with emergency response hormones like Cortisol and Adrenaline. When your Endocrine System is over-used to this extent, things begin to malfunction.

It's just like your Pancreas, which becomes worn out when we constantly over use it by spiking our blood sugar several times each day.  Your Pancreas was never intended to process that much sugar and your Endocrine System was never intended to process that much hormonal activity.

When we stay in a state of chronic distress all the time, we overproduce the emergency response hormones and we under-produce the feel good hormones.

Every effort should be made to get out and stay out of this quadrant at all cost.  Do whatever you have to do.  Change your expectations, change your job, get out of a bad relationship, ask for help, pray to a higher power if you need to, but get out of this quadrant NOW!  

If you stay here for long, you will develop Panic Attacks, Anxiety, Depression, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and a whole host of other illnesses.  Oh and by the way - you will very likely gain a lot of weight and get very fat. All these diseases and problems come from a messed up HPA Axis in the body just the same as Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome come from a messed up Pancreas.

Staying here will kill you and long before this quadrant gets around to that, it will more than steal your quality of life. So get out now, while you still can and stay out.

The general adaptation syndrome (GAS)

The general adaptation syndrome (GAS) refers to the defensive actions designed to help a person cope with any environmental demand perceived as threatening. A person may feel stressed out due to an illness, excessive work pressure, tight deadlines or bad working conditions. The GAS outlines three stages in coping with such  situations. They are the alarm stage, the resistance stage, and the exhaustion stage. In the alarm stage, the external stressor causes biochemical and physiological changes in  the body, such as an increase in the secretions of the adrenal and the pituitary glands, increased heartbeat, blood pressure, and rate of respiration. These changes are triggered in the body to meet the challenges posed by the stressor. On prolonged exposure to a stressor, the GAS moves to the second stage, i.e. the resistance stage. In this stage, the person tries to cope with the stressor or flee the stressor. If the person opts to cope with the stressor, he will devise a plan to complete the task assigned to him. If he opts to flee from the stressor, he will delegate the task to someone else. However, if the person is exposed to the stressor for a longer period, he feels drained and reaches the final stage of exhaustion. In this stage, the individual is depleted of all energy and may be on the verge of a breakdown.

When a person does not want to perform a particular activity or is unable to do it well, he may feel exhausted and frustrated. Prolonged exposure to such a situation may result in depression, nervous breakdown or burnout.

The cause of stress

There are many causes of stress. Stressors could be present either within the organization or outside it. In addition to this, individuals could also feel stressed out due to the influence of various groups that they come in contact with and also due to certain factors present within themselves.

1. Extra organizational Stressors

Since organizations are open systems, an employee is affected not only by the things happening within the organization but also by those which occur outside it. The various extra organizational stressors include social and technological changes, family problems, relocation to a new place, economic and financial conditions, class, residential and community conditions. Let us understand the effect of these extra organizational stressors on people.

Societal patterns and technological changes have influenced the lifestyles of people. These changes have had an impact on their professional lives as well. The advances in medical science have reduced the threat of many illnesses, increased the life span of individuals, and, improved the quality of life in general. However, an increase in urbanization, along with accompanying elements such as time pressures, overcrowding and fast lifestyles, have reduced the general well-being of individuals and increased their chances of experiencing stress.

Another stressor that has a significant impact on the employees is their family problems or crises. Research also states that stress levels are higher in families in which both the husband and wife work. Relocating to a new place can also act as a potential stressor. The employee may be stressed out because he has to look for a suitable school for his children, find a home etc. Adverse financial conditions may also cause stress amongst employees. At times, employees may need to take up a second job to make ends meet. Consequently, their primary jobs may suffer due to lack of rest or inability to spare time for recreational activities and family.

Events that cause sudden changes in life, such as the death of a loved one, a sudden loss of job, an unexpected breakup in a relationship, etc., also cause employee stress. While change is inevitable, research has proved that sudden changes in life patterns affect people more stressfully than gradual ones. Usually, people find it difficult to concentrate on work soon after a major change occurs in their lives.

Apart from these stressors, certain sociological variables such as race, sex, and class also tend to induce stress in employees. Employees who belong to minority groups tend to experience stress because they may feel socially isolated. Similarly, women holding professional positions feel more stressed out than men because they may feel discriminated against since their male counterparts get better opportunities despite possessing lesser talent. Further, women also feel stressed out because they have to manage both work and family. The social level, region and community to which employees belong also play an important role in determining their stress levels. For example, the lack of neighborliness in huge apartment complexes or the level of noise pollution in a particular region may affect an individual's stress levels.

2. Organizational Stressors

Certain macro-level aspects of the organizations also act as potential stressors. These aspects are distinct and differ from organization to organization. Fred Luthans, who has written on organizational behavior, has described various macro-level organizational stressors which can have an effect on the individuals. Some of these stressors such as administrative policies and strategies, organizational structure and design, organizational processes and working conditions have been shown in above figure.

Other organizational behavior writers like Curtis W. Cook, Phillip L. Hunsaker, and Robert E. Coffey state that various organizational stressors include:

• high-stress jobs

• job role

• poor working conditions

• organizational politics

• poor work relationships

High-stress jobs are those in which people have hectic work schedules and major job responsibilities. Such employees are constantly under pressure to perform well and if they are unable to do so, they may have to face dire consequences. Some examples of people who work in high-stress jobs are sales managers, project leaders, foremen, etc.

A person may also feel stressed if his job role has certain unpleasant characteristics such as work overload, insufficient amount of work, role ambiguity, role conflict and responsibility for the work of others. Work overload occurs when a person is expected to do much more than what he is capable of doing or accomplish a lot in a rather short timeframe. Hectic schedules and constant pressure are the most common factors that cause stress in upper and middle-level managers.

People also feel disgruntled when they do not have enough tasks to keep them busy or if their skills and talents are underutilized. Under-utilization of a person's skills causes various symptoms of stress, such as fatigue, frequent absence, susceptibility to physical injury, apathy, and aloofness. Employees experience role ambiguity when they are unclear about what they are supposed to do, the results expected of them, and how they are supposed to achieve these results. Managers often experience role ambiguity because their tasks are not specified. Moreover, they are also not certain about how they should perform a task because they have a great deal of freedom in choosing their methods of operation. When a person's duties or responsibilities conflict with or contradict each other, he may experience role conflict. Middle-level   managers commonly experience this because they are torn between the demands of the top-level management and the justifications of lower-level managers. An employee may also face role conflict when his superior asks him to compromise on legal or ethical principles in order to perform some task. Finally, a person is more likely to fell stressed out if he is responsible for the performance of other employees. Therefore people in managerial positions would be exposed to greater levels of stress and are likely to have disorders such as ulcers and high blood pressure.

Working conditions also act as potential stressors. Extreme heat, noise, and overcrowding can result in stress amongst employees. Similarly, if the workplace is not properly designed it can create problems for employees as it may either allow no privacy at all or isolate employees altogether. Other potential workplace stressors are improper lighting, improper equipment and inadequate work surfaces.

Another major organizational stressor is the political climate of the organization. Organizational politics may increase the competition among various groups of employees and lead to power struggles between them. Many studies carried out across different organizations revealed that approximately 60 percent of the workforce felt that the most stressful aspect of their job was their poor relationship with their immediate superior. Apart from this, bad work relationships with co-workers can also result in stress. In addition to these problems, women also face other problems such as sexual harassment, discrimination, the inequity in pay scales, balancing work and family demands, and role overload.

3. Group Stressors

Groups tend to have a great impact on the behavior of their members and others who come in contact with them. Groups can also cause stress. The various group factors that can act as potential stressors are given below:

a. Absence of group cohesiveness

It is very important for an employee to feel he is a part of the group. He may feel stressed out if the task execution is designed in such a way that it does not encourage group cohesiveness. Likewise, lack of cohesiveness may also occur if the other group members exclude an employee or if the manager prohibits an employee from being a participant in group activities. Such exclusion from a group can cause the employee to feel highly stressed.

b. Absence of support from other members

Group members count on the support of others within the group. In the absence of such support, they have no one to share their problems. Consequently, they may bottle up their feelings and experience high levels of stress.

c. Conflicts related to the group

Many kinds of conflicts may exist within a group. A group member may experience a conflict between his personal goals and values and those of the group. Besides such conflicts, there may be differences between group members and also among different groups. These conflicts can result in high levels of stress for individual members of the group.

4. Individual Stressors

Since each individual is unique, the same stressor will not produce similar reactions in all individuals. Fred Luthans suggests that a person's dispositions as well as the demands of the situation are responsible for the way a person perceives stress. Individual stressors also include role conflict and ambiguity, and various aspects of the individual's disposition such as Type A personality patterns, personal control, learned helplessness, self-efficacy and psychological hardiness. These stressors have been explained at length in the subsequent pages of this chapter.

a. Role conflict and ambiguity

An individual is generally a member of various groups such as work group, family, community, recreational club, etc. He plays a variety of roles in different groups as well as balances the various roles he plays. Sometimes, these roles place conflicting demands on the individual. For instance, a person might not be able to devote enough time to his family because of work pressures, or his work may suffer due to problems at home. In either of these cases, the person feels pressurized and stressed out.

Role ambiguity occurs when people do not have complete information or knowledge about task performance. Lack of proper training, poor communication between superior and subordinates, and intentional withholding of information from peers or subordinates are the most common causes for role ambiguity. Role ambiguity is severe problem in modern organizations, especially those in which employees have been laid off. In such a situation, people are not sure what their duties are, whom they are accountable to, and whether they are performing well or not.

b. Type A characteristics

Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman first categorized individuals into two profiles based on their personality characteristics. These are known as Type A and Type B personalities. These personality types exhibit very different behavior patterns. The Type A individual is very competitive, highly involved in his work, aggressive, motivated, ambitious and very conscious of time. They have a strong desire to achieve the maximum possible in the shortest possible span of time. At the other extreme, Type B personalities have a relaxed and balanced approach to work and life. They have confidence in their abilities. They are not very competitive and show lesser dedication towards their work as compared to Type A individuals. Since they have a relaxed approach to life, they cannot comprehend the urgency of tasks and prefer to carry out their work at a steady rate.

Generally employees with Type A characteristics are prone to high levels of stress because they tend to have heavy workloads, put in long hours of work, and are under ­constant pressures to meet deadlines. They generally carry work home, and may even work on weekends. Type A individuals strive to constantly achieve high standards which they set themselves. They have little patience with the mediocre effort of their colleagues. Consequently, they are often labeled as perfectionists. Studies by Freidman and Rosenman reveal that employees who have high Type A characteristic are vulnerable to serious health disorders such as coronary heart disease. However this observation has not been substantiated with follow-up research. On the contrary another study has revealed that Type A individuals are not likely to have heart disease. The explanation given by these researchers is that since Type A individuals are very forceful by nature, they are likely to seek treatment for their ailments at an early stage and precisely follow the doctor's instructions.

c. Locus of control

The degree of control that an individual exercises over his work environment is known as the locus of control. Individuals who possess an internal locus of control believe that they have control over their environment. Conversely, individuals who possess external locus of control believe that they have no control over their environment. In other words, if an individual feels that he has no control over his job (an external locus of control), he is more likely to feel stressed out. Thus an employee can be given control over his work environment by allowing him to participate in the decision making process. Consequently such control will succeed in reducing his stress levels. Various studies have shown that employees perception of control and stress are interrelated, and this affects both the physical and psychological well-being of a person. A study carried out by medical researchers at Cornell University revealed that employees in the lower hierarchical levels of the organization who felt that they had no control over their jobs were prone to developing high blood pressure. Thus it can be stated that people with internal locus of control are less vulnerable to stress than those with external locus of control.

d. Learned helplessness

Martin E P Seligman and his colleagues conducted experiments on dogs to learn the relationship between fear and learning. Instead they accidentally discovered the phenomenon of 'learned helplessness.' In these experiments, the dogs were initially subjected to a mild electric shock when a bell was rung but they could not escape because they were restrained in a hammock. The researchers believed that the dogs would associate the bell with the electric shock and learn to escape or display some other behavior to avoid the shock. In the next stage of the experiment, they placed a dog which had been exposed to electric shocks in a shuttle box with a low fence that divided the box into two compartments. Initially, the researchers rang the bell and expected the dog to jump over the fence to escape the shock. However, this did not happen; the dog just lay in its place. Even when the dog was subjected to a small electric shock, it did not try to escape. The dog had therefore learned to become helpless although it could have easily jumped over the fence to escape the shock. This theory of 'learned helplessness' can be applied to human behavior as well. It explains the behavior of certain individuals who become helpless in a stressful situation and do not attempt to change things. They learn to accept certain stressors as a part of their work life, and believe that nothing they do can change or alter these stressors.

Researchers found that people were likely to experience such helplessness if they could not control their work situations. This was especially true if the causes of lack of control were based on their personal characteristics, were stable and lasting, and were universal in nature. However, the concept of learned helplessness and its relation with sense of control has to be studied to understand stress better and to develop mechanisms to deal with it.

e. Self-efficacy

According to Albert Bandura, self-efficacy is defined as "the self-perceptions of how well a person can cope with situations as they arise." People with high self-efficacy, i.e., people who consider themselves capable, usually are able to cope better than people with low self-efficacy, i.e., the ones who think they are not capable. In fact, there is a fairly clear relationship between self-efficacy and performance. It has been observed that people with high self-efficacy tend to persevere and do a good job without being stressed out. They remain calm even in difficult situations and have full confidence in their ability to achieve results.

f. Psychological hardiness

Psychological hardiness refers to a person's ability to cope with stress. An individual's reactions to stress are quite varied; some people are able to deal with high levels of stress in an easy, off-hand manner while others may become very nervous and harried when faced with minor stressful situations. Therefore people with high levels of psychological hardiness have the ability to cope with a tremendous amount of stress. They have an internal locus of control, i.e., they believe that they are the masters of their own fate. They are also strongly committed to their goals and receptive to change. On the other hand, people with lower levels of hardiness are nervous and prone to stress-related illnesses.

Strategies to cope with stress

It is not possible to eliminate stress altogether from everyday life. However, every individual can learn to manage stress in a productive and satisfactory manner. Various methods can be used to combat stress at both the individual and the organizational level. At either of these levels, stress management follows three basic steps. The first step in stress management is understanding that stress can have a negative effect on both a person's behavior and his performance at work. Therefore, the management as well as individual employees should realize that poor performance, irritability, aggression, absenteeism, etc. are all symptoms of a person undergoing stress. The second step in stress management involves identifying those stressors which affect the individual's behavior and performance at work. The final step, which is the most important, involves taking some constructive measures to help the individual cope with stress effectively. There are two methods that people as well as organizations can use to manage stress effectively. In the first method, they should identify the stressors responsible for their negative symptoms, and either eliminate or modify these stressors so that the resultant stress is manageable. Such strategies, which try to eliminate or modify the stressor are called problem-focused strategies. The other way to cope with stress is by teaching people how to control their emotions so that they are not negatively affected by stress. Such strategies are termed as emotion-focused strategies.

1. Individual Strategies to Cope With Stress

Individuals are responsible for their reaction to the stress that they face at work. Therefore, they can do a number of things to cope with it. They can learn to manage their time well, seek help from others, and, if everything else fails, move onto another job. Alternatively, they can use various other stress busters such as relaxation techniques, physical exercise, psychological strategies, and recreation.

A. Problem-focused strategies

As discussed earlier, these strategies help an individual cope with stress by identifying the source of stress and determining the course of action that will reduce the stress levels. For example, suppose an employee is assigned a task which he is not very clear about and he has to do it within a short span of time. Consequently, he is bound to feel stressed out. However, feeling tense or panicking will not help him. Instead, he can discuss his problems with his superiors, and request for help in the form of time, resources, etc. By doing so, the employee feels relieved and is able to perform his job in a more effective manner. The most commonly used problem-focused strategies are: time management, requesting others for help and shifting to another job.

a. Time management

A major reason for stress among individuals is poor time management. People become anxious, frustrated, and even panicky when they are not able to manage their time effectively. Therefore, people learn how to manage their time well so that they can complete their tasks and meet their deadlines. Some basic principles of time management are:

• deciding on a daily basis the activities to be carried out along with the time frame for completing them.

• prioritizing the activities on the basis of their urgency and importance.

• carrying out the important activities first.

• taking care of the demanding tasks during that part of the day when one is very energetic and alert.

Time management can thus ensure that a person is able to do his job well without feeling stressed out.

b. Requesting others for help

A person can ask his colleagues or superiors for help in dealing with certain work-related problems. Such support from peers and superiors goes a long way in reducing the stress levels of employees. Alternatively, he could request the human resources department to provide him with additional training. This will help him to update his knowledge and skill set thereby enabling him to deal with the stressors effectively.

c. Shifting to another job

At times. employees may not be able to bring down their stress levels despite their best efforts. In such cases, it may be in the best interests of the individual to either change the nature of his job or seek employment in another organization. However, before taking this extreme step, the employee should ask the management to change his job role if the stress is caused by various job-related problems. If this is not possible, the employee can look for suitable options in other organizations.

B. Emotion-focused strategies

Individuals can use emotion-focused strategies to reduce stress to manageable levels. These strategies are best employed when problem-focused strategies fail to reduce the levels of stress. These can also be used in cases where people are in high-stress occupations and they have to get accustomed to the hectic schedules. Emotion-focused strategies help bring down stress to healthy and comfortable levels by modifying the way people react to certain stressful conditions. The most common emotion-focused strategies include relaxation, exercise, psychological strategies, recreation, and companionship. These are discussed in detail below

a. Relaxation

Individuals can reduce their tensions by means of certain relaxation techniques like meditation, hypnosis, and biofeedback (for more details, see Exhibit 8.2). The purpose of these relaxation techniques is to make an individual oblivious to his surroundings and help him achieve a sense of inner peace and tranquility. According to Herbert Benson, one can feel relaxed by sitting or lying down in a comfortable position in a quiet place and then focusing on one's breathing for around 20 minutes. These techniques lower muscle tension, heart -rate, and blood pressure. Various studies conducted all over the world have revealed that the use of relaxation techniques tends to improve employee performance and reduce absenteeism rates. In general, it has been observed that using relaxation techniques helps bring down anxiety, depression, and hostility. It also allows individuals to cope with stress in a more effective manner.

b. Exercise

It has been medically proven that physical exercise such as walking, aerobics, jogging, swimming, cycling, tennis, etc. are very effective in bringing down stress levels. These activities not only provide a pleasant diversion from the routine grind of daily life, they also keep a person fit and active, both physically and mentally. Therefore, people who exercise regularly experience lower levels of anxiety, depression, and stress than those who do not exercise at all.

c. Psychological strategies

Certain psychological strategies. such as increased self-awareness and perceptual adaptation, are used to control the effect stress has on an individual. Increased self-awareness refers to a person being more aware of how he behaves in his job and in different social situations. This will make a person perceptive to early signs of stress and thus help him to manage stress effectively. Moreover, heightened self-awareness prompts a person to seek help when he is overburdened with work.

Perceptual adaptation is a strategy that helps an individual to deal effectively with those stressors on which he either has no control or is unable to eliminate totally. An individual can reduce tension by visualizing the worst possible outcome of any situation, and by questioning his ability to cope up with such a situation. This simple exercise often reduces stress because the individual realizes that even in a worst case scenario, he can still survive and manage the disastrous situation.

d. Recreation

If people work incessantly without respite, they are likely to feel stressed out. Everyone needs hobbies and recreation to take their minds off work and help them relax and enjoy themselves. Hobbies and recreational activities are a pleasant diversion from the monotony of daily activities. Depending on their tastes, individuals can engage in diverse recreational activities and hobbies like reading, dancing, horse-riding, and singing. etc.

e. Companionship

Loneliness tends to make people feel stressed out. In general, people who have close and supportive relationships with their families and friends tend to experience lower levels of stress. Therefore, an individual should look for companions in whom he can confide his problems and fears. This provides an outlet for his frustration and despair and reduces his stress levels.

2. Organizational Strategies to Cope With Stress

Organizational strategies are designed by the management to reduce work-related stress in employees. Studies have revealed that stress incurs huge costs for the organization as it results in health disorders, increased absenteeism, and high turnover rates. Various organizational-level strategies to cope up with stress are discussed below.

A. Problem-focused strategies

Organizations can make use of certain problem-focused strategies to eliminate stress from the work environment or help people cope with it. These strategies are redesigning the job, proper selection and placement, training, team building and providing day care facilities.

a. Redesigning the job

Organizations can carry out a job analysis to determine the reasons for stress and the problems caused by it. Job analysis can also help in determining if there is role ambiguity or conflict, if employees are overloaded with work or have too little work. and whether the working conditions are good or not. Thus a job analysis can identify those areas where job enrichment would improve performance. This helps the organization understand what the job requires from an employee and whether a person has the necessary abilities to fit into that job. Further, the organization can consider giving their employees the independence to work in flexible shifts so that they can strike a balance between their personal and professional commitments.

b. Proper selection and placement

The recruitment and selection policies of an organization should clearly specify what the educational qualifications, experience, skills and abilities that an employee should possess to handle a particular job. This will ensure employee-job compatibility. Personality factors can also be considered to determine whether a person will suit a particular job or not. For example, a customer service representative should have an outgoing, friendly and helpful personality. Employees who suit their job profiles can handle its complexities without much stress.

c. Training

Proper training reduces work-related stress among employees. It ensures that employees will develop the necessary skills to perform their jobs effectively. A training program should not only develop employee skills, it should also clearly specify their duties and responsibilities. A clear job description reduces role ambiguity and conflict.

d. Team building

The rigid and impersonal work environment prevalent in many organizations is a major cause of high levels of stress among employees. Organizations can use the team-based approach to help employees cope with stress related problems. Team building enhances camaraderie within the team and helps employees cooperate with one another to achieve organizational goals. Thus it helps reduce the levels of work-related stress among employees.

e.Providing various day care facilities

Employees' preoccupation with family problems increases the chances of errors and accidents and causes stress among employees. Therefore, many organizations provide in-house facilities in which employees can take care of their children and their elderly parents or relatives. For example, Texas Instruments conducts a 10-week summer camp for employees' children at its Dallas headquarters. This summer camp was initiated in 1995 and it includes weekly field trips to various locations. The Motorola office at Bangalore, which is in the process of being built, includes a child-care center to reduce the anxiety of employees whose children would otherwise be alone at home.

B. Emotion-focused strategies

When organizational stressors cannot be totally eliminated or brought down to a manageable level, organizations use emotion-focused strategies to help their employees cope with high stress levels. Some of these strategies are open communication, employee assistance programs, mentoring, wellness programs, and personal time off.

a. Promoting open communication within the organization

Employees are likely to feel more stressed out when they are unsure about what is happening within the organization. Ambiguity leads to the percolation of rumors within the organization and this may cause anxiety and tension among the employees. Therefore, employees should be kept informed about changes taking place within the organization and how they are likely to be affected by these changes. Further. organizations should encourage two-way communication, so that employees feel that they are an integral part of the organization. This promotes mutual trust and respect among people across hierarchies, thereby resulting in a more congenial work environment. Consequently, employees experience lower stress levels and can do justice to their jobs.

b. Employee assistance programs

Employee assistance programs try to help employees by offering free counseling within the organization or by referring them to specialists, who can help them cope with their problems. Many organizations offer these services because they understand that stress can have an adverse effect on the employees' performance. These programs also display the management's concern for employees' problems and its willingness to help them. Some organizations also provide help for other employee problems not related to work, such as health, finance, and family because they realize that these problems also affect employee performance.

c. Mentoring

Many organizations adopt a mentoring program in which employees with less experience are placed under the guidance and care of senior and experienced employees. The senior employees act as mentors. They help the inexperienced employees understand their job responsibilities and guide them on how to improve their performance. Thus, mentors reduce the stress levels of new employees as they clarify matters and guide them on task performance. Mentors also act as counselors when employees face problems or feel worn out.

d. Wellness programs and personal time off

Many organizations offer wellness programs to their employees. Wellness programs are designed by the organization to improve the physical and mental condition of the employee. Some examples are workshops conducted by organizations to make their employees quit smoking, prevent drug abuse, control alcohol consumption, and develop a regular exercise regimen. Some organizations have in-house facilities that encourage their employees to remain healthy by exercising regularly and relaxing. For example, the Bangalore office of Motorola will have facilities such as a gymnasium, an amphitheater, and a tennis court. These fitness centers located on the organization's premises primarily help employees develop a regular fitness schedule and keep them physically and mentally active. Moreover, they improve the morale of employees and are also responsible for bringing down absenteeism rates. Such physical fitness centers help employees stay healthy, thereby reducing the cost to the organization in the form of compensation claims.

Apart from health care facilities, organizations also allow employees personal time off to combat stress. Top level executives and other professionals are allowed sabbaticals or breaks for several months so that they can recover from the side effects of negative stress.