RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

Title of the Study: A STUDY OF PERCEPTION OF 60 EMPLOYEES AT POLYMERS UNIT OF GSFC ON COPING TECHNIQUES TO MANAGE STRESS.

Objective of the Study:

1. PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To study the Stress among employees and its impact on their performance. 2. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: To identify the factors causing stress among the employee. To find out the existing level of stress level. To know the impact of stress among the employees on their performance. To suggest suitable measures that would reduce the stress level. Learn the significant differences that helping professionals experience as part of their everyday exposure to highly stressful and often traumatic incidents and how their approach to stress reduction requires a unique and tailored approach. Learn the basic physiological responses of the human body to various environmental and emotional stresses. Participants will have the ability to differentiate between normal, healthy stress, environmental stressors and emotional stressors both endogenous and reactive. Learn the ability to regulate the autonomic response to stressors with increased awareness, modeling and practice of regulatory approaches to controlling stress responses. Learn and practice various techniques of stress awareness regulation of stress responses and the cognitive behavioral methodology of stress management.

Significance and Need for the Study: The modern world, which is said to be a world of achievements, is also a world of stress. One finds stress everywhere, whether it be the family, business, organization or enterprise, or any other social or economic organization. No institution, company or organization is stress-free. Some organizations are more harmonious whereas others have greater friction and tension. It can also be defined as perceived forces, stimuli, situation from within or outside, which threatens to exceed the persons capabilities and resources for meeting. When such factors or stimuli are limited to organizational boundaries or while performing a job, its called role stress. Organizational stress is a process by which the organization becomes deformed slowly and gradually by the constant impairment of the system. Today the organization dimensions have undergone a tremendous change and the work environment has changed drastically. The philosophy of philanthropy and paternalistic attitude of the employers has given way to elements of professionalism and competitiveness. Middle level executives experience less stress and enjoy better status in terms of education and salary. Being in higher hierarchical position, they satisfy many social esteem needs like power, autonomy, nurturance and extension motive. But the job satisfaction is reported to be influenced more by its constraining negative factors than by its positive facilitating factors. Deterioration in mental and physical health could lead to job dissatisfaction, absenteeism and low productivity thereby affecting organizational efficiency. General well-being is a better state of mental and physical health characterized by energy, enthusiasm and creativity. It is a result and a source of effective coping. Many managers have the potential to cope more effectively than they do. Improvement can lead to better quality of work life, enhanced creativity and less time is lost due to depression and illness. Successful corporate world figures and industrialists could achieve success only because they know the art of productivity employed to promote efficient functioning in work organization. This study attempts to explore and identify the stress situations and identify the stress situations and level of stress faced by the employees at middle level management in Polymers Unit of GSFC, Nandesari. To have a better understanding with special focus on the coping techniques and preventive measures adopted. Considering the multiple roles performed by the employees and stress management being on the critical factors for individual and organizational effectiveness, this study has both organizational as well as social significance.

Medium of study: The research was conducted through the medium of a General questionnaire and Burn-out Test questionnaire.

Research Design: To study stress level faced by the employees at the middle level management in Polymers Unit of GSFC and the coping mechanisms used by respondents. It is an EXPLORATIVE type of study and attempt is made to understand the type of stress faced by the respondents in the public sector undertaking. In the constricted working environment where each individual has his own tensions, his coping techniques, that have also been studied and an attempt is made to give a comprehensive understanding of the functioning of stress management skills.

Universe: As far as the universe is concerned the universe of the study is the permanent employees, i.e. managers and officers at middle level in the Polymers Unit of GSFC.

Sampling Method: Sampling is a method, which enables to get a statistical image of the population. In order to carry out the study, a sample size of 60 employees was chosen. The Random Sampling Method was used for the research. Systematic random sampling technique is used for data collection. Sample of 60 respondents is selected. Sample consists of Managers, Officers, Head of various Departmets at the company.

Tools for Data Collection: The tools used are the General questionnaire and the Burn-out Questionnaire. Both the questionnaires contained five sections. Section I contained personal information about the respondent, out of which disclosing their name was optional. Section II, III, IV, V and Burnout Test required the respondent to put a tick ( ') marks against each statement, the options were: strongly agree agree disagree strongly disagree

Reference period: The questionnaires were distributed and collected during the period from 25th March 2013 to 30th March 2013, and the final report was prepared during the month of April 2013.

Limitation of the Study: As the study would be carried out for the academic purpose, due to constraints of time and cost, a comprehensive study was not possible. The study was based on the assumption that the information given by the respondents is valid and true. The sample size would be restricted to only 60 employees of only one select industry. Fear of expressing the true facts among the respondents was a limitation. The employees might have found it difficult to understand a few questions due the language barriers as the study was conducted in English. Human beings are dynamic as their needs do not remain static over a period of time hence, relativity of one factor over others while measuring the stress level and work efficiency could not be generalized.