Suraj Punj Journal For Multidisciplinary Research ISSN NO: 2394-2886

Importance of Stress Management in Corporate Sector

Dr. Tejovati S.Prabhu

Principal, M.K.Amin Arts & Science College and College of Commerce Padra.

The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara

INTRODUCTION

At the end of every working day, an employee drains out all his positive energies and get so
stressed that it hampers his overall productivity which is an unwanted sign in this era of cut-throat
competition.This management of stress is need of the hour, more so when the employee cannot
manage it in a challenging situation. Competition was always “cut-throat” and was never easy given
the scenario but this millennia has a solution to their managing the unwanted side effects of
competition. “Coping Tactics” is one of them and has to be championed.

Today everybody is having a stressful life. Stress is part of the life which even a baby takes these
days. The definition of stress is differs from a teenager to an adult.Magnitude of stress increases due
to Development of society, Mechanisation, and surge in measure of success in societies.A
competitive surrounding ensures Involvement, Operation & Collaboration etc. which has its own
frustrations attached. This results in people adding more stress because they lose control over their
lives. This age has resulted in a condition where “A Man”, who is also considered a Social Animal
can live without partner but not stress. A case in point is a man living a solitary life on an island
who is in constant stress of being his privacy invaded or finding food.

MEANING OF STRESS

At this juncture it is important to define Stress. According to Selye, Stress is “non-specifically

induced changes within a biological system”.(Bailey, 2013)

A more thorough and objective definition is provided by Ivancevich and Matterson which is as
follows “Stress is an adaptive response, mediated by individual characteristics under psychological
processes, that is a consequence of any external action, situation, or event that places special
physical and/or psychological demands upon a person.”(Annamalay, 2018)

From the above definitions we can say that stress is a specific response by the body to a stimulus as
fear or pain that disturbs or interferes with normal physiological equilibrium. (Gone, 2012)

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It is the body’s automatic response to any physical or mental demand placed on it. In other words
Stress is a Mental, physical, emotional and behavioural reaction to any perceived demands or
threats.
However all stress is not bad. In fact a moderate level of stress may actually improve performance
and efficiency of the employee at the work-place. Nevertheless Too little stress may results in
boredom and may spoil the working atmosphere. Too much stress may cause an unproductive
anxiety level. (Productivity Insights, 2016)

SOURCES OF STRESS AT WORKPLACE

A manager should always be aware of the common forerunners of stress at his workplace in order to
handle the situation better. Knowledge of stress sources will certainly help in performing a better
assessment of risk and its management. By doing so, not only will the productivity ascend, the
manager will also be seen as an understanding and compassionate leader.

Some major potential causes of stress(Workplace stress management strategies for business
managers, 2018) at workplace are further discussed.

 Any “Culture or Lack of” will always carry a stress issue and should be seen as a potential
stress source. “Lack of” female washrooms is a stress source for any female working in
such organization. “Client & Peer Demands” is also one of a strong stressor. Often at
workplaces, unnecessary “Client Demands” creates a major stress as the employee does not
consider the option to negate demands which are out of contractual agreements. To be asked
for help by a colleague is a classic example of “Peer Demand”. The employee who is asked
for help gets traumatized as he can’t refuse for the fear of being victimized and doesn’t
intend to work on a subject which is not his forte.

 “Role Conflict” is often seen in organizations having relatives working at different levels.
Similarly “Trauma & Loss”,

 “Bad Management Practices”, “Working Environment”, “Employee Relationships”,

“Team of Individual Skillsets”, & “Poor Ergonomics” are often some of the major
pointers a Manager should oversee for any stress related concerns.

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 “Low or No Change Management” needs a special mention in the category of causes of

stress. These are those organizations where a change in management is often at snail’s pace.
This cause is quite prominently seen in the corporate sector and can also be labelled as
“Seasonal”. During yearly appraisal, the deserving candidates are often under stress due to
their belief in a “Low Change or No Change Management” organizations.

IMPACTS OF STRESS ON ORGANIZATIONS

Stress and Job performance are inversely related. It is a major cause for higher attrition rates and is
also considered an important factor by new Joinees. The symptoms of stress at a workplace can be
visible by the indicators such as

 More Missed Days

 Lower Overall Productivity,
 Higher Staff Turnover,
 Workers’ Compensation,
 Medical Insurance & Other stress related expenses.

COPING TECHNIQUES /STRATEGIES

It is well established that Stress is a reason for declining productivity and employee morale. This
has led to the development of “Coping Techniques” by professionals. Notable techniques and
approaches are discussed below for a general idea.

 IP TECHNIQUE (Identify and Prioritize): The IP technique stands for Identify and
Prioritize. For any stressor to be solved, identification is the most important step. Any situation
becomes a stressor only if identified. Once a stressor is known, only then it can be solved. In an
organization, many such stressors will arise. Also, IP Technique often recognizes the
practitioner as if under stress. Hence a Priority list is required to ensure relieving therapy after
identification of stressors. Hence Prioritizing is also important. A stressor affecting majority of
the population has to be obviously solved first. Prioritizing will also lead to identification of
solutions that will solve two different types of Stressors.

 Self-Motivation: Sometimes situations do arise where stress identification is a part of nobody’s

job. These situations are a commonscenario in small organizations, often in a single person
organization. In such cases, the employee will have to resolve the stressor by himself. This

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requires a tremendous amount of motivation. The fact that the situation has propelled into a
stressor itself shows lack of motivation. Morale boosting techniques like makinga list of similar
situations been managed in the past or promise yourself a reward after you have successfully
managed to cope with the stressful situation is often helpful. A major drawback of this
technique is the inability to identify whether a stressor is within or beyondthe control.

 Exercise: Some stressors can be remedied through exercise. YOGA is a very well-known
coping techniques used by major corporations worldwide. YOGA gives the required calmness
for the brain to think in stressful situations. A by-product of exercise is Discipline which is a
major issue that gives rise to factors that ultimately gives birth to a Stressor. A major
requirement of exercise is healthy eating and it also helps alleviate the after effects of eating
junk food. Thus exercise, eating healthy food, avoiding excessive sugar helps is muscle
relaxation and physical response to a stressful situation.

BENEFITS OF STRESS MANAGEMENT

Stress at a workplace is a necessary evil. No organization practically has a stress free environment.
If the stress becomes important once the stressor alleviates to a point that it becomes a hurdle for the
prosperity of the organization as well as employees. Management of stress can help in the following
ways(www.cleverism.com):

 “High Motivational Level” of Employees: A sporadic situation which quickly turns into a
stressor and cannot be arrested without motivated employees. To prevent absenteeism and
employee turnover during such a stressful period is very important for the organization to
survive. It is not necessary that such situation can arise only during negative growth, even a
high influx of order-in-hand can lead to a stressful situation. However, if the morale of
employees is high then such a situation can turn into a golden opportunity for the organization
and its employees.

 Minimize Workplace Conflicts:High level of stress is a major contributor for workplace

conflicts which arise due to differences in opinions, backgrounds and personalities. This can
lead to worsening workplace relationships and undermining the overall culture. However,
effective stress management skills prevents such distractions and builds teamwork, making
everyone’s lives easier and fun. It supports discussion in a healthy manner and prevents
animosity between employees.

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 Improves productivity when it requires the most:Behind every stressor is a financial cause.
Money can solve all types of stressors. Thus money and stressors are symbiotic in nature.
Solving one can automatically resolve the other and in solving any one of them, hurdle is
created by the other. A proper stress management technique in place can end this symbiotic
relation. The Stressor is taken care by its management technique while the employees who are
now stress free can focus towards increasing the productivity which in turn can be financially
beneficial.With ideal stress management skills, the organizations have lesser chances of
customer complaints or employees have poor decision-making even in the most stressful
circumstances.
 Conducive Work Climate: Happier and positive approach by employees is seen by healthier
employees operating under manageable levels of stress in-turn creating a more positive, and
maintaining a strong, healthy, workplace culture that’s conducive to creativity and productivity.

 High Employee Presence:High absenteeism is a direct result of Stress at workplace.An

employee with proper stress management skills can be identified on the basis of low “Mental-
health days” and “Sick days”. This also creates a strong immune system towards stress.

 Employee retention and talent acquisition: Attrition and Stress are directly proportional to
each other. Highly stressed Employees tend to always find a better workplace. And prospective
employees often take reviews of work culture and management policies and initiatives to help
keep their employees healthy.

 “We Care” Attitude: When an organization openly advocates the use of stress management
skills it shows that the “stress” is not considered as a part of the job profile. The employee feels
more responsible and develops sense of ownerships towards the organization. This create a
positive environment and automatically boosts the morale of the employees which can be seen
in the productivity.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

It can be concluded that stress can be considered as a necessary evil and above a certain level
disturbs the individual. Its costly for employees as well as for employers as it results in lower
productivity, reduced motivation and job skills. It is also noted that emotional intelligence plays a
role to create the abilities in an individual to better control the stress in the workplace.

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The objective should be learning to manage stress rather than eliminating it. Begin with educating
yourself. The ability to control/ manage a stressor lies in understanding it. Main goal should be to
Act, don’t react and accept the reality given unconditionally. Try to Change perceptions and
expectations .Break job/tasks in to manageable parts Set reasonable realistic goals .Work should
never be procrastinated Setting of boundaries is very essential to lead a stress-free life Beliefs and
values should never be compromised. Always schedule “ME” time.

REFERENCES

1. Annamalay, S. D. (2018). Life by Design: Mastering Energy, Money and Leverage in 9 Simple Steps.
Xlibris Corporation.

2. Bailey, R. D. (2013). Stress and coping in nursing. Springer.

3. Gone, J. P. (2012). American Indian and Alaska Native mental health: Diverse perspectives on enduring
disparities. Annual review of clinical psychology, 8, 131-160.

4. Productivity Insights. (2016, October). Retrieved from www.actitime.com:

https://www.actitime.com/productivity/employee-productivity-at-work

5. Workplace stress management strategies for business managers. (2018, August 16). Retrieved from
www.bupahealthierworkplaces.com.au:
https://www.bupahealthierworkplaces.com.au/employer/workplace-stress-management-strategies/

6. www.cleverism.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from Stress Management : https://www.cleverism.com/skills-

and-tools/stress-management/

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