Stress and Stress Managmenet

Executive Summary

This stress survey identifies stress risks in six key areas: Workload and job condition, role conflict and ambiguity, career development, interpersonal relations, change and conflict between work and outside work (explaining the six key areas). A 56.25% response rate was achieved. Benchmarking the results from the data that I have collected from 45 employees out of 80 in KREIC by questioning them and record the answers by myself to make sure they answered as honest as they can.

Although there is clear room for improvement, urgent action is not required for all employees. While the results are not as good as hoped, they are better than those of many large organizations in which stress risks often go undetected until revealed by an audit. Women employees are at most risk of stress and require urgent action to reduce the risk arising from the demands placed upon them maybe that is because they are working in assistance jobs and also because of the culture of the country that discriminate women. Each stress risk factor or source of stress is summarized below.

Workload and Work Conditions: For most of the employees, to have so much work with not enough time or resources can be stressful. Role overload exists when demands exceed the capability of a manager or employee to meet all of them effectively (Hellriegel & Slocum 2004, p.173-174).

Role conflict and Ambiguity: Different point of views and way of work on a person at work can produce role conflict. In addition when an employee is not certain about his/her responsibilities or job descriptions that can produce role ambiguity (Hellriegel & Slocum 2004, p.175).

Interpersonal Relations: Somewhat high risk factors are that relationships are overwrought, and that there is resistance or anger between colleagues (Hellriegel & Slocum 2004, p.176).

Changes: Two of the three items in this factor indicate signs of stress risk (technology, nature of workforce and competition): that when employees are not discussed with changes at work, and that they do not know how changes will work out in practice. Moreover, there is uncertainty over changes at work (Robbins 2005, p.549).

Career Development: All employees are looking for this factor and the major stressors related to this involve job security, promotions, transfers, and development opportunities (Hellriegel & Slocum 2004, p.176).

Relationship between conditions of work and outside work: Any stress that the employees face on workplace will affect their relationships with families and friends out side of work (F. DY 1985, p.97).

The next step for this essay process is to undertake 45 employees. These would help to explore whether the stressors identified in the survey give rise to the experience of stress, and if so, what can be done to reduce the stress risks, and to help the employees to cope more effectively with the stressors they face. Actions should then be agreed and implemented. Women employees face the most stress risks and the young people too.

Content

1 Executive Summary --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1

2 Background ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3

3 The stress management standards ---------------------------------------------------------- 4

4 Stress survey results --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5

- Stress risks across KREIC: men, women and their ages --------------------------------- 6

- Stress risks across KREIC: occupations ---------------------------------------------------- 8

5 Summary results for each main occupational group ----------------------------------- 9

6 Summary results for each department ---------------------------------------------------- 12

7 Conclusion and Recommendation ---------------------------------------------------------- 14

- Conclusion -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15

- Recommendations ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15

8 References --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16

Background

A certain amount of pressure is inevitable, necessary and even appreciated by most managers in order to achieve good results within a limited time. Some thrive on it and function best when the adrenaline is flowing, in both work and personal life. The problems start to arise when the pressure becomes too great or continues for too long. It then becomes stress: it ceases to be enjoyable and becomes damaging. It will reduce manager's effectiveness, and it will make employees unhappy. Bearable pressure turns into unbearable stress in different ways in different people. There is no simple separating line with pressure on one side and stress on the other; the one merges gradually into the other. Managers need to avoid stress while making the best use of pressure. (OU 2000, p. 36).

Robbins (2005, p. 569) in defining stress states that:

Stress is 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.

A simple way to differentiate between pressure and stress is to think of pressure as the force from outside oneself that motivates or energizes Ð'- him/her into action. Stress, in contrast, is an internal response: one's mind and body signal that he/she cannot cope. A unbearable and negative response can lead to inaction or unpredictable behavior.

Goodworth (1986, p. 12) in explaining, what exactly happens when we undergo stress argued that:

Once stress becomes established in an individual, it triggers a constant reaction between mind and body. Every stressful though has some sort of related physical effect, and changes within