After studying this chapter, students should be able to understand the following:

We will discuss the concept of stress in this chapter we will see either stress is positive or negative in nature.

Further we will see different sources that can create stress at workplace and programs that can be used to

manage the stress.

Stress is the body’s nonspecific reaction to any demand made on it. For various reasons, programs dealing

with stress and its related problems are becoming increasingly popular. Long-term productivity depends

largely on the dedication and commitment of the company’s employees. Employees are increasingly holding

their employers liable for emotional problems they claim are work related. And, stress-related mental

disorders have become the fastest-growing occupational disease. There is increasing evidence indicating that

severe, prolonged stress is related to the diseases that are leading causes of death—coronary heart disease,

stroke, hypertension, cancer, emphysema, diabetes, and cirrhosis; stress may even lead to suicide. Some

signs that may indicate problems include impaired judgment and effectiveness, rigid behavior, medical

problems, increased irritability, excessive absences, emerging addictive behaviors, lowered self-esteem, and

apathetic behavior.

Regardless of its origin, stress possesses the same devastating potential. Some factors are controllable to

varying degrees, whereas others are not.

The person or event that triggers the stress response, it can be organizational, personal or environmental

factor that can become the source of stress.

a. Organizational Factors—Many factors associated with a person’s employment can be

potentially stressful. These include the firm’s culture, the individual’s job, and general

working conditions.

b. Personal Factors—Stress factors outside the job and job environment also may affect job

performance. Factors in this category include the family, financial problems, and living

conditions.

c. The General Environment—Stress is a part of everyone’s everyday life and its potential

lurks not only in the workplace and the home but also in our general environment. The

three-hour commute in rush traffic, the unrelenting rain, the oppressive heat, or chilling

cold can all create stress. Excessive noise, wherever it is encountered, can drive some

people up the wall.

Stress can express following four types of the symptoms:

a. Short-term physical symptoms: Short-term physical symptoms include; faster

heart beat, increased sweating, cool skin Cold hands and feet Feelings of nausea,

or 'Butterflies in stomach' Rapid Breathing, Tense Muscles, dry Mouth, desire to

urinate, diarrhea

b. Long-term physical symptoms: Change in appetite frequent colds illnesses

(such as asthma Back pain digestive problems headaches aches and pains)

feelings of intense and long-term tiredness, Risk factors (Heart attacks and

strokes Hypertension and headaches Ulcers Allergies)

c. Internal symptoms: Internal symptoms include Worry or anxiety, Confusion,

and an inability to concentrate or make decisions, Feeling ill, Feeling out of

control or overwhelmed by events, Mood changes, Depression, Frustration,

d. Helplessness, Restlessness, Being more lethargic, Difficulty sleeping, drinking

more alcohol and smoking more, Changing eating habits, relying more on

medication.

e. Behavioral symptoms: Behavioral Symptoms include, talking too fast or, too

loud Bad moods being irritable Defensiveness Being critical Aggression,

Irrationality, Overreaction and reacting emotionally Reduced personal

effectiveness Being unreasonably negative Making less realistic judgments Being

unable to concentrate and having difficulty making decisions being more

forgetful Making more mistakes being more accident-prone Changing work

habits Increased absenteeism Neglect of personal appearance

g. Outcomes of Organization due to stress:Continuous stress in working

environment results in some problem in organizational operations like poorer

decision-making, decreased creativity, lost work time, Increased turnover and

more sabotage.

Stress can affect the performance in positive as well as negative ways. Stress is a dynamic condition in which

an individual is confronted with an opportunity, constraints or demand related to what he or she desires,

and for which the outcome is perceived to be both uncertain and important. Stress is a complex issue, so

let’s look at it more closely. Stress can manifest itself both in positive and negative way. Stress is said to be

positive when the situation offers an opportunity for one to gain something; for example, the “psychingup”

that an athlete goes through can be stressful, but this can lead to maximum performance. It is when

constraints or demands are placed on us that stress can become negative. Constraints are barriers that keep

us from doing what we desire. Demands, on the other hand, may cause you to give up something. Demands

are desires that are backed by the purchasing power or affordability.

Experts emphasize that some stress is healthy and moderate stress is the key to survival.

a. INDIVIDUAL COPING APPROACHES—There are a number of ways, that

individuals may take to control excessive stress. There are several specific techniques that

individuals can utilize to deal with stress. These methods include hypnosis, biofeedback,

and transcendental meditation.

• Hypnosis: An altered state of consciousness that is artificially induced and characterized by increased

receptiveness to suggestions.

• Biofeedback: A method that can be used to control involuntary bodily processes, such as blood

pressure or heart beat rate.

• Transcendental meditation (TM): A stress-reduction technique whereby a secret word or phrase

(mantra) provided by a trained instructor is mentally repeated while an individual is comfortably seated.

b. Organizational Coping Approaches—A number of programs and techniques may

effectively prevent or relieve excessive stress. General organizational programs, although

not specifically designed to cope with stress, may nevertheless play a major role.

Safety Involves protecting employees from injuries due to work-related accidents.

Health Refers to the employees’ freedom from physical or emotional illness.

Stress: Stress is the body’s nonspecific reaction to any demand made on it.

Burnout The total depletion of physical and mental resources caused by excessive striving to reach an

unrealistic work-related goal.

Hypnosis An altered state of consciousness that is artificially induced and characterized by increased

receptiveness to suggestions.

Constraints: Constraints are barriers that keep us from doing what we desire.

Demands desires that are backed by the purchasing power or affordability.

Biofeedback A method of learning to control involuntary bodily processes, such as blood pressure or heart

rate.

Transcendental Meditation A stress-reduction technique in which an individual, comfortably seated,

mentally repeats a secret word or phrase provided by a trained instructor.