Chapter H

OBJECTIVES AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Need for the Study:

Today’s work environment and the culture have seen a sea change. The Nature of work is

changing at a whirl wind speed. Everybody is under constant pressure to strike a balance

between work and personal life and women are no exception to this. The introduction of MNC

Culture and women entering the workforce and competing with men has not only increased the

pressure and need for performance in the workplace but has also resulted in increased stress

among the women employees of IT Sector. Perhaps now more than ever before, job stress poses

a threat to the health of workers and in turn, to the health of organizations. There are potential

benefits for both organizations and individuals in taking steps to challenge stress in the

workplace, and likewise both are likely to suffer if stress is ignored or mismanaged (Quick,

Quick, Nelson & Hurrell, 1997).My study focuses on the growth and working of It Industry with

particular reference to women, to identify the reasons for the stress among women in the selected

companies in IT Industry in Hyderabad.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE:

Reviews on various research studies on stress management literature that explore topics such as

stress management strategies in various studies, workplace stress factors and consequences , its

impact on work-life balance, Training, Career Progress and policies, etc. Various studies that are

reviewed are grouped into different types depending upon the focus of these studies. The

literature review has been based on a variety of studies ranging from unique studies to articles

30
focused on the aspect of stress management and related attributes identified for the study i.e.

workplace stress factors , Training , Career Progress and policies, Work-life Balance and stress

Management strategies.

Studies on Workplace Stress and Consequences of Stress

Alege (1988) 1 listed some factors that lead to stress as overcrowded working place, lack of

materials, poor incentives, Involuntary transfer, lack of interest in the job, retrenchment threats,

power relationship with the boss and workers, poor physical environmental conditions, conflict

of work and family demand ,inability to reach desired goal, personal problem, poor

communication and even gossip.

Stress at work is a ubiquitous and multifaceted phenomenon Lazarus, (1993) that is costly for

organizations because it contributes to expensive voluntary turnover Parasuraman & Alutto,

(1984)3.

Ruyter, Wetzels, & Feinberg, (2001).4 Work stress can be a particular problem in customer-

oriented fields because employees often experience conflicting demands of the company,

supervisors, and customers, and these conflicts create dissonance for employees .

In general, work-related stress has been shown to result in declines in the quality of employee

job performance Lepine, Podakoff, & Lepine. (2005)5, increases in exhaustion, decreases in

employee ability to learn Lepine, &. Jackson, (2004)6, depression, hostility Motowidlo, Packard,

& Manning, (1986)7.

31
Pearlin and Schooler (1978)8 reported that the concept of stressors, not only refers to major life

events but also encompasses continuing minor events like electricity failure, maid not turned up,

unexpected guests and child’s misbehavior

Afolabi and Imhonde (2002) 9 identified organizational causes of stress as organizational and

extra-organizational stressor, group and individual stressors.

Akinboye et al., (2002) 10 identified the following as causes of stress in workplace: New

management technique, office policies, long work hours, redundancies, Bullying, Harassment,

etc. he argued that though stress plays important role on both women’s physical and mental

health yet it is an unhealthy and ineffective response pattern to change.

Selye H (1956)11 The conceptualization of stress is a physiological one, in which the stress
I

response is seen as a necessary addition to the organism’s fight for survival. By causing various

body changes, the stress reaction prepares the individual for any exigency, giving him/her extra

resources to fight that emergency .The term ‘stress’ implies strain, which can be caused by

exposure to the stressor.

Mohr (2000)12 reported on stress and its effects on mental health at workplace. The conclusion

indicated positive health effects could be achieved as a result of reducing stress level.

Workplace stress is a major problem, and it has been suggested that gender may be an important

demographic characteristic to consider in the experience of stress. Jick TD, Mitz LF (1985)13

32
Job stress is a significant topic of interest for organizational researchers, managers, and society

as a whole. It is of great importance, since job stress is one of the factors of influencing

individual work performance Warr, (2002)14.

Aziz (2004)15 investigated the intensity of ORS among women IT professionals in the Indian

private sector and found differences in the level of stress between married and unmarried

employees on several role stressors.

Stress can be described as including external factors, internal factors, or an interaction between

the two Bernard & Krupat, (1994)16.

Yoloye (2004)17 According to the author stress is characterized by the feeling of fear, anxiety,

depression, grief, guilty and anger.

Another substantial factor is the fact that stress causes a high cost on individual health and well­

being Cooper, Dewe & O’Driscoll, ( 2001)lg. Thus, the importance of stress is significant for

managers to take note of to be more aware of the costs associated with ignoring the issue of

stress. It occurs when there is perceived imbalance between pressure and coping resources for a

particular situation. Cranwell-Ward & Abbey, (2005)19

Dowden & Tellier, (2004) 20 Work-related stress has been measured in terms of “psychological

work-related discomfort or anxiety,” as well as physiological or health-related issues

“Stress is defined as a nonspecific response of the body to a stimulus or event” Kavanagh,( 2005)21.

33
In English, stress is defined as the “pressure or anguish resulting from difficult situations” Alves

et al., (2004)22.

Hfboll, Geller& Dunahoo 23 suggest that it is important to consider the stressors that are unique

to employee’s women, as this can increase the understanding of the specific needs of working

women.

Kuo and Chen (2004) 24 found that individual demographic characteristics such as marital status,

age, position title, and annual salary affect employees’ job satisfaction.

Stress is a costly health related issue, in terms of individual performance and well-being as well

as organizational productivity Ilgen, (1990)2S.

Al-Aameri AS. (2003) have mentioned in his studies that one of the six factors of

occupational stress is pressure originating from workload.

Beehr and Newman (1978) 27 had defined stress as a situation which will force a person to

deviate from normal functioning due to the change (i.e. disrupt or enhance) in his/her

psychological and/or physiological condition, such that the person is forced to deviate from

normal functioning.

Russo & Vitaliano (1995) 28 argued that the occurrence of stressors in the workplace either

immediately following a period of chronic stress at home, or in conjunction with other major life

stressors, is likely to have a marked impact on outcome.

34
Rapidly changing global scene is increasing the pressure of workforce to perform maximum

output and enhance competitiveness. Indeed, to perform better to their job, there is a requirement

for workers to perform multiple tasks in the workplace to keep abreast of changing technologies

Cascio, (1995)29

Kaluzniacky30 conducted research on “Work Stress Factors among Information Systems

Professionals in Manitoba”. In this study the IS workers are faced with rapidly and continuously

changing technologies and methodologies, a phenomenon this cause stress in employees. While

technological change has had an impact on individuals in many professions, this change is even

more immediate, more direct for the IS worker. He / she is often forced to change working

languages, equipment, and even entire development paradigms amidst comprehensive re­

structuring with its initial ambiguities and amidst ever increasing demands.

Loher & Noe, 1985; Ting, (1997)31 Two studies that examine job satisfaction indicators found

that job characteristics (e.g., task complexity, skill variety, autonomy, feedback from job, and

similar constructs), job environment (e.g., family demands, life cycle factors, and demographic

factors) and individual characteristics are all potential contributors to occupational stress .

Jayashree Nayak (2008)32 in her Research survey Majority of the teachers revealed that their

Stress was basically due to their laziness and also they were happy with fewer responsibilities.

Lack of affectionate behavior from their colleagues was reported as cause of stress always by

maximum percentage of the teachers. Higher percentage of the respondent experienced stress

always because of lack of their involvement in decision making in their organization that

35
reduced their responsibilities on their shoulder and the Interpersonal relationships and lack of

social support from others in the workplace can be seen as a potential source of job-related

stress.

There is a clear connection between negative interpersonal relations and the absence of social

support from within the workplace Narayanan, Menon, & Spector,( 1999).33 Lack of support

from supervisors is a major source of stress at work Cooper, Dewe, & Driscoll, (2001)34.

Number of work hours is related to added risk of work-family conflicts, decline in mental and

physical health, and decreased family functioning Major, Klein, & Ehrhart, (2002)35. Mauno and

Kinnunen (1999)36 found that job pressure is negatively related to marital satisfaction.

Studies on various Training Programs and the Work-Life Balance

With respect to the IT field specifically, women tend to enter the professional workforce with

less training Francis, (2000) , but tend to demonstrate no significant differences in productivity

among high-performing men and women Smits et al., (1993)38. This seems to indicate that,

despite different educational foundations, women in the workforce are capable of compensating

for the difference in background. This may be due, in part, to women’s increased willingness to

admit to a lack of knowledge or understanding, and to seek help Baroudi & Igbaria, (1995;

Venkatesh, & Morris, (2000)39.

Saltzstein, Ting & Salztstein, (2001) 40 Women, on the other hand, care for dependents and

perform for love domestic work, a role that some would suggest befits her ‘natural’ tendencies to

nurture and provide behind-the-scenes support for her husband and children. Current

36
developments in the workplace coupled with the ‘work-family dichotomy’ experienced by

employees today belie this idealized view and increase the strain from ‘trying to do it all’.

Martikainen, 1995; Verbragge, (1979) 41 Thus, the roles of a partner and a mother are vital

elements for most of the women. There is wide agreement that having a partner is helpful of

good health, both physical and mental .Research that focuses on the effects of ‘women’s work’,

that is, the responsibilities which women customarily assume in addition to their work outside

the home, and its relation to job satisfaction is lacking.

Saltzstein, Ting & Salztstein , (2001); Hein, (2005); Jacobs & Gerson, (2004)42 The influx of

women as permanent members of the workforce has challenged the notion that home should be

separate from the workplace and that women’s principal role is to maintain domestic accord

while men make harmony possible through the production of a paycheck. In this idealized

division of labor, men are imaginative by domestic tasks, can fulfill the expectation of overtime

work, and rarely miss work to accommodate the family’s domestic needs.

Noonan, Estes, and Glass (2007)43 indicated that men still did not use their workplace flexibility

to alter their time in housework or childcare; in contrast, women did use the flexibility to alter

their time in housework and childcare. It appears that traditional gender roles continue to affect

the use of family-friendly policies at work.

Jick TD, Mitz LF (1985) 44 Workplace stress is a major problem and it has been suggested that

gender may be an important demographic characteristic to consider in the experience of stress.

37
Women who are responsible for elder care suggest that employed women cut back on work, miss

overtime opportunities, or turn down new job opportunities to fulfill their care giving duties

Bond et al., (1998); Franklin, Ames, & King, 1994; Gibeau & Anastas, (1989)45.

It is also worth noting that women’s occupation includes both their paid employment and unpaid

domestic labor and that combined effects of the two influence women’s health Arber & Lahelma,

(1993) 46.

Two important issues in adult life are family and work. However, the role expectations of these

two domains are sometimes incompatible and lead to work-family interference Netmeyer, Boles,

& McMurrian,( 1996)47,

Gutek et al. (1991)48 determined that working long hours may interfere with family obligations

and responsibilities and as a result may lead to work-to-family interference, or parental

responsibilities may interfere with job obligations and create family-to-work interference.

Linda Mcdowell49, Department of Geography, University College London, and London WC1 H

OAP, UK) Says that “Work-life balance is meaningful achievement and enjoyment in everyday

life.” The primary way companies can help facilitate work-life balance for their employee is

through work-life programs and training. Achievement and enjoyment at work is a critical part of

anyone’s work-life balance.

38
Jane Lewis, 2002 50, Work-life balance remains a profoundly gendered issue. He has argued that

rising levels of female labour force participation do not necessarily signal gender equality if

women are being drawn into the labour market on men’s terms. The discredited male

breadwinner household model may increasingly be superseded by the ‘adult worker model’, yet

the new model is premised on an essentially masculine understanding of the labour process

O’Toole and Lawler, 2006.51, stated that the work life balance is associated with women because

it became a more prominent issue when women began entering the workforce in large numbers.

The level of work life balance was not significantly different foe men or women overall when

generation was not considered. They suggests that the work life issues for men and women are

more complicated and need to be examined along with other factors such as age and generation.

Greenhaus and Singh (2003)52 Work-family stress is a specific type of stress that results from

work-family conflicts, have defined work-family conflict as “simultaneous pressures from the

work and family domains that are mutually incompatible in some respect such that meeting the

demands of one role makes it difficult to meet the demands of the other role”

(Hammer & Thompson, 2003)53 Inter role conflict results when the demands associated with one

role (e.g., work or family) are incompatible with the demands of another role

Bird and Schnurman-Crook (2005)54 studied work-family stress among dual-career couples and

found that women and men were aware of the benefits of a successful career for themselves and

family (e.g., finances, modeling, self respect), but there were gender differences in the perceived

benefits. For example, men were more likely than women to emphasize the financial benefits of

39
their career. In addition to differences in perceived benefits, there is evidence of gender

differences in levels of distress experienced in relation to work-family stress.

Frankenhaeuser et al55 have examined the physiological impact of work and home stressors on

women. James et al. reported that for employed women, being married was associated with

higher diastolic blood pressure while at work, and having children was associated with higher

systolic and diastolic blood pressure at home. Similarly, Blumenthal et al56 Found that among

employed, mildly hypertensive women, married women had higher ambulatory blood pressure

than single women.

Kapur (1974)57 indicated that women who choose to combine marriage with career face almost a

situation of normlessness and they hardly know how to apportion time and resources between

these two major responsibilities. This makes them experience great conflict, tension and strain.

Mr.Pratik Kumar executive Vice-President, Human Resources, Wipro Ltd. Chennai , Oct. 19
to

,(2006 ) said Wipro Technologies Ltd will strengthen focus on employee training over the

next two quarters. The company has linked all its centres through satellite and has also started

labs to train employees in role-specific areas and domain expertise. "We will emphasise on role

specific training - through in-house courses and by tying up with universities," said Mr Kumar.

The company has tied up with Stanford University to offer a program manager course.

Gilbert (1979) 59 also reported that women who assumed home roles (e.g.wife, mother and a

home maker) and nonhome roles (e.g. employee) frequently experienced conflict between

40
competing role demands. Conflicts were considered likely when women perceived their home

and career roles as highly desirable but mutually exclusive.

Emmons (1990) 60 who reported that disproportionate share of household and child care

responsibilities in working mothers resulted in home and work responsibilities being placed in

opposition to one another and hence leading to role conflict

Milkie and Peltola (1999)61 examined a number of different quantitative (e.g., number of work

hours) and qualitative (e.g., marital satisfaction, tradeoffs made between work and family)

variables in predicting women’s versus men’s reports of success in balancing work and family

demands. Their results revealed that longer work hours predicted lack of balance among men but

was only marginally significant among women. Reports of work demands leading to sacrifices in

family were related to reports of imbalance among women. Finally, marital dissatisfaction was a

predictor of imbalance among both men and women.

Studies on Career Progress on Stress Management and the various Policies and Stress Management

Strategies Followed in IT Sector

Bird and Schnurman -Crook (2005) studied work-family stress among dual-career couples and

found that women and men were aware of the benefits of a winning career for themselves and

family (e.g., finances, modeling, self respect), but there were gender differences in the perceived

benefits. For example, men were more likely than women to emphasize the financial benefits of

their career. In addition to differences in perceived benefits, there is evidence of gender

differences in levels of distress experienced in relation to work-family stress.

41
Combining the roles of mother, partner, and employee is likely to be detrimental to women’s

health (Chandola et al, 2004; Fokkema, 2002; Khlat et al., 2000; Lahelma et ah, 2002;

Martikainen, 1995) 63. This is because women have to cope with conflicting demands and

expectations associated with parental, marital, and employment roles, and this may lead to stress

and ill health With respect to career development and achievement, the pressures associated with

starting, developing and maintaining a career, a mismatch in expectations, feeling undervalued

and frustration in attaining a sense of achievement are all common ‘career stressors’ (Sutherland

and Cooper, 2000)64.

Cooper et al., 2001 65 Changes in family structures, increased participation by women in the

workforce, and technological changes that enable job tasks to be performed in a variety of

locations have blurred the boundaries between work and home life, and this in turn has created

the potential for conflict to occur between on-the-job and off-the-job roles.

Management role of an organization is one of the aspects that affect work-related stress among

workers (Alexandros-Stamatios et. al., 2003) €6. Also argued that “factors intrinsic to the job”

means explore workload, variety of tasks and rates of pay.

The ultimate results of this pressure have been found to one of the important factors influencing

job stress in their work (Chan et al., 2000)61. A study in UK indicated that the majority of the

workers were unhappy with the current culture where they were required to work extended hours

and cope with large workloads while simultaneously meeting production targets and deadlines

(Townley, 2000)68.

42
Paterson (1978)69 confirmed that the job taken by women created more conflicting situations for

them due to dual role played and inability to tolerate the whole burden.

Gerson’s categorization. Gerson’s (1985)70 study of life career patterns among women from

different socioeconomic groups and Lee’s (1994) study of professional women were both

concerned with the sustaining of orientation towards family and work. Gerson’s (1985)

categorization is based on the comparison of early aspiration and later choice.

Lee’s (1994)71 categorization of professional women was built on the basis of three dimensions:

timing of childbirth, involvement in childcare and family, and involvement in paid work. The six

patterns she delineated encompass the sustaining or changing of early career orientation, as well

as different ways of combining career and family involvement.

Recently, career development patterns have been found to play a role in individuals’ health and

wellbeing, with respect to, for example, longevity, allostatic load, job satisfaction, satisfaction

with career advancement, and life satisfaction (e.g., Jepsen and Choudhuri, 2001 72; Kinnuen,

Kaprio, & Pulkkinen, 2005 73; O’Neil, Bilimora & Saatcioglu, 200474; Pavalko, Elder, & Clipp,

1993)75.

Work life policies are very important and defined as the base level indicators of an organization,

prioritizing work over family or family over work (Thompson, Andreassi, & Prottas, 2005)76.

43
These policies include flexible work scheduling and leave of employees from work (Noor, 2009)

11. Work life policies are one of the major considerations for organizations because friendly

policies are an important factor to reduce turnover (Valcour & Batt 2003) .

In 2008, Yu 79 found that work life balance policies are positively associated with the job tenure

of the female employees, and moreover the practices of such policies have a great effect on the

turnover rate of employees. Work-life balance policies help in reducing the stress and provide a

good work place where, there is less chance of accidents in the working and also provide a fair

platform for every employee, ultimately enhancing productivity (Yasbek, 2004) .

01

According to Thompson, et al. (2005) organizations take into consideration and apply policies

that manage a balance between employees work and their lives. Therefore the organizations are

giving an increased intention to adopt those policies which can reduce the turnover of employees

(Horn & Kinicki, 2001)82.

Bashir and Ramay (2008) 83 have also found an increasing importance of implementing such

friendly policies. Now a day’s, companies are more aware about the work life balance and

implementation of friendly policies (Yasbek, 2004) because complex and additional working

hours increase the stress and turnover intention among employees (Ling & Phillips, 2006)84.

According to Forsyth and Polzer - Debruyne (2007)85, when employees feel that organization is

supportive and providing them work life balance it enhances job satisfaction and reduces work

pressure leading to reduction in turnover intention.

44
Harshpinder and Aujla (2001) 86 investigated the different physical stress management

techniques utilized by women. Results showed that working women were making more use of

writing dairy, standard furniture and high fiber diet as compared to non working women. The

two groups did not differ significantly in the use of other techniques.

Aujla et al. (2004) investigated to analyze the different stress management techniques used by

75 working women and 75 non working women of Ludhiana city. Results showed that majority

of the respondents in both the categories were using various stress management techniques viz.

relaxation, music, prayer, recreation with family, planning etc. Planning and relaxation were

most preferred techniques among both the groups.

QO

Sikthingnanavel (2006) explored the effect of select yogic practices on stress of working

women of 15 normal female volunteers. The suitable parameters were used before and after 10

days training programme. The results show that there is a greater improvement in the reduction

of stress in the experimental group than the control group.

An effective work-life balance strategy is not simply about complying with the law. It is finding

out about employees needs and priorities and considering how they can be met in ways that are

consistent with the needs of the business. Employers are increasingly concerned to protect their

reputation and ^employer brand*. Work-life balance policies are an important way for employers

to identify their commitment to quality of life and social responsibility (Clutter Buck, David,

2003)89.

45
In a study conducted by (ONS) office of National Statistics on managers in UK regarding work

life balance of employees was damaging their health and relationship with children and spouse.

It was found by (ONS) that most of the couples are not spending time together. An average

British couple spends just 15 minutes a day with each other. (Wheatley, 2004)90

Layne, Hohenshil & Singh (2001) 91 found a significant relationship between gender and

occupational stress. This positive relationship shows that employees intend to leave their

organization when they feel stress at their jobs. Thus it is the responsibility of organization to

design such strategies that reduce the stress level of employees. In this case job redesign and a

management program can be helpful to decrease job stressors including lack of autonomy, work

overload, insufficient work authority and time urgency which lead to turnover (Lee, et al.,

2007)92.

On the other hand if employees feel that management has designed and implemented work life

policies they show less intention towards leaving the organization. In case of work life balance

employees seem more satisfied when they work in a work condition, work hours, shift and work

schedule which is according to their preference (Omer, 2010)93. So it can be said that work life

programs can be significantly helpful to increase morale of employees, decrease absenteeism and

retain organizational knowledge (Lockwood, 2003)94. Further more work life practices improve

recruitment and retention as well as reduce work life conflicts of employees (Beauregard &

Henry, 2009)95

46
Lim and Teo (1999)96 identified through surveys and interviews the key factors at the workplace

which generate stress among 308 information technology (IT) personnel in Singapore. They

suggested that factors which generate stress can be grouped into 4 broad categories as Lack of

career advancement related to the problem of high rate of employee turnover. Work overload

resulting in spillover of workload at home and guilt and dissatisfaction for being less attentive to

family, Risk taking and decision making consisting of fear of making mistakes and Employee

morale & organizational culture related to a lack of participation in decisions affecting their

work, undue blame for machine failure and difficulty in team work considering the fluid and

noninvolved nature of work.

Khetarpal & G. Kochar, 2006 97, Role stress is the stress experienced by the persons because of

their role (job) in the organization. They believe a role based on the expectation of the self and

others at work place. The family members try to adjust their roles within the family and a change

is being felt in their attitudes. The present study was an attempt to provide a protective and

positive approach to women experiencing stress at work and at home to find out the level of role

stress and to identify key role stressors, the OSI inventory by A.K Srivastava was used. It was

found that majority of women (40%) were under moderately low level of stress followed by 36%

women who reported moderately high level of stress. Women experiencing very high or low

stress are 12 % in each case. The key stressors which affect maximum number of women are

Poor Peer Relations, Intrinsic Impoverishment and Under-participation.

Azizi Yahaya, Noordin Yahaya, Kamariah Arshad, Jasmi Ismail, Saini Jaalam and Zurihanmi
QO

Zakariya, 2009 , The aim of this study is to find out the causes of occupational stress within the

47
organization and the implication on job satisfaction and intention to leave and absenteeism. The

finding showed that occupational stress does not have direct effect on intention to leave and

absenteeism but have direct negative effect on job satisfaction. Job satisfaction has negative

effect on intention to leave and absenteeism. Some recommendation needed to be applied by

management to reduce the number of turnover. First organization need to increase job

satisfaction by reducing occupational stress. By reducing stress companies can reduce the level

of intentional to leave and absenteeism.

Jennifer M. Kohler,David C. Munz and Mathew J. Grawitch, 2006," The present study

operationalized and tested a dynamic stress model for organizational change, including the

interaction effect of sex on the model, on 804 employees at five VA medical centers. The model,

an adaptation of Mack, Nelson, and Quick’s (1998) model included: the amount of

organizational change within job role, work relationships, job context, facility, and career;

uncertainty and challenge appraisal; perceived stress; and control and avoidance coping. Control

coping emerged as a more adaptive strategy than avoidance coping for both males and females.

They should be given flexible work hours, timetable and should be engaged in the decision

making of work life policies because employees’ engagement as well as commitment and

support from the management helps to motivate the employees which in turn increases their

intent to remain with the organization (Ongori, 2007) 10°.

Call centers’ working environment and the way these are managed has resulted in high level of

stress which in turn resulted in absenteeism and turnover (Hillmer et al., 2004)101. In recent years

48
workplace stress has become a common problem for human resource managers (Avey, Luthans

& Jensen, 2009)102. It is necessary for the successful working of organizations that their

employees must be happy and satisfied with them thus organizations need to provide work life

policies and reduce stress at work.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

Stress can occur in all occupations for any one at any level. The failure to achieve one's goals,

the search for personal fulfillment and meaning in life, dissatisfaction of the worker - is the sort

of global issue that have been included in the concept of stress. Each person has an outline of

needs that are relevant to his or her performance on the job. At the same time, each job often by

its very nature and at times because of organizational structure has a chance of satisfying certain

needs and not others. When the job needs of the worker and the need fulfilling properties of the

job are closely related. Stress is less likely to occur. When they are different, stress is likely to

occur. Thus, stress is the result of a 'misfit between a person's skills and abilities and demands of

the job and a misfit in terms of a person's needs supplied by the job environments (French,

Rogers & Cobb 19711. In India, in most of the so-called bureaucratic organizations, the

problems mentioned as stress causing are red tape, paper work and communication problems,

because administrative power is centralized. It is only in one person’s hand and he makes

decisions, while the focal person has to abide by these decisions. If this results in hindering task

achievement the focal person experiences stress. Next, the administrative influence in a work

environment is often transmitted via rules, regulations and policy influences. All three when in

excess produce stress. The more senseless the rules and regulations and the more arbitrary the

policy, the more the stress. Another important variable which gives rise to stress is the perceived

49
level of participation in translational policy and decision - making. Not having the opportunity to

participate in decisions that affect one's work may cause stress. From the above discussions, it is

clear that stresses may arise because of structural factors of the organization, job factors and

perceptions of the main person of his role set members and of his own 'self. The stress also gives

rise to organizational consequences. The present study is not only aimed at investigating the

above variables In relation to organisational stress, but also, to -identify the significant coping

strategies adopted to manage the stress effectively

Research Problem:

One of the most main resources is manpower..In an organization, there is nothing more crucial

than Managing stress among the working employees and to expand the women workforce at all

management levels in the IT industry, Enable women to tread the career path by equipping them

with necessary skills, Facilitate women's quest for a better ‘work - life' balance in IT Sector.

Everyone experiences stress, whether it is within the family, business, organization, study, work,

or any other social or economical activity. Thus in modem time, stress in general and job stress

in particular has become a part of the life and has received considerable attention in recent years.

Internal and external factors have contributed to increase stress in almost all occupations.

Changing environment, new technologies, changing policies, change from public to private

organization, downsizing in organizations, increase in shifts; they are all causing stress on

employees. So to overcome this, there is another option Stress Management, which is a

conscious, deliberate approach undertaken to understand, Reduce, develop various strategies and

manage workplace stress. Organizations need to have a vision and a well defined strategy on

stress management.

50
Objectives of the Study:

1. To identify the factors causing work place stress and examine the consequences among

women employees in IT Industry

2. To study various training programs adopted by the IT companies for women employees.

3. To examine the significance of work-life balance and job stress among women in IT

Industry

4. To study the workplace stress in relation to career progress.

5. To study the various organizational policies for privileged women employees

6. To study various stress management strategies adopted by IT Industry

Hypotheses of the Study:

• HI: Work place stress has greater influence on the marital status of women in IT

Industry.

• H2: Training program has significant influence on reducing stress

• H3: Job stress has Significance influence on work-life balance in relation to the type of

the family.

• H4: Organizational policies will increase the stress levels of employees

• H5: Workplace stress has negative impact on career progress

• H6: Stress Management strategies will reduce the stress levels and improve the

productivity.

51
Scope of the Study:

The scope of the study is wide from a concept point of view, because it covers major aspects of

‘’’stress management among women employees of IT Industry. However, from an empirical

point of view, the scope of the study is narrow. On the aspects of stress management strategies,

policies the study confines to Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. The study explores stress

management practices followed in the select IT sectors in Hyderabad. The present study is

confined to identify the factors causing work place stress and examine the consequences among

women employees in IT Industry' and identified only seven workplace stress related attributes,

viz., ‘factors causing workplace stress, consequences of workplace stress , training programmes

designed to reduce workplace stress ’, ‘work-life balance, career development, policies that

support women employees ’and‘ stress management strategies.

RESEARCH DESIGN

The present study is exploratory in nature, i.e. to explore the stress management strategies

followed in IT sectors. Primary data for the study was collected from the women employees of

IT sectors in India. Four Software companies have been selected from Hyderabad by using a

Stratified Random Sampling method. 400 Respondents are considered for the study were

employees from the Executive cadres of the organizations (TCS - 90, Infosys - 90, Wipro - 100

and Cognizant - 120), covering Category level employees of select IT sectors. Researcher took

great care to ensure that the samples were suitably random and as representative as possible by

selecting the respondents from different departments and divisions within each stratum.

52
 TABLE NO: 2.1

DEMOGRAPHIC DETAILS

Single Married Married with Child Total

Respondents(400)

Marital Status 145 129 125 400

18-25 79 61 10 150
Age Group 26-35 63 55 86 204
36-55 3 13 29 45
Inter 0 0 0 0
UG 97 91 35 223
Education PG 48 38 90 176
Nuclear 103 78 67 248
Family
Joint 42 51 58 151
IT 83 108 62 253
Occupation
BPO 62 21 63 146
entry 64 66 46 176
Designation Middle 78 59 73 210
Top 3 6 5 14
>1 yr 31 15 2 48
2-4 yrs 97 53 26 176
Experience
4-6 yrs 13 55 28 96
<6yrs 4 6 69 79
TCS 32 35 23 90
Infosys 34 31 25 90
Companies
Wipro 38 36 26 100
Cognizant 52 45 23 120
79 61 10 150

Among 400 Women employees 145 are single, 129 are Married & 125 are married with child.

Out of 129 single respondents 103 are from nuclear & 42 of them are from joint families. Out of

400 women respondents 253 are from IT Sector and 146 of them are from BPO Sector 176 out of

400 are at entry level, 210 are middle level employees and 14 are top level women employees.48

women employees are having less than 1 year Experience, 176 have 2-4 years and96 of them

have 4-6 years & 79 of them are having more than 6 years of experience. Four Companies are

selected for the research study 90 employees from TCS, 90 from Infosys, Wipro 100 Employees

120 from Cognizant are taken.

53
Data used for the Study:

The study uses Primary and Secondary sources of data for the purpose of collection of primary

data. The Researcher used both questionnaire method and unstructured interview method.

The interview questions were framed to detect the participants’ experience and outcome

by storytelling - describing some strategic issues they encountered and how they were dealt

within their organizations. The main aim was to probe participants’ experience in terms of the

constructs, premises, presumptions, presuppositions and practices that drive what and how

strategic decisions were made and implemented in their organizations.

For the Category level women employee^ questionnaire method was administered.

QUESTIONNAIRE
l

The first part of the questionnaire will consist of Nine screening questions covering the

Respondent’s Marital Status , Age, Income, Education, Family, Employment status, Occupation,

Designation, and Experience.

The second part of the questionnaire included items about the workplace stress factors,

Consequences of workplace stress. Full Range Training Programs, Work life balance , Career

Development Opportunities and the policies followed by the organizations and stress

management strategies and what they have felt.

The stressors will be further broken down into parts and participants will be asked, using a

numerical scale, to indicate their responses concerning the workplace stressors identified in the

previous question. The questionnaire will also seek to gauge participants' interests in

participating in an employee assistance programme.

54
By this questionnaire, the Researcher tried to find out the effectiveness of such stress

management initiative as well as the strategies that help various levels of the employees,

consisting of 400 respondents (TCS - 90, Infosys - 90, Wipro - 100 and Cognizant - 120),

covering Category level employees of select IT and BPO sectors, and questionnaire consists of

60 Questions. The Researcher aimed at exploring the contribution of these stress Management

Attributes, viz., workplace stress factors. Consequences of workplace stress. Training Programs,

Work life Balance, Career Development Opportunities and stress management policies and

strategies followed by the organizations. Finally the respondents will be asked to indicate

whether their organizations have a stress management policy at work and whether their job

descriptions identify potential stressful pressures.

Sampling Method:

By using a Stratified Random Sampling method, Four (4) IT companies have been selected in the

first stage. The second stage consists of selecting the women Employees from the select

companies, and finally on a random basis 30% of the respondents are selected from the above IT

companies.

Data Collection:

This section consists of Geographical coverage and Method of collecting the Data.

GEOGRAPHICAL COVERAGE: Keeping in view the cost, time and effort drawn in for the study,

only one state has been selected for the study. It was finalized that the study be conducted in

Hyderabad for the exploration of stress Management among women employees in IT Sector and

Respondents were chosen from Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad and the companies are as follows:

TCS, Infosys, COGNIZANT and Wipro .

55
Method of Collecting the Data

For exploring the contribution of stress management among women employees in IT sector of

present study, 400 women employees of the select IT companies were selected and questionnaire

was circulated among the employees at the participant’s work place, some at cabs where they

travel, some at private places, e.g., at the participant’s get-to-gather parties and on weekends at

their friend’s places, etc. The questionnaire which included 60 questions of nine Stress

Management attributes workplace stress factors, Consequences of workplace stress. Full Range

Training Programs, Work life balance, Career Development Opportunities and the policies

followed by the organizations and stress management strategies.

Respondent’s perceptions were investigated through a self-administered questionnaire which

included different pattern of questions, as shown in Table 2.1 below:

TABLE NO: 2.1

Type of questions Used in research

Number of questions Type of Question

Nine questions about respondents Demographic information

Thirty questions are Bipolar questions (Yes/No)

Remaining questions are based on Three-point

and Five-point Likert’s scale

The scaling pattern was also explained. The responses were collected for all the questions, and

the ratings noted down carefully. Any doubts regarding the questions or ratings were clarified

immediately. The data collection took place during the year 20011. Interviews were taken before

the interview began. Participant’s were informed of the tenets of strategic stress management to

56
ensure that the experiences they described were related to issues of a stress management nature

and not confined to day-to-day operational matters.

STATISTICAL TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES USED IN THE STUDY:

For analyzing the primary data, statistical tools have been used in the Research Study, which

included the following: 1. Chi-square test; 2. Factor analysis The SPSS software package 17

version has been used for the purpose of analysis.

Secondary Data Collection Methods

HR Policies, Procedures for women employees ,Organization’s Stress Management Systems

(SMS),Employee Satisfaction Surveys conducted by the Organization and survey consultants,

Innovative HR Practice, White Papers of the companies, National and International Journals.

Women forum details and process

To sum up, qualitative research methodology was in use in order to attain the objectives of the

study, to interpret the results of the situation and to understand the reality working behind the

responses of the respondents.

Assumptions of the Study

A number of important underlying Assumptions of the present study include the following:

o It is assumed that the present research is consistent with recent research in the

area of Stress management (Ph.D. thesis of JAYASHREE NAYAK 2008);

o The research objectives mentioned in the study can be meaningfully examined in

a cross sectional analysis.

57
 o Stress management becomes highly Important as Stress is inevitable /

unavoidable, when large amount of work is expected beyond the capacities of the

worker and work has to be performed keeping in view the set deadlines and stress

management spreads to all levels of the organization;

o The number of the sample population was willing to participate in the research

study; and

o The survey tool schedule is a meaningful method for gathering the range of data

needed to answer the hypothesis.

LIMITATION OF THE STUDY:

The present study explores workplace stress in the select IT sectors in India. The contribution of

only four workplace stress related attributes, viz., workplace stress factors ,consequences,

training programs, career development, work life balance and policies and strategies have been

explored. However, it is pertinent to understand the limitations of the present study, which are as

follows:

• Limited Geographical Coverage

• Study is limited to few IT companies.

• Study covered only women employees.

In this study, only a select IT companies have been covered. The stress management factors for

these companies have been analyzed.. The study has included only IT enabling services. As a

result of this, many characteristics of other business companies could not be captured in the

study. This is another limitation of the study.

58
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