COURSE: RESEARCH ANALYTICS IN BUSINESS

TOPIC TITLE: RESEARCH REPORT

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Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 3

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW......................................................................................................... 3

BACKGROUND ...................................................................................................................................... 3

AIM ........................................................................................................................................................... 3

RESEARCH QUESTION ............................................................................................................................. 4

HYPOTHESES ......................................................................................................................................... 4

LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................................. 4

DATA ANALYSIS ....................................................................................................................................... 5

DATA COLLECTION ............................................................................................................................. 5

ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................................... 5

CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................. 7

RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................................................................................. 7

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................. 9

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 WORK STRESS

INTRODUCTION

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

A telemarketing company “ABC” operates six days a week with more than 30 young

employees who work full-time to accommodate their living. Their work process involves

strategic plans for telemarketing campaigns, coordination with operational components,

designing attractive scripts for customers, decisions regarding various policies, and other

activities like analysis after feedback of clients. The working hours are from 9 AM till 6 PM.

BACKGROUND

Amidst the chaotic duties of the employees, their work stress has increased a great deal.

This has been analyzed through the fact that the morale of current employees is down, they are

usually seen tired and agitated, and so they are discouraged which has resulted in less

performance. As a result, the turnover has increased and overall productivity at the workplace

has diminished.

AIM

This paper will analyze the reasons of work stress prevailing in the ABC Company

through a systematic study. It will further propose effective solutions to the organization in order

to eradicate work stress and increase the job satisfaction of employees. This will not only assist

the performance of employees, but also prove to be a source of boosting the overall

organizational productivity.

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 RESEARCH QUESTION

This study revolves around the query that “What are the root causes of stress at workplace?”

HYPOTHESES

H1: Heavy workload has increased the stress level of employees

H2: Lack of leadership skills of employers has resulted in work stress of employees

H3: Work environment affects the stress levels of workers

LITERATURE REVIEW

Analyzing the responses of employees in-depth, it is observed that they are undergoing

work stress a great deal. High levels of stress and workload with long lasting work hours are

usually considered as ‘burnout’ factor; a job of monotonous nature is similarly troublesome.

(Stahl, 2020). Too much stress over a long period leads to workplace burnout. This eventually

results in decreased performance and eventually the workforce. (Kohll, 2018). Significant

alterations have been observed at workplaces regarding practices of employment which mainly

include over-time duties, obligations of vacant positions etc. These factors of heavy work load

increase stress levels of the employees which results in adverse effects of mental health i.e.

chronic job stress. (Simons & Swanberg, 2009).

Ensuring the existence of a satisfactory work environment is usually ignored by the

organizations despite the fact of acknowledgment at the first place. (Rossberg, Eiring, & Friis,

2004). It clearly explains that just acknowledgement of this essential factor is not the only

requirement but implementation is exceptionally important. Poor working conditions result in

psychological dissatisfaction and discomfort of the workers (Basel, 2021) resulting in stress. To

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create an internal influence, the leader should interact well with his followers (Chen, Zheng,

Yang, & Bai, 2016), go out of the way to assist, understand, empathize, and enhance the best

version of that person. . The employees whose employers are less affectionate are more likely to

be under pressure and hesitation. It has been claimed and proven that leadership is a source of

uplift in innovation and orientation of employees (Samsir, 2018).

DATA ANALYSIS

DATA COLLECTION

Data type Qualitative study (questionnaires)

Research type It is an explanatory research which aims to

study the causes of work stress in the ABC

Company

Unit of Analysis Employees of the ABC Company

Longitudinal Study Looking for changes over time

Variables Heavy workload, working conditions/

environment, and effect of leadership

ANALYSIS

According to the responses recorded, these were the key points highlighted that explained the

major causes of work stress of employees:

• Heavy work load and exhausting work hours with little or no break sometimes

• Work from home seemed better

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 • The environment appeared conservative as there was little interaction among everyone

• The work-life wasn't supporting the lifestyle one looked for regardless of an impressive

income along with bonuses this organization provided

• Every day proved to be tiresome and it adversely affected personal time as well

• The work pressure was affecting mental well-being

• The working conditions were not impressive and caused discomfort

Analyzing the responses of employees in-depth, it is observed that they are undergoing work

stress a great deal. The fact that the company they’re working at is unable to make them feel

relaxed and comfortable, has reduced their potential performance and caused many of them to

eventually quit and look for another job. The topmost reason recorded was heavy load of work

which assists H1 of this study. Most of the responses reflected the fact that the element of 'fun

and excitement is lacking a lot at the organization’ and complained regarding the poor and

uncomfortable working conditions (H3 verified). In addition to this, they felt stressed even after

completing the daily job and exiting the workplace. This job affected their individual lives

adversely too. Upon inquiring regarding the leadership behaviors, they seemed quite satisfied

with that aspect which rejects H2 in this study. Rather, it can be said that “The employers have

been unable to create a workplace environment that influences a stress-free and comfortable

work-life balance for its employees”. Too much stress over a long period leads to workplace

burnout. If specifically this weak area is focused and worked upon, prominent positive results

will be observed within the organization. The employees will be free of stress and satisfied with

their job.

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 CONCLUSION

This telemarketing company was undergoing through some serious work stress problem. The

resolution of this trouble was not being focused upon due to the inability of interpreting the

reasons causing it. The only factor keeping back the workers was income and bonus incentives

that the company had for them to offer. Other than that, there was a lot of stress built up within.

To tackle these problems, the first and foremost essential step was to examine previous studies

and then hear what the employees had to say. After noting all the troubles the employees were

facing, it was concluded that the employees were severely suffering through stress in their lives

due to this job. They complained about the workplace environment as too boring and

conservative. The importance of a happy workplace environment was clear. The essential work-

life balance and its worth in today’s world were also notably focused on. Worth mentioning is

the heavy work load causing burnout among the employees.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1) Accommodation of life events is essential and so it should be taken into consideration.

Any emergency should be allowed to work from home.

2) Effective distribution of tasks must be made for efficient “division of labor” thus

ensuring target achievement and expertise utilization of employees.

3) An occupational psychologist should be hired for a month on trial basis who will

undertake the responsibility of motivating the employees. He/she will provide customer

service tips, advise on stress management at work, identify abilities, develop potential

and arrange motivational workshops in the common room for employees.

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4) For better health and relaxation, yoga and exercise for a short duration must be arranged

in the afternoon.

5) A coffee machine should be arranged in the common room. Studies suggest that

consuming caffeine can help promote less stress, creativity, concentration, and even

prevent workplace accidents. (Auffermann, 2018).

6) A ‘Social Day’ must be arranged at the end of every month where the employers and

employees will get together. It should not be necessarily so fancy and expensive. It will

be just a working day off for interaction among colleagues.

7) Unlimited Paid Time Off opportunity should also be given a chance to see the results.

8) A complete examination of physical working environment should be made for renovation

resulting in alterations to make the organization more comfortable and pleasing to work

in.

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REFERENCES

Auffermann, K. (2018). Are Workers “Too Busy” For Coffee?

Basel. (2021). Leveraging the Work Environment to Minimize the Negative Impact of Nurse Burnout on
Patient Outcomes. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , 610.

Chen, L., Zheng, W., Yang, B., & Bai, S. (2016). Transformational leadership, social capital and
organizational innovation. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 843-859.

Kohll, A. (2018, March 27). The Evolving Definition Of Work-Life Balance. Retrieved April 13, 2021,
from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alankohll/2018/03/27/the-evolving-definition-of-
work-life-balance/?sh=34d4c3e09ed3

Rossberg, J., Eiring, O., & Friis, S. (2004). Work environment and job satisfaction: A psychometric
evaluation of the Working Environment Scale-10. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric
Epidemiology, 576- 580.

Samsir, S. (2018). The effect of leadership orientation on innovation and its relationship with competitive
advantages of small and medium enterprises in Indonesia. International Journal of Law and
Management, 530-542.

Simons, L., & Swanberg, J. (2009). Psychosocial work environment and depressive symptoms among US
workers: comparing working poor and working non-poor. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric
Epidemiology, 628- 635.

Stahl, A. (2020, March 10). Workplace Burnout: Here’s What’s Causing It (And How To Avoid It).
Retrieved April 13, 2021, from Forbes:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystahl/2020/03/10/workplace-burnout-heres-whats-causing-it-
and-how-to-avoid-it/?sh=77a4c5a2178d