Chapter 5

Stress Management
 Chapter introduction

• In today’s changing and competitive work environment, stress level is

increasing both in the workers as well as the managers.
• As a result of this work stress, more and more managers are showing signs
of chronic fatigue and burnout.
• Research has concluded that stressed out managers are not good for their
companies or shareholders.
• In most cases, stress leads to reduced efficiency in even the best of
individuals, which in turn leads to reduced productivity.
• Stress is a problem in almost all the countries of the world, irrespective of
whether the economy is strong or weak.
• Therefore, it become very essential to include “work stress” as one of the
Chapter in studying human behavior, because we must know what is
actually stress, what are the causes of stresses , what are its
consequences and then, what should be done to reduce it.
 Chapter learning objectives

On completion of this Chapter you will able to:

• Managing Work-Life balance
• Understand different types s of stress
• Mapping the causes and effects of stress
• Evaluating your stress levels and dealing with stress positively
• Learn about the sources and symptoms of different types of
stress
 Chapter Content

• Concept of stress
• Understanding sources of stress and its consequences
• Stress management strategies
• Implications for performance and satisfaction
 Discussion Questions

• What is Stress ?
• Do you ever stressed?
• Why?
• Is Stress important?
 Definition
• Stress is the experience of opportunities or threats that
people perceive as important and also perceive they
might not be able to handle or deal with effectively.
– It can be experienced b/c of both opportunities & threats.
– the threat or opportunity experienced has the potential to
affect a person's well-being or the extent to which someone
is happy, healthy, or prosperous.
– uncertainty:-the person who is experiencing an important
opportunity or threat is not sure that he or she can
effectively deal with it.
– stress is rooted in perception
 The Importance of Studying Stress
• Stress can have damaging psychological and physiological
effects on employees’ health and on their contributions to
organizational effectiveness.
• Stress is a major cause of employee absenteeism and
turnover.
• A stressed employee can affect the safety of other workers
or even the public.
• Stress represents a significant cost to organizations.
– Many modern organizations spend a great deal of money treating
stress-related employee problems through medical programs, and
they must absorb expensive legal fees when handling stress-related
lawsuits.
 Sources of Stress/stressors
• Job-related factors /organizational stressors
– Task demands …. design of a job (autonomy, task
variety, degree of automation), working conditions, and
the physical work layout
– Role demands …. Role conflicts /Role overload /Role
ambiguity
– Interpersonal demands ….are pressures created by
other employees.
• Lack of social support from colleagues and poor interpersonal
relationships can cause considerable stress, especially among
employees with a high social need.
 Sources of Stress/stressors
• Job-related factors /organizational stressors
– Organization structure ……
• Excessive rules
• an employee’s lack of opportunity to participate in
decisions that affect him
– Organizational leadership …
• represents the supervisory style of the organization’s
managers.
 Sources of Stress/stressors
• Personal factors….include
– family issues,
– personal economic problems, and
– inherent personality characteristics.
– personality traits ….
 Consequences of Stress
High Levels
of Stress

Physiological Psychological Behavioral

Symptoms Symptoms Symptoms
 Symptoms of stress
• Physical-
– Changes in metabolism, increased heart and breathing rates,
raised blood pressure, headaches, and potential of heart
attacks.
• Psychological-
– Job-related dissatisfaction, tension, anxiety, irritability,
dullness, and procrastination.
• Behavioral-
– Changes in productivity, absenteeism, job turnover, changes
in eating habits, increased smoking or consumption of
alcohol, rapid speech, fidgeting, and sleep disorders.
 How can stress be reduced?
• individual strategies and
• organizational levels strategies
 How can stress be reduced?
• Individual Strategies
– Setting up of objective for self
– Plan your life…plan various aspects of life as is possible
– Social Support
– Physical Fitness
– Biofeedback…is the human ability to bring some of the
bodily functions under voluntary control.
– Yoga
– Meditation
– Time management
– Live a simple Life
 How can stress be reduced?
• Organizational Level Strategies
– Organizational goals must be in realms of achievement.
• Too much high goals not only put the employees under undue stress but
also creates unhealthy work environment.
– Organizational polices should be clearly defined with particular
reference to training and development, promotion, leave, wages
and salary administration, discipline, incentives, etc.
– Authority and responsibility must be clearly defined by setting
up reporting channels. Principle of unity of command should be
adhered to.
– Organizational structure, redesigning of jobs and improved
communication reduces stress.
 How can stress be reduced?
• Organizational Level Strategies
– Corporate policies, physical work environment should
be suitable for higher productivity.
– An updated systems and processes increase efficiency.
– Management must create a healthy working
environment.
– Career plan for mangers must be developed and
implemented in letter and spirit.
– Nothing discourages employees as bad developmental
programmes.
– Employees must be empowered.
 End of Chapter Five

Thank You!

06/22/2023 17