Stress Management in workplace

What is Stress ?

Stress is ‘‘the adverse reaction that people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them’’

HSE 2008

‘‘the feeling of being under too much mental or emotional pressure’’

NHS 2010

“An unpleasant emotional situation that we experience when requirements (work-related or not) cannot be counter-balanced with our ability to resolve them”.

Halkos and Bousinakis 2010

Causes of (work-related) stress

1. Factors intrinsic to the Job Working Condition Work hours and load Relationship at work

2. The role in the organisation Role ambiguity Role conflict Degree of responsibility (Arnold

2005, p.395-410)

Other Causes of (work-related) stress

Home-to-Work InterfaceLack of participation in decision makingLack of administrative supportPunishment centred philosophy or unfair disciplineExistence of bureaucracyIncreased workloadInadequate resources to meet work demands

(Buker and Wiecko 2007)

EFFECTS OF STRESS ON EMPLOYEE’S HEALTH

High blood pressure Migraine Asthma Rheumatoid arthritis Indigestion (Ferdinand 1998)

EFFECTS OF STRESS ON EMPLOYEE’S FAMILY LIFE

Inadequate attention to family/unhappy marriages Poor sex life Spouse and child abuse Divorce

(Hsu 2011)

Why a dose of stress is good for you….

Stress stimulate ideas Stress enhance learning and development Stress triggers a fight or escape response

in the event of a threat. Stress brings about

innovation/breakthrough in science, technology and artificial intelligence

(Salami et al 2010)

How do you manage stress ?

1. Work Redesign: Introducing flexible time Increasing the amount and quality of support

received by individuals Effective management of workloads and careful

allocation of resources

2. Stress Management Training Organize classes on relaxation, time

management, assertiveness training or exercise.

(Rees 1997)

How do you manage stress as a manager ? (continued)

3. Ergonomics and Environmental Design Improving the use of equipment at work and the physical working

conditions can help to avoid stress.

4. Diet and lifestyles changes Reduce the intake of coffee, tea, cola or chocolate drinks Relaxation techniques : deep breathing, exercise and yoga.

(Rees 1997)

5. Laughter and fun times Look for amusing colleagues, books, films, situations, etc Organize happy hour, fun times Identify your stability zones, that is, places, people and activities

that you can find calm

(Ferdinand B., 1988)

Stress management approaches Physiological

Aerobics training, relaxation imagery, relaxation response

PsychologicalSelf statement modification, rational cognitive restructuring, psychological coping statements

BehaviouralTime management, Assertiveness training,

Conflict resolution, problem solving Environmental

Change in management practices, change in organizational structure

(Hart, K., 2007)

QUESTIONS

BBC NEWS 2011. Stress: is it surprising bosses are stricken. [online]. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15573121 [Accessed 7 November 2011].

BUCHANAN, D. & HUCZYNSKI, A. (2010). Organisational Behaviour. 7th

Edition. Pearson Education Ltd.

CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF PERSONNEL AND DEVELOPMENT -CIPD (2008). Building the business case for managing stress in the workplace

CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF PERSONNEL AND DEVELOPMENT -CIPD (2011a). Absence management . CIPD Annual Survey Report 2011

CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF PERSONNEL AND DEVELOPMENT -CIPD (2011b). Conflict management . CIPD Annual Survey Report 2011

FERDINAND, B. (1988). Stress Management. Industrial and Commercial Training, 20(4)

HALKOS, G and BOUSINAKIS, D. (2010). The effect of Stress and Satisfaction on Productivity. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 59(5).

References

HAMWI , G.A. et al.,(2011). Reducing Emotional Exhaustion and Increasing Organizational Support”, Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, 22(1).

HART K.E. (2007). Introducing Stress and Stress Management to Managers. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 16(5) pp 9-16.

HEALTH AND SAFETY EXECUTIVE (2010). Video Interview- Janine Story [online]. Available from: http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/video/janinestory.htm [Accessed 20 October 2011].

HEALTH AND SAFETY EXECUTIVE (2008). Working together to reduce stress at work: a guide for employees [online]. Available from: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg424.pdf [Accessed 7 November 2011].

HO, J.T.S. et al., (1998). Stress, Health and Leisure Satisfaction: the case of teachers. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 13(5/6).

References

HSU Y.R. (2011). Work-family Conflict and Job Satisfaction In Stressful working Environments: the moderating role of perceived supervisor support and internal locus of control. International Journal of Manpower, 32(2)

LARSON L.L. (2004). Internal Auditors and Job Stress. Managerial Auditing Journal, 19(9).

MANAGEMENT SCIENCES FOR HEALTH (MSH) (2005). Managers who lead : a handbook for improving health services. Cambridge : Management Sciences for Health

NHS 2010. Stress.NHS Choices. UK: NHS. Available at : http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress/Pages/Introduction.aspx [Accessed 20 October 2011].

REES W.D. (1997), “Managerial Stress-Dealing with the Causes, Not Symptoms”. Industrial and Commercial Training. 29(2).

SALAMI ,A.O., OJOKUKU,R.M.,ILESANMI,O.A. 2010. Impact of job stress on managers performance. European Journal of Scientific Research 45(2) p 258

References