STRESS

 Causes of Stress
 Effects of Stress
 Stress & Job Performance
 Approaches to Stress Management
 Employee Counselling
 HELP ME!

WHAT IS STRESS

Stress is the reaction people have to

excessive pressures or other types of
demand placed upon them. It arises
when they worry that they can’t
cope.
WHAT IS STRESS ?
I HATE YOU

Stress is the “wear

and tear” our minds
and bodies
experience as we
attempt to cope
with our continually
changing
environment
DEFINITION

S =P>
R
A MODEL OF STRESS
TYPES CONSEQUENCES
CAUSES
ORGANISATIONAL
Individual
Differences POSITIVE COSTRUCTIVE
STRESSORS
STRESS

Employees

OTHER
STRESSORS NEGATIVE
STRESS DESTRUCTIVE
STRESS SYMPTOMS
PHYSIOLOGICAL

S
T
R PSYCHOLOGICAL
E
S
S
BEHAVIOURAL
PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS
 Lack of concentration
 Memory lapses
 Difficulty in making decisions
 Confusion
 Depression
 Panic attacks
 Burnout
BEHAVIOURAL SYMPTOMS
 Appetite changes - too much or too little
 Eating disorders - anorexia, bulimia
 Increased intake of alcohol & other
drugs
 Increased smoking
 Restlessness
 Fidgeting
 Nail biting
 Absenteeism
PHYSIOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS
 Sleep pattern  High BP
changes  Fainting
 Fatigue  Sweating &
 Digestive problems trembling
 Headaches  Breathlessness
 Aches and pains  Palpitations
 Infections  Missed heartbeats
 Indigestion
CAUSES OF STRESS
ORGANISATIONAL

STRESSORS
(Conditions that
Cause stress)

NON-
ORGANISATIONAL
ORGANISATIONAL
STRESSORS
 Work Overload / Under load
 Time Pressures (Deadlines)
 Poor Quality of supervision
 Inadequate authority to match responsibilities
 Change of any type
 Insecure job climate
 Excessive rules and regulations
 Red-tapism (Excessive Bureaucracy)
NON – WORK STRESSORS
 Daily Hassles
 Major life events
 Social Interaction
 Physical Environment
 Individual level stressors
DAILY HASSLES
 Commuting
 Misplaced keys
 Mechanical breakdowns
MAJOR LIFE EVENTS
 Birth
 Death
 Lost job
 Promotion
 Marital status change
SOCIAL INTERACTION
 Rudeness
 Bossiness
 Aggressiveness by others
 Bullying
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
 Noise
 Bright Lights
 Heat
 Confined Spaces
INDIVIDUAL LEVEL
STRESSORS
 Personality type – Type A more prone to
stress
 Role conflict
 Role ambiguity
 Task characteristics
 Personal conflict (Values don’t match
organisational policies)
STAGES OF STRESS
INVERTED-U RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN

STRESS AND JOB PERFORMANCE

EUSTRESS

DISTRESS
TAGES OF STRESS-EUSTRESS

Eustress or positive stress occurs

when your level of stress is high
enough to motivate you to move
into action to get things accomplished.
The stress which results when
“good” things happen to us .
It is a positive and healthy stress.
Necessary for good performance
and psychological growth of the
person
 STAGES OF SYTRESS-
TRESS
Distress or negative stress occurs when
your level of stress is either too high or
too low and your body and/or mind
begin to respond negatively to the
stressors.

The stress which results

when “bad” things occur.
Highly stressful situations can
weaken a person’s physical and
psychological capacity.
STAGES OF STRESS- NEUSTRESS

• When a person is
indifferent to the
stress and the result
is neutral.
STAGES OF STRESS
Everyone is different, with unique
perceptions of, and reactions to, events.
There is no single level of stress that is
optimal for all people.
However, moderate level of stress is
the best.
RODUCTS OF STRESS
 BURNOUT
 TRAUMA – Workplace trauma
Workplace Violence
Post-traumatic Stress
disorder
Burnout
 Results from prolonged exposure to stress.
 Some jobs are more likely than others to
cause burnout. ( eg: health care professionals,
counsellors, customer service
representatives, air traffic controllers,
stockbrokers)
 Those who take their roles more seriously will
be more likely to experience burnout
Characteristics of burnout
 Extreme dissatisfaction with life
 Physical exhaustion
 Emotional exhaustion
 Feel unable to accomplish their goals
 Feelings of low personal accomplishment
 Increased absenteeism & turnover.
Causes of burnout
 Prolonged exposure to stress
 Work that lacks clear rules and
procedures
 Feeling unappreciated
 Poor opportunities for promotion
 Leader insensitivity
COUNTERING
EFFECTS OF BURNOUT
 Reorder priorities and goals

 Accentuate the positive

 Get involved in a social support network

 Compartmentalize your life

TRAUMA
It occurs following a major threat to
one’s security. Event could be a
 natural disaster,

 an organisational crisis,

(abuse by the employer or personal job

loss.)
 Loss of a loved one
FORMS OF TRAUMA
TRAUMA

LAYOFF POST-TRAUMATIC
WORKPLACE WORKPLACE
SURVIVOR’S STRESS
TRAUMA VIOLENCE
SICKNESS DISORDER
WORKPLACE TRAUMA
 It can arise from-
Harassment at work
Wrongful Termination
Discrimination
Poor performance
 Employees assumes the responsibility of events in each
case. Self-esteem goes down and employee becomes
emotionally weak.
LAYOFF SURVIVOR’S
SICKNESS
 Individual’s remaining employed after
mass downsizings suffer stress.
 They have feelings of uncertainty,
anger, guilt and distrust.
 They are glad to have retained their job
but simultaneously guilty that there
workmates have lost their jobs.
WORKPLACE VIOLENCE
 A troubled employee takes dramatic and
harmful physical action against co-
workers, manager or company property.
 These violent anger-based acts can
include fights, destruction of property,
use of weapons to harm others.
POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS
DISORDER
 Shock of sudden and dramatic violent
incidents may last for years and require
lengthy treatments.
 The subject might remain mentally
disbalanced, or emotionally upset even
years after the trauma.
COPING WITH STRESS
INDIVIDUAL STRATEGIES
• Social Support
• Biofeedback
• Relaxation
• Sabbaticals
• Time management
• Meditation & Yoga
COPING
STRATEGIES ORGANISATONAL STRATEGIES
• Employee assistance
programmes (EAP’s)
• Wellness Programmes
• Job enrichment
• Employee counselling
• Workshops
 COPING WITH STRESS
INDIVIDUAL STRATEGIES
SOCIAL SUPPORT
It is a network of helpful people/relationships
who are good listeners, whom you can trust,
are empathetic. They satisfy social needs of a
person and also lessen loneliness of a stressed
out person.
 COPING WITH STRESS
INDIVIDUAL STRATEGIES
BIOFEEDBACK
A Biofeedback methodology is used to train people to find out &
control stress related symptoms such as tensed muscles and blood
pressure. (Electronic instruments used)
The best part about Biofeedback is the human ability to bring
some of the bodily functions under voluntary control.(like heart
rates, BP, muscle tension, stomach acidity).Thus stress
management can be voluntarily practiced by individuals.
STRESS EXPERIENCED

INDIVIDUAL FINDS IT OUT

INDIVIDUAL TRAINED IN BIOFEEDBACK

CAN USE IT AND MANAGE STRESS
 COPING WITH STRESS
INDIVIDUAL STRATEGIES
RELAXATION
Employees have now turned to mental relaxation to
adjust to stress.
Includes quiet, concentrated inner thought in order to
relax the body.
Some ways of relaxation-Soothing background music
Closed eyes-deep breathing
Repetition of peaceful word
Focus on a pleasant mental image
 COPING WITH STRESS
INDIVIDUAL STRATEGIES
SABBATICALS
 Temporarily take a break from stressful situation.
 Some organisations provide unpaid time off, others
give partially paid leaves and few give fully paid
sabbaticals.
 People return emotionally refreshed, feel rewarded
and valued by employers.
 COPING WITH STRESS
INDIVIDUAL STRATEGIES
TIME MANAGEMENT
Most of the times people are stressed out because
they have to meet deadlines and they are poor
time managers.
Basic principles in Time Management-
Prepare a list of activities to be done in the day.
Prioritize them
Schedule them according to set priorities
 COPING WITH STRESS
INDIVIDUAL STRATEGIES
MEDITATION & YOGA
Used by a number of people to manage their
stressful lives.
Set of exercises which if practiced regularly lead
to sound mind and sound body.
Meditation is a form of concentration that
relieves our mind of tensions and relaxes the body
and mind.
 ORGANISATIONAL
STRATEGIES
EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMMES
Used to deal with a wide range of work and non-work
related stress.
Company run or sometimes outsourced.
Based on typical medical approach to treatment.
Steps involved are – Diagnosis of the problem by the
EAP staff.
Treatment (Counselling or supportive therapy)
Screening at early stage (By periodic examination)
Prevention (Educating employees)
 ORGANISATIONAL
STRATEGIES
WELLNESS PROGRAMMES
Often called Health Promotion Programmes
Focus on employee’s physical and mental health.
Diseases are identified and cured.(Hypertension,
diabetes, smoking cessation, nutrition, diet
control)
Lifestyle modification is also a part of Wellness
programmes.
 ORGANISATIONAL
STRATEGIES
Job Enrichment

 Vertical loading of the job. Autonomy given to the job

holder increases. Addition of jobs from different
levels.
 Job holder controls planning and execution of his job.
So, every employee becomes a manager.
 Job is more interesting and challenging.
 ORGANISATIONAL
STRATEGIES
EMPLOYEE COUNSELLING
Counselling is exchange of ideas and feelings between two
people (counsellor and counselee).
Generally problems are discussed.
Functions of Counselling-1) Advice-giving activity
2) Reassurance(courage to face the problem)
3) Improves Communication
4) Release of emotional tension
5) Clarified thinking
6) Re-orientation (change in employee’s mindset)
 ORGANISATIONAL
STRATEGIES
WORKSHOPS
Organisations also organise workshops and training
programmes in various areas so that employees
cope up with stress.
Areas can be- Time Management
Relaxation Techniques
Physical fitness
Health and nutrition