Work Stress and its Management

Definition of Stress: A dynamic condition in which an individual is confronted with an opportunity, constraint, or demand related to what he or she desires and for which the outcome is perceived to be both uncertain and important. Introduction: The modern world, which is said to be a world of achievement, is also a world of stress. One finds stress everywhere, whether it be a family, a military station, a government set-up or any other social or economic organization. Stress is an inevitable consequence of socio-economic complexity and, to some extent its stimulant as well. People experience stress as they can no longer have complete control over what happens to their lives. The delay or denial of expected promotion and posting, job pressure, behavior of section commanders/peers, sickness, marital disharmony, poor performance of children at school etc could be the causes of stress. Even trifles such as telephone going out of order, power shut down and irregular water supply can give rise to stress. But then stress is necessary for human progress. It is like the strings of a musical instrument where an optimum amount of stress is necessary to produce good music. Loose wires (less stress) would not produce the notes and too much of tension (excessive stress) would lead to screening.

Work Stress and its Management

The potential sources of stress are following:

Environmental Factors: Environ- mental factors i.e. posting to a place under field conditions, tough climatic conditions etc can be stress- inducing. Technological uncertainty like induction of new aircraft, radar, machinery and inventions in medical science can also cause stress because new machinery, equipment and inventions can make employees skill and experience obsolete in a very short period of time. Computers, office automation and similar technological innovations could be a source of stress to many. Organizational Factors: Pressure to avoid error, completion of task in limited time, work overload, demanding and insensitive section commander and unplanned workers are a few examples of organizational factors. Poor inter-personnel relationship and lack of support from colleagues can cause considerable stress especially among persons with high social need. Individual Factors: In the IAF, an individual generally works for about 40-42 hours a week. The problems that people encounter in other 108 non-working hours each week can spill over to the job. Individual factors generally encompass factors in the employees personal life. These could be marital difficulties, family issues, economic problems, inherent personality characteristics, medical problems of relatives etc that create stress for employees when they arrive at work. Stress has an addictive phenomenon. It builds up. Each new and persistent stressor adds to an individual's stress level. A single stressor may seem relatively unimportant in itself, but if it is added to an already high level of stress, it can be disastrous. The consequences of stress on individuals are not same. The same set of conditions that create stress for one person may have little or no effect on another person. The effect of stress is visible in a number of ways. For example, an individual who is experiencing a high level of stress may develop high blood pressure, gastric ulcers, difficulty in making decisions, loss of appetite, accident proneness etc. Stress could create change in metabolism, increase in heart and breathing rate and blood pressure, headache and may induce heart attack. Stress can also cause job dissatisfaction and may create tension, anxiety, irritation and procrastination. It can cause changes in food habit, increased smoking, and high consumption of alcohol and sleep disorders and can lead even to suicide. The relationship between stress and job performance can be expressed as inverted-U relationship. A low to moderate level of stress stimulate the body and increases its ability to react. Under such circumstances individuals perform their task better with greater precision and rapidity. Excessive stress places unattainable demand or constraints on a person which results in

Work Stress and its Management

lowering the level of performance. A moderate level of stress can also have a negative effect on performance over a long term as continued intensity of stress wears downs the individual and saps his energy resources. For example, performance of an individual put on guard duty continuously for long period of time may deteriorate after 2-3 days. This is the main reason for rotating guards at regular intervals. The present-day researcher visualizes the phenomenon of stress in a new perception. Each individual needs a moderate amount of stress to be alert and capable of functioning effectively in an organization. Stress is inherent in the concept of creativity and entrepreneurship. Stress is like electricity. It can make a bulb glow and provide brilliant illumination. However, if voltage is higher than the bulb can take and the coping mechanisms for higher voltage are ineffective, it results in loss of effectiveness or burnout. A burnout can be defined as the end result of stress experienced, not properly coped with, resulting in exhaustion, irritation, ineffectiveness, problems of health etc. The opposite phenomenon of glow up occurs when stress is properly channelized resulting in a feeling of challenge, job satisfaction, creativity, effectiveness and better adjustment to work and life. When individuals express stress, they try to adopt ways of dealing or coping with it as they cannot remain in a constant state of tension. They think over the stressful event and devise ways and means to adjust to such stressful events. Transformational coping involves altering the events so that they are less stressful. One has to interact with the events so that they are steered towards a less stressful direction. Regressive coping, on the other hand, includes a strategy wherein one thinks about the events pessimistically and acts evasively to avoid contact with them. An individual himself may reduce his stress level by following time management techniques, increasing physical exercise, relaxation training and expanding social support network. A wellorganized individual can accomplish twice as much as compared to a poorly organized individual. Utilization of basic time management principles can help individuals better cope with tension created by job demands. Few of the well known time-management principles are: prioritizing activities in terms of importance and urgency, making daily list of activities and completing most demanding parts of job during alert and productive period. Physical exercise like walking, jogging, swimming and riding a bi-cycle have been recommended by doctors as a way to deal with excessive stress level. These physical exercises increase cardiac capacity, lower heart rate at rest, provide a mental diversion from work pressure and offer a means to "let off steam". Individuals can also teach themselves to reduce tension through meditation or Yoga. Talking to friends, family members or colleagues provide an outlet when stress level becomes excessive. Expanding the social network could be a means for reducing tension. While the importance of technology and physical factors in an organization cannot be overemphasized, it is the "human side of the organization" that matters most. Studies on "stress" reveals that the root cause of this problem is the neglect of human resources. While commanding an air base a Commanding Officer may not understand how an aircraft engine works or a radar functions, but he must try to understand the more complicated piece of machine called "The

Work Stress and its Management

Man". He must recognize that human element and its problems must take precedence over all the considerations. If a station cannot achieve its task due to technical inadequacies, it can be back on rail within a short period of time. But if some damage is caused to the human resource, it may prove fatal to the organization and will be very difficult for it to recover from the shock. The suggested measures are:
Time management in working of squadron/unit so as to allow spare time to every individual. Regular off to personnel employed on shift duties. Improvement in working/living conditions in messes. Proper interaction within the organization and two-way communication system. More emphasis on organized games for all personnel and conduct of annual sports/athletic meets. Encouragement for unit/squadron anniversary and variety entertainment programs. Visit to Airmen Mess, DSC Mess on daily basis by an officer during meal times and on bar days. Regular conduct of welfare meetings and realistic implementation of decisions. It is the role of higher formations to ensure that entitled leave is sanctioned to individuals posted to stressprone appointments. Periodical breaks, like a two-week holiday that takes the individual away from work place and provides a homely atmosphere, can have an immense therapeutic effect. Posting profile should be planned in such a manner that an individual is not posted to such appointments regularly. The suggested measures are: Realistic goal setting for stations unit. System of award/honors is to be so designed that real achievers are recognized. All functional areas of a station should be given due importance.

Conclusion: Right from the time of birth till the last day of life, an individual is invariably exposed to various stressful situations. The stress can be either a positive or negative influence on an individuals performance. For many people, low to moderate amount of stress enables them to perform their jobs better by increasing their work intensity, alertness and ability to react. However, a high level of stress or even a moderate amount sustained over a long period of time, eventually takes its toll and level of performance declines. Even though low to moderate levels of stress may improve the job performance individual finds stress dissatisfying. Effective management of stress involves channeling stress towards productive purposes.
.

References:
mod.nic.in/samachar/1aug2000/html/ch2.htm. todaysupdates.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/ work stress and its management.

Work Stress and its Management