As is pointed out in the introducing comments on stress, stress is not automatically bad for individual employees or their organizational performance. It is the dysfunctional aspects of the high level of stress that should be and are a major concern for contemporary society in general and for effective human resource management in particular. Distress experienced by individuals has negative consequences for them, their families and for the organizations they serve. The consequences of stress can be studied under three general categories : Consequences for the Individual Stress shows itself in a number of ways. An individual who is experiencing stress may develop the following symptoms : 1. Physiological Symptoms. In the initial stages, the major concern of stress was directed at physiological symptoms. The reason was that this topic was researched by specialists in the health and medical sciences. According to the researchers high degrees of stress are typically Continue reading
Stress Management
Determinants of Job Stress
One major source of job stress is the job itself. The way the job is designed, the amount of time pressure an individual faces and the amount of expectations others have of a person at work can all lead to job stress. Interpersonal relationships are a second source of job stress. How much contact an individual has with coworkers and managers, how much time he or she deals with clients or consumers, and how pleasant those interactions are all influences of how much stress an individual experiences at work. Third source is problems in personal lives, which can spill over into the work environment, adding further tension to an already stressful work situation. Determinants of Job Stress Job Characteristics A major source of job stress is a person’s role in the organization. A role is simply the set of expectations that other people in the organization have for an individual, Continue reading
Performance Under Stress Pressure
The difference between Pressure and Stress It is important to understand the difference between pressure and stress. When you are faced with a challenge you are confident you can meet, it is normal to experience positive feelings such as excitement and motivation. This results in higher than normal levels of energy and an enthusiasm to work hard and succeed. On the other hand however, when faced with a challenge you believe is beyond you, for whatever reason, you are in danger of experiencing stress. Any level of pressure you perceive as excessive, may, if not reduced within a reasonable period of time, turn into chronic stress. When stressed, your overall performance will reduce. If you feel that you are not capable of meeting a challenge, you experience negative thoughts, feelings and physical sensations that drain your energy and lower your mood and desire to work. Continue reading
Sources of Stress
Stress is a reality of our everyday life. There are both distresses and distresses that come from our work and non work lives. It was pointed that the work and non work domains of one’s life are closely interrelated. Thus, if one experiences much distress at work, that stress will be carried over to the home, which will increase the sense of awareness of even small distresses experienced in a family sphere. Likewise, stresses experienced at home or with friends or from other non work situations can be carried over to the work place which might heighten and multiply the stresses experienced at work. Thus, we can say that stresses generate from four sources : Extra-organisational stressors Organisational stressors Group stressors Individual stressors. The following figure summarizes the sources of stress. A. Extra Organisational Stressors Job stress is not limited to things that happen inside the organisation, during the working Continue reading
Tips for Managing Stress
Stress management is the need of the hour. However hard we try to go beyond a stress situation, life seems to find new ways of stressing us out and plaguing us with anxiety attacks. Moreover, be it our anxiety, mind-body exhaustion or our erring attitudes, we tend to overlook causes of stress and the conditions triggered by those. In such unsettling moments we often forget that stressors, if not escapable, are fairly manageable and treatable. Stress, either quick or constant, can induce risky body-mind disorders. Immediate disorders such as dizzy spells, anxiety attacks, tension, sleeplessness, nervousness and muscle cramps can all result in chronic health problems. They may also affect our immune, cardiovascular and nervous systems and lead individuals to habitual addictions, which are inter-linked with stress. Like “stress reactions”, “relaxation responses” and stress management techniques are some of the body’s important built-in response systems. As a relaxation response the Continue reading
Stress – Causes, Challenges and Prevention Measures
Stress is a natural reaction generated within the body of a person to tackle a particular situation or event with focus, toughness and strength. The stress allows people to find out the unknown and hidden areas within them to face a situation. The stress mainly happens in two steps. One is the external stimulus referred to as the stressor that arises in an environment and the second is the response generated by the body to tackle that particular external stimulus. Stress could be basically categorised into different types. Eustress is the term that was coined to explain positive gains due to stress whereas distress is the stress that causes painfulness and negative fall backs. Hyper stress is the overreaction of a body due to the difficulties of worry or trauma and hypo stress is the under reaction or instability of a body due to an external circumstance. Chronic stress on Continue reading