Stress in the workplace - Research Paper Example

Stress in the Workplace Reasons for Employees’ Stress Employees are much more stressed in the workplace today when it is the reign of economic recession and not many jobs to be found out there. Among the various causes of employees’ stress, one of the most important causes is the fear of unemployment. A lot of companies around the world have downsized in the past few years in an attempt to cut down the cost and maximize the profitability of business. This has spurred a competition of sustenance among the employees. To be considered more worthy of being kept in comparison to other candidates rather than getting terminated, employees today have to go many extra miles. They have achieved it on the cost of their personal and social life. The urge to remain employed has caused the employees to endorse the culture of work-life imbalance. The whole effort of the employees is concentrated at increasing the productivity. Since the time is limited, employees have no option but to sacrifice their private life for the work. This is the reason why employees do not find time to spend with the family. While on one hand, this is distorting the employees’ relations with their families, on the other hand, it is also affecting their performance as continued work without breaks and rest declines an individual’s mental and physical efficiency. In addition to that, the ones who have managed to remain employed have been assigned the job responsibilities of the employees that have been terminated, which has essentially increased the work load for the remaining employees manifolds. Since the effects of economic recession are not limited to the workplace, the employees have to deal with the inflation and increased rates of things of everyday use. There is so much to purchase in a very limited salary, that an employee always runs short of money. Consequences of Stress Stress in the workplace is one of the most important causes of increase in employees’ depression and anxiety. Some employees have been stressed to the point that they have attempted suicide. “[Employees] come to work and tell a manager or colleague that they are thinking of harming themselves. They are texting, calling, instant-messaging. Or they’ll disclose they’ve made an attempt. Some have even tried to kill themselves at work” (LeBlanc cited in Mirza, 2012). Stress in the workplace has distorted the employees’ relations with the family members, particularly with the spouses. Employees are not able to meet the financial demands of the family, which not only makes them feel derogated in their own eyes, but also makes the family members unhappy with them. Particularly the housewives are not aware of the magnitude of stress the husbands go through, and thus expect them to be spending to much. The increasing tension between many couples because of the workplace-caused stress has led them to the point of divorce. “The challenges [of mental illness] are enormous to society because of the high cost for both individuals and employees. People suffering from mental health disorders are also having trouble finding and holding onto jobs” (Singh cited in Skrzypinski, 2012). This also has many negative implications for the employers. Productivity of the distressed employees declines which incurs additional costs to the employers. This is termed as “presenteeism”; a phenomenon wherein employees are present at work but too preoccupied, distressed, and/or lost to display optimal productivity. Ways to Deal with Employees’ Stress Stress among employees in the workplace imparts a need for the managers to be very prudent and responsible in their interaction and dealing with the employees. Managers can do a lot to regulate the stress in the employees as managers assume top positions in the hierarchy of the organization structure and are thus a source of hope and inspiration for the employees. There are certain measures that a manager needs to take when approaching a worried employee. Rather than asking the employee the cause of stress, the manager should emphasize upon his realization of a change of behavior in the employee and tell the employee that the manager feels concerned. This creates the emotional and psychological bond between the two which enables the two to connect with each other easily. The manager should appreciate the employee for his/her remarkable performance that he/she has displayed in the past, and at the same time, tell the employee that there has been a noticeable decline in the employee’s efficiency of late. Having said this, the manager should offer the employee help if required any. The manager should remind the employee of the possible sources of help. In addition to that, employees should be provided with decent working conditions. Their sick leave behavior should be regularly monitored. Management should not dismiss the employees because of attitudes associated with their mental health problems. Ways to Avoid Stress Stress is an obvious and natural outcome of the present conditions. People don’t want to be stressed, but they cannot help it. Accordingly, it is not in one’s hands not to take stress. However, there are certain ways in which the stress can be regulated to some extent. These include taking measures like meditation and anti-depressants, though doctor’s advice must be taken before taking a particular anti-depressant. Managers and employers need to make a concerted effort in order to regulate the stress of the employees. This can be achieved by granting the employees leave from work for two to four weeks. The employees should be encouraged to take this time to recover emotionally, psychologically and physically and they should be assured that they would not be terminated for this leave. In addition to that, managers need to be more realistic in their expectations from the employees. An employee cannot produce beyond a certain level in the limited resources. Managers should also increase the resources and privileges for the employees if they expect them to produce more than their tendency. Realistic expectations and arrangement of resources on the part of the managers and proper rest, medication and meditation on the part of the employees can help avoid stress related to workplace. References: Mirza, B. (2012, Feb. 22). Workplace Stress Hits Three-Year High. Retrieved from http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/safetysecurity/articles/pages/workplacestress.aspx. Skrzypinski, C. (2012, April 9). Workers' Mental Health Disorders Go Untreated. Retrieved from http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/Diversity/Articles/Pages/OECDMentalHealth.aspx. Read More