Potential Sources of Stress and Managing Stress at Sri Lankan Workplaces

 

Potential Sources of Stress and Managing Stress at Sri Lankan Workplaces

Stress is a dynamic condition, a psychological process in which an individual is confronted with an opportunity, demand, or resource related to what the individual desires and for which the outcomes perceived to be both uncertain and important (Robbins and Judge, 2022). Demands are responsibilities, pressures, obligations, and uncertainties that individuals face in the workplace. Resources are factors within an individual’s control that he or she can use to resolve the demands.

In most of the context’s stress is considered as a negative factor. But it also has a positive purpose. For an instance, many professionals identified the pressures of heavy workloads and deadlines as positive challenges that enhance the quality of their work and the satisfaction they get from their jobs. There are two types of stressors;

1.     Challenge stressors – stressors associated with workload, pressure to complete tasks, and time urgency operate.

2.     Hindrance stressors – stressors that keep you from reaching your goals.

Both stressors lead to strain. Challenge stressors lead to more motivation, engagement, and performance. But hindrance stressors lead to increased level of strain, which appears to have more of negative effect on safety compliance and participation, employee engagement, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, performance and withdrawal.

Model of Stress

Source: Robbins et. al, 2009, p.700-702

 

Managing Stress at Workplaces

Individual Approaches

Developing resilience or resistance to adverse effects of stress can be reduced through practice, coaching, and training. Individual strategies within a resilience program that have proven effective include:

1.     Time management techniques: maintaining to-do lists, scheduling activities based on priorities, doing the hard tasks first, scheduling distraction-free time to accomplish tasks.

2.     Physical exercise: aerobics, walking, jogging, swimming, riding a bicycle

3.     Relaxation techniques: meditation, mindfulness, deep breathing

4.     Social support networks: friends, family, work colleagues

Organizational Approaches

Factors that cause to stress particularly task and role demands can be controlled by the management. Strategies to consider include:

1.     Selection and placement and training

2.     Goal setting

3.     Redesigning jobs

4.     Employee involvement

5.     Organizational communication

6.     Employee sabbaticals

7.     Wellness programs

So, finally it can be concluded that extreme stress in the employees can be identified when performance and engagement declines, turnover increases, health related absenteeism increases. So, this is too late to be helpful but stay alert and proactive is important. All in a nutshell, accurately matching workloads of employees, providing employees with stress-coping resources and responding to employees’ concerns are mandatory in workplaces.

References

Robbins, S., Judge, T., Edwards, M., Sandiford, P., Fitzgerald, M. and Hunt, J. (2019). Organisational Behaviour. 9th ed. S.L.: Pearson Education Australia.