Stress is the state of mind and it is quite common mental and psychological phenomenon among human beings. Stress is defined as a reaction to a stimulus that disturbs our physical or mental equilibrium (Psychology Today). The stress interferes in the normal life of human being and it can cause deterioration in physical and mental health of the person. The stress can sometimes be constructive or positive when it stimulates human being to accomplish certain task. If the stress goes beyond human control it can certainly be destructive. At workplace especially, the stress has been a major concern for business organizations. The employees are the real asset of the organization; but if they are stressed, they can create many problems. The stress brings fatigue among the employees. They are tend to make serious mistakes. The stress further affect their performance. The cost of the healthcare of such employees are substantial. According to Health Advocate, the cost of stressed employees to businesses is estimated to be between $200 and $300 billion dollars a year’. Thus the stress is very harmful for the sustainable growth of the organization and it may reduce substantial profit of the organization.
The organization can assist the employees to fight against the stress that will benefit the employees as well as the organization. An effective stress management program and its proper implementation can certainly help the employees to enhance the productivity. The program can be implemented by using certain components and in a certain manner. The first step is to identify the employees’ performance, their rate of absenteeism, turnover and illness. It is because if the employee is in severe stress either he/she shows poor performance or remains absent or leaves the job. Once the stressed-out employees are identified, the next step is to arrange a thorough discussion with them. In this discussion, it can be easy to understand the level of the stress of employees and the causes of their stress. The discussion with the employees needs to be conducted in a proper manner; because the reasons of the stress sometimes may be very sensitive. So the expert trainer will deal with the stressed person very carefully. In the organization, the stressed person can be identified through questionnaire. The organization’s stress management strategy should be inclusive. It should aim at the well-beings of all the employees. In the implementation process the maximum participation of the employees is also very essential. It is the responsibility of the managers to encourage more and more participation. The motivation or encouragement for attending the program can be in the form of gift or any monetary benefits such as insurance premium rebate or gift card or any such kind of encouragement. The awareness should be developed among the employees about their stress and the effectiveness of the stress management program if maximum participation is expected. The awareness can be boosted through formal meetings, intranet and newsletters.
The components of stress management programs should be subjective and relevant to the organizational culture and the other factors. In general the stress management components will include the components such as an introduction to stress, identifying symptoms and reasons of stress, and various skills and techniques to reduce stress or to manage it in a proper way. In the components, the individual will also be encouraged to use a special technique to cope with the stress. In collective stress management program generally include the activities such as encouragement, motivation, time management, positive thinking etc. The program can prove to be more effective if it is conducted in an informal ways; i.e. through discussion, games and activities.
After the successful completion of the stress management course, the evaluation of the program can be conducted self-analysis. Each and every person participated in the course will be motivated to evaluate himself/herself. They will differentiate between their stress level before the program and after the program and try to find out what is their stress level now. They will also be encouraged to monitor the change regarding stress management. Along with personal assessment the focus will be given on the trainer’s way of conducting the session. The individual will try to identify what they gain from the trainer and what is removed from their thoughts that were the causes of their stress. After the successful implementation of the stress management program, it is the responsibility of every participant to sustain the same technique in them to maintain the stress level and to control the stress. Thus the program will give an insight to the participants to reduce their stress or to carry the stress and utilize it in a constructive manner.
The stress can be reduced immediately if the person is outspoken. Talking with friends either face-to-face or on telephone can be one of the most effective ways of dealing with stress. If the social connection is strong, it will help us to change our perspective and thus to change to respond the situation with different viewpoint. The stress can also be reduced with a proper and strong communication. If the causes of stress can be shared with the person you trust most will help to reduce the stress.
As stated by Adamson (2009), ‘Stress can cause or be caused by a variety of mental and emotional conditions. Working too hard, pushing yourself too far, spreading yourself too thin, taking on too much, or living in the state of unhappiness or anxiety is incredibly stressful.’ Knowing the causes of the stress is very important. For example if it is found that the employees are overloaded with work, it is the responsibility of the management to reduce some workload. The facility of ‘work from home’ can also be very effective and flexible way for the employees and so it helps to reduce the stress. The employees or even the managerial post persons tend to take pressure of work on them. The excessive pressure is the reason for their stress. In such case the managers should learn the art of delegation. Distributing the tasks among the team members can help to get rid of excessive pressure and stress. The proper delegation of the task can also help to meet the deadlines of the work. The organization should appoint psychologists and counsellors for the stressed employees. Sometimes the personal matters also affect the individual performance at the workplace. The psychologists are expert in finding the remedies for every problem the employee is facing. The employees should have meditation and Yoga sessions periodically. These session will help to be calm and silent and thus give relief to the mind from stress.
Reference
Adamson, E. (2009). 365 Ways to Reduce Stress: Everyday Tips to Help You Relax, Rejuvenate, and Refresh (p. 48). N.p.: Adams Media Publisher. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.in/books?isbn=1440513805
Setting up a stress management program a checklist for success (2009). In Health Advocate.
Retrieved June 21, 2015, from http://www.healthadvocate.com/downloads/webinars/stress-checklist.pdf
Stress (n.d.). In Psychology Today. Retrieved June 21, 2015, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/stress
