JDM A STUDY ON EUSTRESS AT WORK (WITH REFERENCE TO LOW AND MIDDLE LEVEL EMPLOYEES)

Transcription

1 JDM A STUDY ON EUSTRESS AT WORK (WITH REFERENCE TO LOW AND MIDDLE LEVEL EMPLOYEES) G.Muthulakshmi 1 Dr.Venkatarama Raju 2 1 Research Scholar, Management Science, Bharath University,Chennai 2 Associate Professor, Research and Post Graduate of Commerce, Pachaiyappa s College,Chennai 1 .Id : muthulakshmi02@yahoo.com Abstract: Stress has become a part of human life which affects the health of both the employee and the organization. Stress is not a bad and negative consequence. It has a positive side called eustress which shows the healthy part of stress. Eustress reveals optimum level of positive consequence which is required for the well-being of an individual and for the survival of an organization. Keywords : Stress, Eustress, current feeling of control, desirability, location Introduction Eustress is a term coined by endocrinologist Hans selye. The word eustress consists of two parts. The prefix Eudrives from the Greek word meaning either well or good, when attached to the word stress, it literally means good stress.eustress refers to a positive response one has to a stressor, which can depend on one s current feeling of control, desirability, location and timing of the stressor. Scope of the study: Stress is necessary in every individual s life as well as organization s life. Even though it shows a negative consequence in modern life, the optimum level of stress is always desirable and necessary for constructive contribution which is advantageous for organization as well as individual growth and productivity. Hence this study becomes essential. Objective: A study on Eustress at work among the low and middle level employees in south Chennai. To analyze if the employees are aware of the term stress and eustress. To identify the sources of eustress at work To find out level and kind of eustress among the employees Research Methodology Descriptive research design is used for this study with 300 as sample size. Convenience sampling is used to select the sample. The primary data collected from 300 respondents with a structured questionnaire. 42

2 Characteristics No.of respondents Percentage Total no of respondents Age Gender Male Female Marital status Single Married Qualification Diploma Degree Others Experience Below 2 yrs and above 20 7 Table 1 Social Status of the Respondents 43

3 Interpretation The above table shows that 33% of the respondents are between years of age; whereas 10% of the respondents are between years; 38% of the respondents are between years and 19% of the respondents are between years old. 70% of respondents are male and 30% of respondents are female.17% of employees are single and 83% of employees are married.24% of respondents have passed 12 th standard, whereas 10% of respondents have passed ITI, 50% of respondents have passed in DME, 16% of respondents have passed in others. From the above table, it is also interpreted that 43% of respondents have an experience of less than 2 years, whereas 30% of respondents have anything between 2 to 4 years of experience, 20% of respondents fall in the category of people with 5 to 10 years of experience, 7% of respondents have an experience of over 11 years. Chart 1. Major benefits of eustress Interpretation From the above chart it can be interpreted that, with regard to minimize physical & mental problem, 53% feel that it is the most important benefit of eustress while 32% of them feel that it is important benefit of eustress, 10%of them feel that it is a less important benefit of eustress and 5% of them say it is the least important benefit of eustress, with regard to promote emotional balance, 30% feel that it is the most important benefit of eustress while 45% of them feel that it is important benefit of eustress, 17%of them feel that it is a less important benefit of eustress and 8% of them say it is the least important benefit of eustress.with regard to increase job satisfaction, 20% feel that it is the most important benefit of eustress while 40% of 44

4 them feel that it is important benefit of eustress, 25%of them feel that it is a less important benefit of eustress and 15% of them say it is the least important benefit of eustress,with regard to enhance learning opportunity, 10% feel that it is the most important benefit of eustress while 15% of them feel that it is important benefit of eustress, 25%of them feel that it is a less important benefit of eustress and 50% of them say it is the least important benefit of eustress. From the above table, it is interpreted that, 16% of respondents feel that eustress occurs while learning new things, while 41% of respondents feel eustress occurs when an individual aspires for his personal growth, 15% of respondents are preferred starting a new job and 28% of respondents are preferred promotion as the reason for eustress. Chart 2. Chart showing the type of programmes adapted to manage stress 45

5 Chart 3 Chart showing the methods to enhance eustress Interpretation: From the above table, it can be interpreted that 13% of respondents preferred relaxation techniques, while 16% of respondents say they prefer to manage time effectively to reduce stress and enhance eustress, 8% of respondents use the work positive survey tool and 63% of respondents preferred training and education as the best methods to enhance eustress. Chi Square analysis: To find out the relationship between knowing difference between stress and eustress and handling stress situation. Null hypothesis: There is no significant relationship between knowing difference between stress and eustress and handling stress situation. Alternative hypothesis: There is significant relationship between knowing difference between stress and eustress and handling stress situation. 46

6 knowing difference between stress & eustress * handling stress situation Cross tabulation knowing difference between stress & eustress optimistically Handling stress situation with the help of others depends upon the level of stress others Total yes no Total Chi-Square Tests Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided) Pearson Chi-Square a Likelihood Ratio Linear-by-Linear Association N of Valid Cases 300 a. 0 cells (0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is Chi-square value P value α = 0.05 Inference: Hence p is greater than α we reject alternative hypothesis and we conclude that there is no relationship between knowing difference between stress and eustress and handling stress situation. Correlations To find out the relationship between the ability to convert stress into eustress and management handling stress situation. 47

7 Effectiveness of management in handling stress situation ability to convert stress into eustress Completely effective Effective Effective to a satisfacto ry level Not at all effective Total Yes No Total Eustress table ability to convert stress into eustress management in handling stress situation Correlations ability to convert stress into eustress management in handling stress situation Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed).063 N Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed).063 N Inference: r =.108; therefore it can be concluded that ability to convert stress into eustress is positively correlated to the effectiveness of management in handling stress situation. Findings All most three-fourth (74%) of the respondents says that they are aware of the term eustress and they know the difference between stress and eustress. Most of the respondents (90%) agree that eustress is advantageous for the organization s performance, growth and productivity as well as employees career. Most of the respondents (70%) feel that they are convenient with the shift basis adopted in their organization. Majority of the respondents (73%) feel that they are satisfied with the working condition of their organization. 48

8 Nearly half of the respondents (49%) rated their nature of job is interesting More than half of the respondents (64%) strongly agree that they complete their work within the stipulated time Most of the respondents (80%) agree that eustress minimize physical and mental problem and promote emotional balance. Nearly half of the respondents (45%) say that they handle the stress situation optimistically. Less than half of the respondents (43%) say that the management attempt to avoid the stress situation completely. Only few of the respondents (13%) say that they take coping strategies personally to have eustress. Most of the respondents (78%) say that they have taken strategies of listening to music as the best way to minimize the stress level. Less than half of the respondents (43%) agree that team efforts will reduce stress. Nearly half of the respondents (945%) say that employee counseling is one of the best method that can be adapted to manage stress. More than half of the respondents (63%) say that training and education is the best method to enhance eustress. Scope of the study Management can provide proper training program to the employees regarding the time management and work life balance which in turn helps employees to reduce their physical problems like stress, head ache, digestive problem etc and this will increase worker productivity and helps the worker career improvement also. Recreational activities like games, family get-together shall be conducted for the employees, which enhance the level of eustress. Employees can be involved in decision making so that they feel that they are valued by their organization. Employees should be given frequent breaks with limited monitoring during breaks. Job rotation and job enrichment can be promoted to the employees whereby it reduces the monotony in their job. Providing proper counseling for the employees and their family will help to reduce and cope up with stress. Organization should provide facilities like gym, yoga, library, and crèche and meditation hall to relieve the stress of employees. Spending more time with Family members helps the employees to be more active in their job. Employees should create a family atmosphere in the work environment which gives a comfortable work area. Apart from outside friends employees should have best friends in the organizations also. Conclusion The success of any organization depends on the quality of human resource. The importance of human factor stems from the fact that all other resources in the organization depreciated in the passages of time and use but it is only the manpower which can be appreciate through their efficiency, hence it is highly important for the management to create eustress work environment so that employees would be able to give out the best output which in turn adds to an increased advantage to the organization and employee career. Without eustress we are not equipped to deal with excitement and/or challenge in our lives. It s eustress that fuels our success and achievements. It can also lead us to experience healthy eustress-as we learn to 49

9 cope and develop greater strength, determination and courage. In short run, eustress provides us with an energy boost to perform challenging activities-especially where we need to focus and put in extra effort In longer run, Eustress helps us keep working at things-especially when the going gets tough. In short, stress can be good! Eustress helps us achieve things of meaning and value to us, leading us to feel better about ourselves and grow in confidence and stature. This study concludes that the most of the management has provided the employees with all necessary facilities required to perform their task. However the working ambience may be enhances and certain training program may be implemented for the employees, So that the employees will not suffer any stress in future which can highly benefit the organization and indirectly the society. Bibliography 1. Human Resource Management-.C.B. Gupta 2. Human Resource Management- J.Jayashankar 3. Organizational Behavior Khanka 4. HRM Review Journal. 50