human resources management unit 24

7/30/2019 Human Resources Management UNIT 24

1/18

UNIT 24

Stress and Counselling

We often hear about people undergoing stress conditions. Stress arises when

a person is unable to meet the demands of the situation owing to his mental

and/or physical incapacity. It also arises when the external environment is

not conducive for a person to discharge his duties. In short, a person is prone

to stress conditions when he has to encounter critical situations often in his

life.

The problem of stress is not peculiar to a formal workplace like an

office or a business establishment. Even housewives undergo stress. Stress

may be physical as well as mental.

The object of this chapter is to deal with the problem of job related

stress. It further deals with the concept of counselling which is a technique

used to get rid of stress.

The object of this Chapter is to deal with the problem of job related

stress. It further deals with the concept of counselling which is a technique

used to get rid of stress.

Stress Meaning

A person undergoes stress when he feels that he is ill-equipped to carry

out the tasks assigned to him. Not everyone undergoes stress in a workplace.

It is also not possible to explain precisely the situation that would give scope

for stress because, many individuals are capable of performing their tasks


2/18

irrespective of the work situation. If, for example, we say that the vindictive

attitude of the management can lead to the problem of stress, it may not

hold good always because many employees may be able to work with ease

despite the vindictive approach of the management.

Total absence of stress may affect performance. A person needs to

undergo a certain level of stress to perform well. Excessive stress is harmful.

When stress exceeds a certain level, it can have adverse effect on a persons

emotions, mental and physical health.

John W. Newstrom and Keith Davis have made the following

observations about Stress:

1. Stress is the general term applied to the pressures people feel in life.2. The presence of stress at work is almost inevitable in many jobs.3. Individual differences account for a wide range of reactions to stress

a task viewed as challenging by one person may produce high levels of

anxiety in another.

4.When pressure begins to build up, it can cause adverse strain on apersons emotions, thought processes and physical condition.

5.When stress becomes excessive, employees develop various symptomsthat can harm their job performance and health and even threaten

their ability to cope with the environment.


3/18

WHY DOES STRESS ARISE?

(CAUSES OF STRESS)

The various factors that cause stress can be grouped under:

(i) Personal Factors and(ii) Organizational Factors.

Personal Factors

The personal factors responsible for stress include, among others, the

following:

1. Ability2. Perception3. Manner of approaching crisis4. Level of self-confidence5. Experience6. Desire for work7. BeliefsThese have been explained briefly hereunder.

Ability

The mental physical capacity of a person to face critical situations in

life is probably one of the important personal factors causing stress. Some

people are capable of facing any type of crisis. They have the necessary

mental and physical stamina to overcome any kind of a pressure. On the

other hand, there are people who do not have the capability to face critical


4/18

situations. It is only these people who develop the condition of stress and

turn out to be poor job performers.

Perception

What is considered a critical situation by some may not be considered

as such by others. In fact, whether a problematic situation has arisen in the

organisation or not depends upon the perception of the people who are

employed in it. Some people cannot perform any out-of-routine work

because they perceive it to be difficult while there are people who are always

prepared to accept any challenge.

Manner of Approaching Crisis

How a person approaches his task when there is a crisis is yet another

cause of stress. Some people perform well when there is a critical situation.

Even in a cricket match we find players who play very well in crisis. In fact,

there are instances where some cricketers have rescued their side from adifficult situation by their brilliant performance.

In a critical situation some people become nervous and as a result they

are unable top perform well.

Level of Self-confidence

Some people basically lack self-confidence. Needless to say, in a crisis

for such people the level of self-confidence deteriorates further and affects

performance. People who have supreme self-confidence are not likely to

undergo stress.


5/18

Experience

Well-experienced employees would have across difficult situations

several times in their carrier and therefore are aware of the tactics to be

used. They dont breakdown when a crisis arises. The inexperienced

employees, on the other hand, are normally prone to stress conditions more.

Desire for work

The desire of an employee for work is another important personal

factor. An employee with a desire for work is always keen on performing his

task and only completion of the task will give peace and happiness. He finds

his work a pleasurable activity and therefore does not develop stress

conditions. It is only those employees who find their work a burden are more

susceptible to stress.

Beliefs

An employee who firmly believes that systematic work will pay rich

dividends does not feel the work pressure and therefore is not likely to

experience stress. On the other hand, an employee who does not believe in

systematic work may have to strain much towards the end and as a result

may undergo stress due to wok pressure.

Organizational Factors

The organisational factors causing stress include, among others, the

following:


6/18

1. Nature if job2. Superior subordinate relationships3. Inter-personal relationships4. Target to be reached5. Time pressure6. Physical working conditions7. Opportunities for advancement8. Hours of work9. Disparity in pay and other benefits10.Biased assessment of performance11.Greater responsibilities12.Punitive measure like demotion, suspension etc.Let us discuss these now.

Nature of job

An employee who has to face greater challenges in his job, almost on a

daily basis, undergoes stress often. It may not be so in the case of employee

doing routine/repetitive work. In this context, it may be mentioned that

sales representatives and labour welfare officers face stress conditions more

often than cashiers and accountants do.

Superior

Subordinate Relationships

Cordial superior subordinate relationships is essential for the smooth

functioning of any organisation. If the superior adopt a friendly approach in

their dealings with the subordinate staff and are prepared to offer any kind


7/18

of help, the subordinates working under such superiors are not likely to

experience stress. If, on the other hand, the superiors are hostile in their

approach and are always keen on finding fault, the subordinates are sure to

undergo stress conditions.

Inter-Personal Relationships

Another organisational factor contributing to stress is the existence of

strained relationships among the employees. Interpersonal relationships get

strained due to unresolved conflicts. Such strained relationships affect co-

operation and teamwork and also make the work environment unpleasant.

The unpleasant environment affects the morale of the employees and finally

leads to stress conditions.

Target to be reached

An employee who is not able to attain the target set for him either

because the target is unreasonable or he is ill-equipped or the internal andexternal forces are not conducive he develops frustration. If the same trend

continues he is sure to develop stress conditions.

Time Pressure

This is an extension of the previous point. The target to be attained by

an employee is always with reference to a time frame. As the deadline,

within which the work has to be completed, approaches fact the work

pressure increase. If the employee is unable to cope with work pressure he

develops mental and/or physical stress.


8/18

Physical Working Conditions

The existence of improves working conditions may also contribute to

job stress. By improver working conditions we mean absence of physical

facilities like lighting. Ventilation, drinking water, toilets, etc. poor workin

conditions affects both the physical and mental health of the employees.

Opportunities for Advancement

When an employees is deprived of the opportunities to move to higher

positions due to politics in the workplace, he is sure to get disappointed. The

feeling that his credentials are ignored haunts his mind. Such an employee

has every chance of developing mental stress.

Hours of Work

If the hours of work are too long and/or the employee is made to work

continuously without the required interval breaks, he is sure to become tried

physically as well as mentally. If such a trend continues it is enough reasonfor the employee to undergo stress.

Disparity in Pay and other Benefits

In some organisations there is often disparity in the payment of

remuneration among employees. For the same type of job, some employees

may be paid more while others may be paid less. Similarly, there may be

discrimination in extending certain benefits among employees like leave,

medical facilities, etc. such discrimination gives scope for ill-feelings among

employees and becomes a cause for mental stress.


9/18

Biased Assessment of Performance

Evaluation the performance of the human resource id an integral part

of HR management. A number of crucial decisions pertaining to an

employee pay fixation, payment of allowances, training, promotion,

transfer and even termination of service, are based on his performance

appraisal reports.

When the element of bias creeps in the process f performance

appraisal (discrimination in assessment on the ground of religion, caste, sex,

personal likes and dislikes of the superior), it would certainly affect the

career prospects of the employee. This would lead to stress conditions.

Greater Responsibilities

Some superiors expect too much out of their subordinates. They give

their subordinates responsibilities without the requisite authority. As a

result, the subordinate will not be able to carry out their tasks. This leads tofrustration and gives scope for stress.

Punitive Measure like Demotion, Suspension Etc.

Demotion (when am employee is assigned a job lower in grade

compared to his present job), suspension etc., are used as a measure of

punishment against those employees shrinking duties or showing

indifference. An employee to whom any such punishment is awarded would

suffer mentally. It, even for small offences, severe punishments are given, it

would affect the employees psychologically it is therefore, important that

any such punitive measure is adopted only as a last resort.


10/18

Stress and Performance

Stress is not always bad. The stress performance relationship may be

compared to the amount of salt in food. Lack of salt or excessive salt in food

will affect taste. In the same manner lack if stress or excessive stress will

affect job performance. Certain amount of stress, in fact, is mecessary to

secure performance.

Absence of stress means lack of job challenges and as a result

performance tend to be low. On the other hand, when stress becomes

excessive, the employee will not be able to cope with in and as a result

performance will begin to decline.

The stress performance relationship may be explained by means of a

diagram:

It is clear from the above diagram that when the level of stress is either

low or high, i.e., Point P or Q, the performance level is low.

Consequences of Stress

Having discussed the various causes of stress, let us now discuss its

consequences. An employee undergoing excessive stress may face certain

physical and psychological problems as stated below:

Physical Problems

(i) Headache(ii) Hyper-tension(iii) Lack of appetite


11/18

(iv) Sleeplessness(v) Indigestion

Psychological Problems

(i) Frustration(ii) Emotional instability(iii) Nervousness and tension(iv) Anxiety(v) Irritable mood(i) Chronic worry(ii) Depression

Behavioural Changes

Certain behavioural changes may also take place in the individual

undergoing excessive stress. These include:

(i) Excessive smoking(ii) Abuse in alcohol or drugs(iii) Late coming(iv) Absenteeism(v) Tendency to Neglect safety precautions(vi) Tendency to pick up Quarrels frequently with superiors and fellow-

workers

(vii) Decline in performance


12/18

Problems Faced by the Enterprise

The enterprise may have to face several problems in view of the stress

conditions of its employees. These include:

1. Low productivity2. Low quality output3. Loss of man-hours4. Excessive complaints and grievances5. High rate of absenteeism6. High rate of labour turnover7. Increase in industrial accidents8. Increase in conflicts9. Strained inter-personal relationships

Management Stress

There are basically three approaches to stress management:

(i) Prevent(ii) Escape or(iii) Cope

Prevention of stress involves the adopted of certain measures as

mentioned below:

1. Assignment of work according to each individuals capabilities2. Provision of better working conditions3. Better superior-subordinate relationships4. Better inter-personal relationships5. Unbiased evaluation of employee performance


13/18

6. Maintaining Equality and equity in the distribution of workload, etc.The employees can escape stress by any of the following means:

1. Seeking transfer2. Opting for voluntary retirement3. Finding alternative employment, etc.

The employee can cope with stress by adopting any of the following

measures:

1.

Understanding selfones strengths and weaknesses2. Doing the work in a systematic and planed manner3. Setting a moderate4.Avoiding long hours of work and overtime work5.Avoiding people who cause stress6. Doing regular physical exercise7. Maintaining a healthy diet8. Developing a positive attitude towards life and work

COUNSELLING

Meaning

Counseling is nothing but the process of discussing with an employee

who is undergoing stress to enable him to get rid of the same. It helps to

improve the mental health of the employee concerned.


14/18

Characteristic of Counselling

The following are the important characteristics of counselling:

1. It requires two persons the counselor and the affectes individual2. It involves exchange of ideas and feelings between the counselor and

the affected employee.

3. Its object is to enable the employee to overcome stress and therebyimprove his job performance.

4. Counselling may be performed by both specialists and untrainedpersons.

5. It is confidential and only then the employee will feel free to discusshis problems with the counselor.

6. Counselling involves both job-related and personal problems of theemployee as both affect his job performance.

Important of Counselling

In the context of job stress, counselling is important as it improves the

mental health of the affected employee. This happens as the employee

receiving counselling is:

1. Able to have better emotional control.2. Prepared to take disappointments as part of life.3. Tutored to have self-respect.4.Able to be tolerant.5.Able to accept his own shortcomings.6. Prepared to consider the interests of others.


15/18

7.Able to feel that he is part of a group.8.Advised to set realistic goals for himself.

Functions of Counselling

The important functions of Counselling are:

1. Advice2. Reassurance3. Communication4. Release of emotional tension5. Clarified thinking6. Reorientation

Advice

An important function of the counselor is to understand the actual

stress condition of the employee and advise him on the measures that can be

adopted to overcome such a condition. There is no formula available to to

rid of stress that can be universally applied. Every employee has a peculiar

reason for developing stress. The counselor must be in a position to

understand the actual problem of each such employee and only then he will

be in a position to advise.

Reassurance

Reassurance is nothing but a way of giving courage to the employee

undergoing stress to face tough work situations. When the affected person

puts forth his views, the counselor attempts to give him reassurance by

telling him It is a quite natural occurrence, You will soon overcome it etc.


16/18

Communication

Counselling provides scope for upward and downward

communication. When an employee has certain grievances over the

management policies, he conveys it during counselling. This information will

soon reach the top management. The corrective measures taken by the

management may reach the employees through the counselors. Thus,

complaints and grievances of the employee are brought to the notice of the

top management (upward communication) and the remedial measures of

the management are brought to the notice of the employees (downwards

communication).

Release of Emotional Tension

As an employee begins to explain his problems to the counsellor, his

tensions begin to subside. Although the release of tension may not actually

solve the employees problems, it removes the mental blocks and enables

him to face such situations further with greater confidence. In some cases,

the release of emotional tension may also enable the employee to get rid of

his stress.

Clarified Thinking

Sometimes, people develop stress conditions because they tend to

magnify minor instances and jump to drastic conclusions. Counselling helps

the individual to think more rationally. The result of rational thinking is that

the individual is motivated to accept responsibility and to be more realistic

in his approach.


17/18

Reorientation

Reorientation involves a change in the employees basic goals and

values. It helps an individual t recognise and accept his own limitations.

Reorientation is necessary to enable, for example, a smoker to get rid of the

habit.

Types of Counselling

Counselling may be of three types:

(i)

Directive Counselling(ii) Non-Directive Counselling and(iii) Participative Counselling

Directive Counselling

In this case, the counsellor primarily controls the direction of the

conversation and talks more. The responsibility for finding the solution lies

with the counselor. The affected employee is psychological dependent on

tehr counsellor for the solution.

Non-Directive Counselling

Here, the employee, undergoing stress, primarily controls the direction

of the conversation and talks more. The responsibility for finding the

solution also lies with the employee. He is also not psychologically

dependent on the counsellor for the solution. Non-directive counselling is

considered a time-consuming approach, as the counsellor has to spend more

time with each employee.


18/18

Participative Counselling

It is also known as co-operative counselling. It provides for a co-

operative exchange of ideas between the counsellor and the employee in

order to solve the problems for the latter. It does not rely wholly either on

the counsellor or on the employee for the solution. This approach combines

the advantages of both the directive and non-directive approaches

mentioned above.

human resources management unit 24

Documents