Management of Stress at Work
Stress at work is that almost every day experienced by the employees in
large cities. Workers in large cities, most of the Urbanist and
industrialists, who are always busy with a deadline of task completion,
role demands at work, an increasingly diverse and sometimes conflicting
with each other, family problems, excessive workload, and much another
challenge, which makes the stress becomes a factor that is almost
impossible to avoid.
Stress in the workplace becomes a serious problem for the company,
because it can degrade the performance of employees and companies. A
research institute of stress in America, estimated that stress at work
leads to the entrepreneurs in America, had lost about 300 million U.S.
dollars annually, due to decreased productivity and increased
absenteeism, turnover, consumption of liquor, and employee medical
expenses.
The Consequences Brought About Stress in the Workplace, The Individual
and the Organization of Workers.
Stress at work can lead to various consequences on the individual worker.
Physiologically, workers with high levels of job stress can have physical
disorders such as: trouble sleeping, changes in metabolism, loss of
appetite, stomach nausea, blood pressure and increased heart rate,
respiratory problems, headaches, sweaty palms, and itchy .
Psychologically, there was job dissatisfaction, followed by the pressure
on emotions such as anxiety, irritability or irritability, bad mood, sad,
bored and rude attitude. Stress can also result in changes in worker
behavior, such as: decreased productivity, attendance and commitment to
the organization. Moreover, it also produces behavior such as smoking or
consuming alcohol in excess, aggressiveness in speaking or acting, doing
things that interfere in the workplace, or workplace is often found
sleeping. Stress experienced continuous and uncontrolled, can lead to
burn-out that is a combination of exhaustion physically, psychologically
and emotionally.
For organizations, the stress in the workplace can result in low job
satisfaction, lack of commitment to the organization, inhibition of the
formation of positive emotions, decision making, poor performance, and
high turnover. As already noted in early papers, stress at work could
eventually lead to financial loss to the organization.
The trigger factors, occurrence of Stress in the Workplace.
There are three main groups of stressors in the workplace. The first
group is the personal factors, such as: family, household economy, and
personality characteristics. The existence of problems in married life,
divorce and children who are undisciplined and unruly; insufficient
income household needs and lifestyle; and closed personality,
irritability, a perfectionist, very oriented to time and the results, a
few examples of factors person who can be a trigger of stress in the
workplace.
The second group is the organizational factors, such as: jobs, roles, and
dynamics of the relationship or interaction among employees. The work is
routine, monotonous, need for speed under construction, with space or
work location is noisy and hot; demands of the role is unclear or in
conflict with a system of shared values, and working relationships
between colleagues who are not suitable, especially when characterized by
the existence of conflict mental and physical, are some examples of
organizational factors that may trigger the occurrence of stress in the
workplace. In addition, the corporate culture that emphasizes
individualism and competition, organizational structure with a strict
command and control, lack of mastery of the technology used, as well as
changes that occur rapidly in the company.
While the third group are environmental factors, such as: economics,
politics, and technology. Political uncertainty, the prolonged economic
crisis, as well as technological developments that threaten the
continuity of work, are some examples of environmental factors that may
trigger the occurrence of stress in the workplace.
Strategy, Handling Stress in the Workplace
Individual's ability to handle stress in the workplace is different. In
the face of the same stressor, such as completion time of an assignment
deadline, or the level of stress experienced the consequences can be
different. Employees react to these stressors by staying relaxed and
focused. While his colleagues looked panicky and tense in the completion
of tasks, and become irritable.
Individually, there are several things you can do to control stress
employees in the workplace. Among them is a way to implement time
management, regular physical exercise and mental exercise and relaxation,
as well as foster a broad social network. While the organization, there
are five strategies that companies can do to help employees deal with
stress in the workplace. The five strategies are: eliminating a stressor,
alienate employees of the stressor, change the employee's perception of
the stressor, controlling the consequences of stress, and provide social
support for employees who deal with stress.
Examples of stress management practices of the company, related to the
five strategies above are: clinical and personal counseling, a clear job
description, job security and benefits like health insurance, flexible
work hours, place or means for employees to meditate, exercise or art ,
employee involvement in decision-making process and changes in the
company, as well as programs related to employee health improvement.
In conclusion, at least there are two options that can be taken in
dealing with stress: to fight or flight. Resist or escape. Winners are
those workers who are not only able to fight, but also able to manage
stress in the workplace and make it as a challenge to produce higher
performance.