Chapter VI Occupational Stress among TSWs

Transcription

1 Chapter VI Occupational Stress among TSWs This chapter is an attempt to know the stress levels of trained social workers (TSWs) in their occupation and to explore the relation of occupational stress as per their socio-demographic and occupational characteristics. To explore stress levels, percentage frequency was calculated for stress scores coded to levels of low, moderate and high level of stress as per the manual of occupational stress index (OSI) (Srivastava, and Singh, 1984). Further, 12 sub-domains of OSI were coded as low, medium and high stress levels. Thes 12 sub-domains were role overload, role ambiguity, role conflicts, unreasonable group and political pressure at work place, under-participation, feelings of powerlessness, poor peer relation at the work place, intrinsic impoverishment, low status, strenuous work condition and unprofitability at the work place. They have been operationalized in Chapter III. Before presenting the analysis of these constructs of the research, here the meaning of these terms ( as per explanation given by Subramanian and Vinothkumar (2009) and according to items in an OSI under each sub-domain is described as follows: Role overload- It is concerned about the excessive work load, relative paucity of time to manage personal problems and lack of adequate staff for appropriate job allocation. Role ambiguity- It is an uncertain expectation by workmates and supervisors. It includes inadequate information or knowledge about the given work task which leads to poor job preparation. Role conflict- It constitutes contradictory directives and insufficient facilities to complete the given task. It includes intrusion by workmates and supervisors in performed way of completing the task. Unreasonable group and political pressure- It includes conflicts in following the rules and regulations for job performance under the pressure or influence of groups or any ideological grouping at the place of job. Responsibility for the person- It constitutes the burden of carrying another individual s responsibility in a job. It is concerned about the responsibility to take care of other employee s future and progress of the organization. Powerlessness-This sub-domain measures the authority of an employee in important organisational decisions, importance of individual s opinion and interest in job tasks. 120

2 Under-participation-This sub-domain is concerned about the position of an individual in an organization. It is about an individual s participation/consultation in major activities of an organisation. Poor-peer relations at work- This sub-domain looks about the relations at work place, particularly for workmates support and cooperation in solving the job problems. Intrinsic impoverishment- It is concerned with the monotonous nature of job at the work place. It also takes into consideration the opportunities to utilise employees skills and ability independently. Low status- It constitutes the social status related to job. It includes the significance given by supervisors/ higher authorities to an employee s work and position. Strenuous working conditions and unprofitability- It examines the context in which the work tasks are fulfilled by employees. It is particularly for situations which are uncertain and complex. Raw scores of overall stress and 12 domains of OSI were used to know the relation of stress with various socio-demographic and occupational characteristics of TSWs. Mann-whiteny U and kruskalwallis and multiple comparisons test for more than two categories were applied to know the mean rank difference of these scores as per socio-demographic and occupational characteristics of TSWs. Along with this, Pearson correlation was calculated between work experience and overall stress and 12 sub-domains of OSI. This correlation was further explored across gender and work setting of the TSWs. 121

3 Chart 6.1 Distribution of Respondents for Occupational Stress Levels (Low, Moderate and Sever) 70% 60% Low Moderate Severe 60% Percentage of the respondents 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 49% 43% 50% 48% 51% 48% 45% 40% 41% 39% 32% 34% 44% 38% 30% 27% 23% 22% 25% 28% 32% 29% 30% 25% 17% 20% 36% 33% 32% 36% 26% 30% 15% 22% 20% 11% 36% 36% n=186 Overall 50 per cent (i.e., 93) of total TSWs were moderately stressed, 30 per cent (i.e., 56) on low stress levels and 20 per cent (i.e.,37) high levels of stress. Out of twelve sub-domains, first three factors are poor peer relationship (50 per cent, i.e., 93), low status (60 per cent, i.e., 112), responsibility for persons (49 per cent 91) for which TSWs expressed their moderate stress. Strenuous work conditions, unprofitability, role overload, unreasonable group and political pressures at the work place are the factors chosen by many TSWs (36 per cent,i.e., 67) and role ambiguity (33 per cent,i.e.,61) are the prominent factors for which TSWs scored severe levels of stress. First three factors for which TSWs had low stress levels were feelings of powerlessness (44 per cent, i.e., 82), under-participation (38 per cent, i.e., 71) and intrinsic impoverishment (33 per cent, i.e., 61). 122

4 Table 6.1 Mann-Whitney U Test for Overall Occupational Stress and its Sub Components as per Sex of Respondents Mean rank Mann- Z P Males (n=117) Females (n=69) Whitney U score Overall stress , Role overload , Role ambiguity , Role conflict , Unreasonable grouping and , political pressure Responsibility of persons , Under participation , Powerlessness , Poor-peer relation , Intrinsic impoverishment , Low status , Strenuous work conditions , Unprofitability , Asymptotic significances are displayed. The significance level is.05 Female ( mean rank 110) TSWs were significantly more stressed in their occupation as compared with male (mean rank 83.7) TSWs. Female TSWs were also more stressed on most of sub-components of occupational stress, except for the pressure of unreasonable grouping and political pressure at the work place, and responsibility of persons and feelings of unprofitability at the work place. 123

5 Table 6.2 Mann-Whitney U Test for Overall Occupational Stress and its Sub Components as per Marital Status of Respondents Mean rank Mann- Z P Married (n=132) Unmarried (n=54) Whitney U score Overall stress , Role overload , Role ambiguity , Role conflict , Unreasonable grouping and , political pressure Responsibility of persons , Under participation , Powerlessness , Poor-peer relation , Intrinsic impoverishment , Low status , Strenuous work conditions , Unprofitability , Asymptotic significances are displayed. The significance level is.05 Out of 12 sub-components, only four sub-components, namely, role overload (mean rank for married= 88.3, unmarried= 106), role ambiguity ( mean rank for married= 88.5, unmarried= 105.5), unreasonable grouping and political pressure ( mean rank for married=85.2, unmarried=113.6) and unprofitability ( mean rank for married=86.6, unmarried=110.2) had significant mean rank difference based on marital status of the TSWs. Unmarried social workers were significantly more stressed on these four sub-components as compared with married TSWs. Unmarried TSWs were significantly more stressed for overall occupational stress as compared with their married counterparts. 124

6 Table 6.3 Kruskal-Wallis Test for Overall Occupational Stress and its Sub Components as per work Settings of Respondents Mean ranks Pairwise comparison NGOs (n=92) Academics (n=33) Corporate/ industries Chisquare p Corporate - NGO Corporate - Academics NGO- Academics (n=61) Z p Z p Z p score score score Overall stress Role overload Role ambiguity Role conflict Unreasonable grouping and political pressure Responsibility of persons Under participation Powerlessness Poor-peer relation Intrinsic impoverishment Low status Strenuous work conditions Unprofitability Asymptotic significances are displayed. The significance level is

7 For overall occupational stress significant mean rank difference was found between NGO (mean rank 101.5), academic (mean rank 109.8) and corporate (mean rank 72.5) work setting of the TSWs. Pair-wise comparison of these three work settings brought more clarity as TSWs working in corporate setting were significantly less stressed as compare with TSWs working in NGOs and academics. TSWs from NGO and academics were not significantly different from each other for overall occupational stress. Same was the case for other subdomains of occupational stress except the TSWs from corporate and academics who were not significantly different for role ambiguity (mean rank for corporate =77.7, academics =100.3), role conflict (mean rank for corporate =81.8, academics =86.9), low status (mean rank for corporate = 77.6, academics =79.9), and strenuous work conditions (mean rank for corporate = 77.7, academics =98.7) at the work place. Moreover, stress due to monotonous nature of work task and lack of opportunities to utilise skills (i.e., intrinsic impoverishment, p=.07) was not significantly different among TSWs from all the three work settings. 126

8 Table 6.4 Kruskal-Wallis Test for Overall Occupational Stress and its Sub Components as per Education of Respondents Mean ranks Pairwise comparison MSW M.Phil./ Other Chisquare degrees* - degrees* - /PhD p Other addi. Other addi. M.Phil. (n=116) Ph.D. addi. (social work) (n=41) degrees* (n=29) M.Phil./Ph D (social work) MSW (social work) - MSW Z p Z p Z p score score score Overall stress Role overload Role ambiguity Role conflict Unreasonable grouping and political pressure Responsibility of persons Under participation Powerlessness Poor-peer relation Intrinsic impoverishment Low status Strenuous work conditions Unprofitability Asymptotic significances are displayed. The significance level is.05 * Other additional degrees include PGD in HRD, LLB and MBA 127

9 TSW s education affected occupational stress and its sub-domains to a large extent. Significant mean rank difference was found for overall stress and majority of its sub-domains by education except for role conflict (p=.05) and for stress due to uncertain and complex situations (i.e., unprofitability, p=.07) at the work place. Pair-wise comparison of education of TSWs explains that those who did other professional courses or degrees (mean rank 62) are significantly lower on overall occupational stress and on its sub-components as compare with TSWs who did M.Phil./Ph.D. in social work (mean rank 98.3) after their MSW or were trained till master s level (mean rank 99.6) only. TSWs who did only MSW were significantly lower stressed for feelings of powerlessness at the work place as compare with those who did M.Phil./Ph.D. 128

10 Table 6.5 Kruskal-Wallis Test for Overall Occupational Stress and its Sub Components as per Salaries (in Rs.) of Respondents Chisquare (n=78) Mean ranks (n=62) above( n=46) p above Z p score Pair-wise comparison above Z p Z p score score Overall stress Role overload Role ambiguity Role conflict Unreasonable grouping and political pressure Responsibility of persons Under participation Powerlessness Poor-peer relation Intrinsic impoverishment Low status Strenuous work conditions Unprofitability Asymptotic significances are displayed. The significance level is.05 Salary was found to be affecting the occupational stress and its sub-domains strongly. The Table depicts that with an increase in the salaries of TSWs there was a significant decrease in the overall occupational stress and its sub-components. Further, pair-wise comparison clarifies that TSWs who had salaries above Rs per month were least stressed in their occupation. But TSWs who were getting salaries of Rs per month were significantly lower on stress from role overload, unreasonable grouping, political pressure, poor-peer relation, strenuous work conditions and unprofitability at the work place as compare with TSWs whose salaries were below Rs /- per month. 129

11 Table 6.6 Kruskal-Wallis Test for Overall Occupational Stress and its Sub Components as per Job Level of Respondents Beginner (n=61) Mean ranks Middle level (n=95) Higher level (n=30) Chisquare p Higher level- Middle level Pair-wise comparison Higher level- Beginner Middle level- Beginner Z P Z p Z p score score score Overall stress Role overload Role ambiguity Role conflict Unreasonable grouping and political pressure Responsibility of persons Under participation Powerlessness Poor-peer relation Intrinsic impoverishment Low status Strenuous work conditions Unprofitability Asymptotic significances are displayed. The significance level is

12 TSWs had significant mean rank difference for overall occupational stress and for its subcomponents as per their levels of job at their work place. Here job levels were decided as per their designation and authority assigned to them in their work according to these designations. With the increase in job levels, there was a decline in the mean rank for overall occupational stress and for its sub-components. Pair-wise comparison of these job levels signifies that TSWs working on higher levels of jobs were minimum stressed in their occupation as compare with their other counterparts. Same was the case with TSWs working on middle levels of jobs when compared with beginners in their occupation. Both of them felt low status at the work place (,i.e., stress due to low social status at work and due to less significance given by supervisors to their work). 131

13 Table 6.7 Kruskal-Wallis Test for Overall Occupational Stress and its Sub Components as per Job Type of Respondents Contractu al job (n=103) Mean ranks Ad hoc (n=13) Permanent (n=70) p Chisquare Permanent- Ad hoc Pairwise comparison Permanent- Contractual job Ad hoc - Contractual job Z p Z p Z p score score score Overall stress Role overload Role ambiguity Role conflict Unreasonable grouping and political pressure Responsibility of persons Under participation Powerlessness Poor-peer relation Intrinsic impoverishment Low status Strenuous work conditions Unprofitability Asymptotic significances are displayed. The significance level is.05 TSWs had significant mean rank difference for overall occupational stress and for its subcomponents as per their types of jobs. TSWs working as permanent employees were less stressed in their occupation as compared with TSWs who were in contractual occupations. TSWs working on ad hoc and contractual bases did not have significant mean rank difference for overall occupational stress and for its sub-components. Moreover, TSWs as permanent employees were significantly less stressed than TSWs on ad hoc in work place in regard to only three sub-domains of the occupational stress, namely, stress due to unreasonable grouping and political pressure, strenuous work conditions and feelings of unprofitability. 132

14 Table 6.8 Pearson Correlation between Stress (OSI) Scores and 12 Domains of OSI as per Work Experience Stress (OSI) scores and 12 domains of OSI Work experience Total stress (OSI) ** Role overload ** Role ambiguity ** Role conflict ** Unreasonable group and political pressures ** Responsibility for persons ** Under Participation ** Powerlessness ** Poor peer relation ** Intrinsic impoverishment ** Low status ** Strenuous work conditions ** Unprofitability ** **Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed), N= 186 It is evident that with an increase in work experience of TSWs, less occupational stress was experienced. Moreover, TSWs were experiencing less stress from role overload, role ambiguity, role conflict, stress for unreasonable grouping, political pressure at the work place, responsibility for persons, under-participation, feelings of powerlessness, poor peer relation, intrinsic impoverishment, low status, strenuous work conditions and feelings of unprofitability at the work place with increasing work experience. 133

15 Table 6.9 Pearson Correlation between Stress (OSI) Scores and 12 Domains of OSI as per Work Experience and Sex of Respondents Stress (OSI) scores and 12 domains of OSI Work experience Males Females Total stress (OSI) ** ** Role overload ** ** Role ambiguity ** ** Role conflict ** * Unreasonable group and political pressures ** ** Responsibility for persons ** Under Participation ** ** Powerlessness ** * Poor peer relation ** ** Intrinsic impoverishment ** ** Low status * ** Strenuous work conditions ** ** Unprofitability ** ** **Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed), *Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed), N=186 It is apparent from the Table that with the increase in work experience, both males and females experienced less occupational stress. Moreover, other factors of stress like role overload, role ambiguity, role conflict, stress for unreasonable grouping, political pressure at the work place, responsibility for persons, under -participation, feeling of powerlessness, poor peer relation, intrinsic impoverishment, low status, strenuous work conditions and feelings of unprofitability at the work place had lesser effects on TSWs with their increasing work experience in the occupation irrespective of their gender. 134

16 Table 6.10 Pearson Correlation between Stress (OSI) Scores and 12 Domains of OSI as per Work Experience and Work Settings of Respondents 12 sub domains of OSI Work experience NGOs (n=92) Academics (n=33) Corporates/I ndustries (n=61) Overall stress ** ** Role overload * ** Role ambiguity ** ** Role conflict ** Unreasonable group and political pressures ** * ** Responsibility for persons ** Under-participation * ** Powerlessness ** Poor peer relation ** ** Intrinsic impoverishment * * ** Low status ** Strenuous work conditions ** ** Unprofitability ** ** **Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2 -tailed), * Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). It is evident that increasing work experience in corporate setting was helpful to manage the occupational stress. With increasing work experience, TSWs from NGOs managed work stress. TSWs working in academics, even with increasing work experience, were not able to manage work stress except to manage pressure for unreasonable grouping and political pressures at the work place. Increasing work experience in corporate/industries led to decrease in work stress in all subfactors of occupational stress, except feelings of powerlessness which was found to be common in NGOs and academic work setting. Similar was the case with NGOs, except that the pressure of responsibility for persons at the work place and low status were not significantly correlated. 135

17 Conclusion Statistical analysis of occupational stress and its 12 sub-domains explains that 50 per cent TSWs were moderately stressed on overall stress score of OSI. But 30 per cent TSWs were on low levels of stress and 20 per cent experienced high levels of occupational stress. TSWs scored a severe level of stress for strenuous work conditions, unprofitability, role overload, unreasonable group and political pressures at the work place and role ambiguity. They were moderately stressed for poor peer relationship, low status and responsibility for persons at the work place. As for the variation in overall stress as per the sex of the respondents, female TSWs faced more occupational stress than male TSWs. Female TSWs scored more on nine sub-domains of occupational stress. They were role overload, role ambiguity, role conflict, underparticipation at the work place, feelings of powerlessness, poor peer relationship, intrinsic impoverishment, feeling of low status and exposure to strenuous work conditions. Unmarried TSWs were high on overall stress and so on roles stress (except role conflicts), role ambiguity, stress for unreasonable grouping and political pressure, and feelings of unprofitability in relation to the occupation. TSWs at corporate/industries had less occupational stress as compared with TSWs working in NGOs and academic work settings. TSWs working in the last mentioned two work settings faced equal occupational stress (not significant mean rank difference). Moreover, stress due to monotonous nature of work task and lack of opportunities to utilise skills was not significantly different among TSWs from all the three work settings. TSWs having M.A. in Social Work/MSW along with other additional degrees (includ ing PGD in HRD, LLB and MBA) were low on overall occupational stress and for a majority of its sub-domains as compared with TSWs who had only the master s degree in the subject or had done M.Phil./Ph.D. The two were not significantly different for the same, except for stress of powerlessness at the work place. TSWs who did only masters had lower stress for feeling of powerlessness at the work place as compared with those who did M.Phil./Ph.D. in the subject. Thus, it can be concluded that stress due to powerlessness (,i.e., less authority in important organisational decisions and less importance given to an individual s opinion) was the highest among TSWs who did M.Phil./Ph.D.. 136

18 Increase in salary led to decrease in the overall occupational stress. TSWs getting salary above Rs per month were least stressed whereas, TSWs getting salary below Rs experienced high stress for role overload, unreasonable grouping and political pressure, poor-peer relation, strenuous work conditions and unprofitability at the work place. As the job levels of TSWs improved, they scored less for overall occupational stress and for its sub-components. Except for stress due to low status at the work place (i.e., stress due to low social status at work and due to less significance given by supervisors to their work), for TSWs working on middle levels and who were beginners in their occupation, the position was the same.. Here job levels were decided as per their designation and authority assigned to them in their work according to designation. TSWs working as permanent employees were less stressed in their occupation as compare with TSWs who were contractual and ad hoc employees. TSWs working on ad hoc and contractual bases were not significantly different for overall occupational stress. Pearson correlation shows that work experience has an important effect on the occupational stress faced by TSWs. Irrespective of sex of the TSWs, there was decrease in the overall occupational stress and on its 12 sub- domains with the increase in the work experience. Further, work setting of the TSWs was moderating the effect of work experience on the occupational stress. Increasing work experience in corporate setting strongly assisted management of the occupational stress and to some extent in NGO work setting. But this was not the case with academic work setting. In the next chapter total seven ways of coping namely problem focused coping, ways of seeking social support, and other five ways under emotion focused coping (i.e. distraction positive, distraction negative, acceptance and redefinition, religion/faith and denial/blame) were analysed to know the most common ways of coping used by TSWs and the variation in these ways of coping based on their socio-demographic and occupational characteristics has been presented in the form of charts and tables to comprehend easily. 137