INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT (IJM)

Transcription

1 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT (IJM) ISSN (Print) ISSN (Online) Volume 4, Issue 1, January- February (2013), pp IAEME: Journal Impact Factor (2012): (Calculated by GISI) IJM I A E M E WORK STRESS: A STUDY ON RETAIL SECTOR EMPLOYEES OF JAIPUR Dr. Anukrati Sharma Associate Professor, Faculty of Commerce and Management, University of Kota, Kota, Rajasthan, India ABSTRACT The common sayings like Health is Wealth: and Work is Worship seems to be gone now a days because of the reason of stress. Stress is a crucial word in organizations in the present scenario. Without knowing the mental status and physical capacity and caliber, organizations are just assigning work to the employees. This is causing stress. Stress at times can be taken as a positive word also but maximum times it is taken in a negative sense. The present paper is an attempt to focus on the stress level and how to reduce that stress from the retail sector employees. This study highlights the reasons behind the stress and also gives suggestions to overcome from those stressful environments. Certainly this research is helpful for the companies as well as for the employees working in the retail sector. Keywords: Stress, Work, Environment, Physical Capacity, Retail INTRODUCTION Today no one can save himself from the word Stress.We can feel it at all stages of life. There were no specific reasons for stress. Lot many time people complain about this that they are in Stress, because of XYZ reasons. We truly need to focus on this word, actually we are living in a era of cut throat competition along with lots of expectations from ourselves as well as from our surroundings, and when we are not able to fulfill it or get it, we feel frustrated and it creates a stage of Stress. It is just like, to carry a problem 24 hours with us and then the same problem will create a situation and stage of stress in our minds. Here in this paper the researcher has attempted to focus on such factors which are responsible to create stress among the retail employees as well as it has been also analyzed what are the factors by which retailers can remove stress from the employees. 163

2 Life is so complex that it is very much needed to make a balance and a fit between your internal state and external environment in which you have to survive. We are living one life but we have to work in different environments where we have to deal with different types of people so it is very much required to implement the behaviors accordingly and to enhance the capabilities. Hans Selye, one of the leading authorities on the concept of stress, described stress as "the rate of all wear and tear caused by life." Lazarus and Folkman s (1984) definition of stress reflects very clearly this way of thinking. They say that stress is, a particular relationship between the person and the environment that is appraised by the person as taxing or exceeding his or her resources and endangering his or her well-being. Based on the importance of Stress Management, an attempt is made in this paper to assess the level of stress in retail sector employees. The paper identifies the range of issues and problems, which are serving either to help or hinder stress development. It suggests the necessary actions for the improvement of stress level in the retail organizations. Stress is more defined through the help of model shown below: Figure 1: Model of causes and consequences of work-related stress Work Stress Health Risks for work stress High work load Low control Low support Job insecurity Long working hours Low income etc. Stress reactions Physiological Behavioral o Productivity o Reporting sick o Smoking o Making errors o Etc. Emotional reactions Cognitive reactions Individual Characteristics Long-term consequences On the worker High blood pressure Affective disorders Disturbed metabolism Alcohol dependence Musculoskeletal disorder For employees and companies Increase absenteeism Lateness Decreased turnover Impaired performance and productivity Increased costs Etc. Gender Age Education Competitiveness Over commitment Self-confidence Etc. Source: Adapted from Kompier and Marcelissen, 1990 The above model shows that the individual characteristics influence one s ability to cope up with stress. Stress can affect your health, your work and it can create a imbalance in a person s life. 164

3 WORKPLACE STRESS Workplace stress is the response people may experience when presented with work demand and pressures that are not matched to their knowledge and abilities and which challenge their ability to cope. It has been described as an emotional experience associated with nervousness, tension and strain, brought about by factors related to work. Workplace stress is a concern for both employers with national and international statistics showing the prevalence has grown steadily over recent years. The stress process originates with exposure to stressors. Stressors are those elements within an environment that cause stress and can be either physical or psychosocial. Physical stressors include physical elements within an environment such as loud noise or physically uncomfortable working conditions, whereas psychosocial stressors include pressures as tight deadlines or job insecurity. Types of Stressors Work factors Physical environment Organizational practices Workplace change Relationships Table 1 Examples Excessive work hours Unreasonable performance demands Noise and overcrowding Health and safety risks Ergonomic problems Lack of autonomy Poor communication Unclear roles and responsibilities Insecurity in job Poor chances for advancement or promotion High turnover Office politics, competition and conflicts Poor relationships with superiors Bullying or harassment Source : helpguide.org, STRESS AND ITS IMPACT ON PERFORMANCE Stress has a great impact on one s performance, when it comes to job or work stress, then it becomes more important. Stress is all about how a person is dealing with it. To a certain level stress is also positive and can motivate people to work but after reaching to the Hump it becomes negative and starts damaging the whole personality. This is more elaborate with the help of the following figure. 165

4 Figure 2 Good Stress Distress THE HUMP Performance Healthy tensions Comfort Zone Figure Exhaustion III health Arousal stress Source : The American Institute of Stress, Factors Lead to Job Stress The main factors which lead to job or work stress are as shown in the figure below: I II III IV Physical Environment Work Factors Organization Practice Non- Organizational Factors Noise and Overcrowding Promotion / Demotion Rotating Shifts Life Changes Poor Air Quality Excessive Workload Role Conflict Frustration Health & Safety Risk Job Security Occupation Demand Technological Changes Meaningless Tasks Lack of Participation Relationship at Workplace Harassment Work Overload or Under load Civic Amenities Multiple Supervisors 166

5 OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY The research paper consists of the following objectives: To study the stressful environment of the retail sector of employees of Jaipur. To analyze the effect of stress on employees. To identify the different methods and techniques to reduce work stress. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Stress is a perceptional phenomenon resulting from a comparison between the demand on a person and his ability to cope. An imbalance in this mechanism, when coping is important, gives rise to the experience of stress, and to the stress response (Cox, 1978:25). This transactional view highlights the importance of perception and the relationship of the individual to the environment (i.e., work setting). If there is an improper fit between the individual and the environment, the individual experiences stress. Marshall and Cooper (1981) argue that stress is a different phenomenon from pressure.stress is something more than mere pressure. It carries strong overtones of the breakdown of normal human performance. In an earlier work Cooper and Marshall (1978), concluded that stress is essentially individually defined and must be understand with reference to characteristics of both the individual and his environment, as it is the outcome of the two. Holemes and Rahe (1967) defined stress as a stimulus event that presents unusual demands. In the same context Weiten (1986) focused that stress is any circumstances or transactions with the environment that threaten or are perceived to threaten our well being and thereby tax our adaptive capacities. The views were also presented in( 1977)by Leslie and Lloyd that stress is the mental or physical condition that results from a perceived threat of danger (physical or emotional ) and the pressure to remove it.the International Labour Organization (ILO)(1986) define psychosocial hazards in terms of the interactions among job context,work organization and management,environmental and organizational conditions,as well as the employees competencies and needs.those interactions which may prove hazardous influence employees health through their perceptions and experiences.cox and Griffiths (1995) provide an alternative definition of psychosocial hazards.they define psychosocial hazards as, those aspects of work design and their social and environmental contexts,which have the potential for causing psychological, social or physical harm.wyatt and Watson (2002),in their annual survey identified that mental health disorders can also put employees at greater risk of other illnesses or increase the gravity,duration and likelihood of recurrence of chronic illness. There are different causes of stress as Greenberg (2003) concluded that workplace stress comes in many forms. Stress may be caused by occupational demands, role ambiguity, role conflict or role judging. Moreover, illness is another major cause of stress. Catching a cold, breaking an arm, and a sore back, all cause stress (Burns, 1990). Smith (1989) asserted that environmental factors also can cause stress. Things such as very high altitude and very cold climates can be stressful. Stress affects in numerous ways and can result in poor attendance, excessive use of alcohol or other drugs, poor job performance, or even overall poor health (Mondy, Noe & preneaux, 2002). High level of stress results in high levels of employee dissatisfaction, illness, absenteeism, and turnover, low levels of productivity and as a consequence difficulty 167

6 in providing high quality service to customers (Organ & Bateman, 1989; Matteson & Ivancevich, 1987). Turner (2002) indicated that stress chemicals that stay in the body can obstruct the digestive and immune systems, and also deplete human energy. Different strategies can be followed to overcome stress. Peterson (2003) found the visualization, progressive muscle relaxation, spiritual growth and managing the worry time, as techniques for dealing with stress. Simmons (2006) suggests that definitions of stress typically contain one or more of the following four elements: stressors, adaptations (responses), perceptions (cognitive/emotional), and effects (acute and chronic). Research Methodology For the research a questioner has been developed and interview has been taken by the researcher. The respondents selected for this study, are the employees from the retail sector units in Jaipur of Reliance retail, More and Big Bazar. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire, which was distributed at the workplace to the employees of Big Bazar, Reliance and More Retail in Jaipur city. The study is explorative as well as descriptive. The sample size of the research is 100 employees being 50 from Big Bazar, 30 from Reliance and 20 from More Retail. The research also includes secondary data which has been collected through various websites, newspapers, books etc. ANALYSIS OF DATA Table 2: Age of Response Number of Percentage (%) of Less than 20 years years years years years above Figure 3: Age of The above table and figure shows that most of the employees who are working in the retail sector are in the age group of years. 168

7 Table 3: Gender of Response Number of Percentage (%) of Male Female Figure 4 : Gender of Number of 5% Male Female 95% The table number shows that most of the employees who are engaged in retail sector are males. Through the help of the structured questioner, the data was gathered and analyzed to determine the stress level of employees. The data which the researcher gathered is presented in the table form as follows -. Table 4: in Stressed Response Number of Percentage (%) of Stressed Not Stressed Table 5: in Stressed Number of 2% Stressed Not Stressed 98% 169

8 Table 4 and Figure 1, indicates that 98% of the total respondents working in Retail sector were stressed, whereas only 2% felt that they were not stressed. This research helped to find out that the stressed employees belonged to the lower management. Response Table 5: Reasons of Stress Number of Percentage (%) of Being Overworked Being Underworked Job Security Progression Poor Working Environment Bullying The Wrong Job Table 6 : Reasons of Stress Number of 7% 11% 31% Being Overworked Being Underworked Job Security 15% Progression Poor Working Environment 6% 20% 10% Bullying The Wrong Job Table 5 and figure 6 shows that the major cause of stress among the Retail sector employees is overloaded work and work pressure. The retail employees felt that work assigned to them is more than their capacity. Other than this, it is also observed that the working conditions are also creating problems related to stress for the employees. 170

9 Table 6: Factors of Stress Response Number of Percentage (%) of Communication Gap Lack of Skills Work Life Imbalance Work Environment Unmatched Expectations Economic Status Resource Inadequacy Figure 7: Factors of Stress Number of 7% 6% 14% Communication Gap 8% 5% Lack of Skills Work Life Imbalance 14% Work Environment Unmatched Expectations Economic Status 46% Resource Inadequacy Table 6 and Figure7 depict the various attributes of stress; work life imbalance is one of the major attributes which contributes to stress for an employee. This can be regarded as a factor in building up stress, because 52 employees complained that they were unable to balance their personal and professional fronts successfully. Other major attributes found was the work environment as per 204 employees. 171

10 Table 7 Response Number of Percentage (%) of Interpersonal Relationship Lack of Communication Lack of Job Security Work Life Imbalance Bullying or Harassment Excessive Workload Physical Work Environment Figure 8: Number of 46% 4% 7% 2% 14% 12% 15% Interpersonal Relationship Lack of Communication Lack of Job Security Work Life Imbalance Bullying or Harassment Excessive Workload Physical Work Environment The above table and figure shows that by improving the working environment, companies can reduce the stress level of their employees. Based on the responses of the respondents, it is also clear that motivation and encouragement also help out the employees to reduce the stress at workplace. Table 8: Methods and Techniques to Reduce Work Stress Response Number of Percentage (%) of Modification in Work Environment Meaningful Communication Meditation/Yoga Practice Freedom to Work Motivation and Encouragement Time Management

11 Figure 9: Methods and Techniques to Reduce Work Stress Number of 10% 2% Methods and Techniques Environment Meaningful Communication 38% Meditation/Yoga Practice 25% Freedom to Work Motivation and Encouragement Time Management 7% 6% 12% Physical Work Environment And from Table 8 and Figure 9, it is interpreted that Good working environment has a direct, positive impact on the mind, giving it the strength and power to resist stress and therefore maximum employees, that is, 30 thought of adopting it, to overcome stress. Moreover, 20 percent of the respondents expected that they required recognition, as acknowledging people s value / work is very important in times of stress. Based on the analysis; the initiatives taken by the retail owners to reduce stress are - by providing good working environment, continuous training, proper communication and conducting effective stress management programmes. CONCLUSION The research paper reflects that the maximum number of employees is in the age group of between years, who are working in the retail sector. Other than this most of the male genders are working in retail outlets. The research also elaborates that 98 employees out of 100 are in stressful condition and the reason of their stress is excessive workload at the workplace. The most important factor behind facing stress is the work life imbalance between the employees. The study reveals that by changing the work environment, and techniques such as motivation, could be helpful in reducing their stress levels. Research findings show that the most stressful type of work is that which includes excessive demands and pressures that are not matched with employee s knowledge and abilities. 173

12 SUGGESTIONS 1. Organizations have to focus on finding out the stress levels of their employees. 2. Working environment must be adequate to make a healthy and safe environment. 3. Job participation must be given to the employees. 4. Workload must be assigned to one s capacity and caliber. 5. New techniques to reduce stress must be adopted in the organization. 6. Communication gap must be reduced and unwanted interference in the work must be stopped. Work freedom is also essential for the employees. 7. Employees feel lack of work stress only when demands and pressures of work are matched to their knowledge and abilities. REFERENCES Ahmad S, Ahmad H (1992), Role stress and work satisfaction: a study on middle managers, Indian Psychiatry Vol. 1(6): Bajpai, B.L. (1992). Stress management Financial Express, Bombay, June. 5. Beehr TA, Newman JE (1978). Job Stress, employ Health and Organisational Effectiveness- A fact analysis model and literature reviews. Personal Psychol., Vol. 31, pp Jyothi Budhraja (2008), Causes of stress among insurance employees: An empirical study; The ICFAI journal of Marketing research, Vol. 7, No.10, pp Nadeem Malik (2011), A Study on Occupational stress experienced by private and public banks employees in Quetta city, African Journal of Business Management, Vol. 5 (8), pp Selye, H. (1974). Stress without Distress. Harper and Row Publications, U.S.A. 9. Vijayashree. L. & Dr. Katyayani.J, Gender perspective towards stress factors: Retail employees, Bangalore; Sona Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 1, Issue 1, January 2009, pp Vishnu Verma (2009), Gender Difference in stress among bank officers of Private and Public Sector; The ICFAI journal of Marketing research, Vol. VIII, No. 2, pp K. S. Sathyanarayana and Dr. K. Maran, Job Stress Of Employees International Journal of Management (IJM), Volume 2, Issue 2, 2011, pp , Published by IAEME 12. K. Satheesh Kumar and Dr. G.Madhu, Analysis and Modelling of Work Stress in Chemical Industries In Kerala, India International Journal of Management (IJM), Volume 3, Issue 2, 2012, pp , Published by IAEME 174