Counseling:
Counseling is provided to the employees in all of the areas which may be contributing to a decline their work performance. These areas include:
- Family/relationship issues
- Workplace concerns
- Alcohol and drug problems
- Personal and emotional difficulties
- Health and behavioral issues
Such counseling will help employees resolve various issues through seeking expert advice and counseling. As a result of which their job performance will also improve.
Mental Health Assessment and Referrals:
Through counseling, the employee’s mental condition will be assessed. And, if an employee requires long-term treatment, the counselor will make a referral to a specialist in the related area to allow the employee to seek expert advice for their problems. This would allow the employee to over come their problems. And, as a result their job performance will also improve.
Workshops on Topics Such As Time Management and Relaxation:
Employees will also be provided with workshops on topics such as time management and relaxation, which would allow the employees to manage time better and identify methods to relax in tiring or stressful situations. Both these factors will improve the performance of the employees in their respective jobs. The reason for this would be that most of the time, employees feel frustrated because they are not able to set time aside their tasks, as a result of which, they find themselves unable to complete any or most of their tasks. In addition to this, in today’s world, the office environment tends to get very hectic and tiring, and if the employees are unable to relax every once in a while, their constant exhaustion can hinder their job performance. Relaxation techniques can include meditation, humor and other relaxation techniques. Hence, workshops on topics such as time management and relaxation will help improve the job performance and productivity of the employees.
Legal and Financial Assistance:
Problems related to legal and financial issues can also keep employees stressed. In order to overcome this factor, organizations should provide their employees with legal and financial advice and assistance, to allow them to concentrate better on their jobs, instead of these issues. Providing legal and financial assistance to employees will allow their job performance and satisfaction levels to improve.
Organizational Change:
Organizational change allows for lasting stress reduction in organizations. Organizational change is brought about in such a way so as to make the employees satisfied with their jobs and motivated to excel in their respective fields. This in turn will allow the organization’s overall performance to increase. However, less stress occurs when a business or institution encourages employee participation from the bottom up, implements policies that take employee needs into account, and empowers employees to do their best.
Following is a list of ways in which an organization can foster low levels of job stress and high levels of productivity:
Improve communication:
- Share information with employees to reduce uncertainty about their jobs and futures
- Clearly define employees’ roles and responsibilities
- Make communication friendly and efficient, not mean-spirited or petty
Consult your employees:
- Give workers opportunities to participate in decisions that affect their jobs
- Consult employees about scheduling and work rules
- Make sure employees understand any changes that may be in store for them by the management
- Be sure the workload is suitable to employees’ abilities and resources; avoid unrealistic deadlines
- Show that individual workers are valued
Offer rewards and incentives:
- Praise good work performance verbally and institutionally
- Provide opportunities for career development
- Promote an “entrepreneurial” work climate that gives employees more control over their work
Cultivate a friendly social climate:
- Provide opportunities for social interaction among employees
- Establish a zero-tolerance policy for harassment
- Make management actions consistent with organizational values
Literature Review:
Following are the three research articles that were consulted:
Research Article # 1:
“Occupational Stress and its Effects on Organizational Communication”
Abstract:
Job stress can be defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker. Job stress can lead to poor health and even injury. This paper will discuss the four primary areas from which occupational stress originates. Next, the outcomes of stress will be discussed, followed by an examination of the classifications of stressors. The remainder of the discussion will be focused on the aspects of organizational communication and recommendations for prevention of occupational stress and stress management. Table of Contents Introduction 4 Sources of Occupational Stress 4 Stress Outcomes 5 Classifications of Occupationally Related Stress 6 Stressors and Organizational Communication 6 Job “Burn-Out” 8 Recommendations for Stress Management 9
Article:
The nature of work is changing at whirlwind speeds. Perhaps now, more than ever before, job stress poses a threat to the health of workers. Stress has long been associated with the onset of significant physical and mental health problems. Stress began to be implicated in areas beyond the bounds of physical and mental health as far back as the 1980s. In the organizational environment, stress has been implicated in the deterioration of performance efficiency by both managers and subordinates. When performance efficiency suffers the quality of the overall organizational environment and productivity deteriorates. A deterioration of the organizational environment is accompanied by deterioration in organizational communication (Gilberg, 1993).
Sources of Occupational Stress:
The primary sources of occupational stress within an organization originate from four areas. These areas include task demands, physical demands, role demands, and interpersonal demands.
Stress Outcomes:
The result of stressors commonly associated with occupational stress tends to vary widely. Workers may simply resort to daydreaming or fantasizing. Alternatively, employees may react more actively by creating interpersonal and intraorganizational conflicts involving escalating levels of communication problems. Workers may also experience effects in their psychological and physical health. Psychological consequences may include anxiety, boredom, low self-esteem, forgetfulness, depression, anger, apathy, or worry. Physical consequences may include, but are certainly not limited to, headaches, diabetes, fatigue, hypertension, chest and back pain, ulcers, or even infectious diseases.
Classifications of Stressors:
Occupationally related stressors tend to vary from job to job and from organization to organization. These stressors can be easily divided into three classifications. The first classification contains stressors that are common to a wide variety of jobs. This group includes issues regarding customer demands, time constraints, and ineffective training. The second classification contains stressors that are common to a wide variety of organizations. This group includes issues related to absence of support from organizational superiors, non-competitive wage structures, poor job descriptions, and ineffective organizational motivational strategies. The third, and last, classification contains factors related to interdepartmental activities within an organization. This group included issues such as poor cooperation, organizational politics, and similar activities.
Conclusion:
This body of research concluded that a large measure of uniformity in the perceived work experiences of individuals exists within particular membership groups, but not between membership groups. Extensions of the basic research in this area found that both contextually related and role-related variables affect interpersonal communication, job attitude, job behavior, and the magnitude of job stressors. In this context, the researchers concluded that an individual's perceptions of work-generated stressors and their eventual reactions to these organizational realities are influenced by the location within a particular organizational environment of that individual (Schaubroeck, 1993)
Research Article # 2:
“THE MANAGEMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL STRESS – A GUIDE FOR MANAGERS”
By Annette Stanton, Chief Executive Officer, Comcare, GPO Box 211, Canberra, ACT 2601, AUSTRALIA
http://www.worksafe.nt.gov.au/corporate/publications/pub0003.pdf
Abstract:
This paper outlines one aspect of a range of strategies adopted by Comcare to combat the rise in workplace illnesses due to occupational stress. Although recent data suggest that occupational stress may have peaked as a cause of workplace injury and illness in our jurisdiction, the costs associated with such injuries remain high.
Comcare has indicated to employers that by focussing on occupational stress, management can help counter these costs. To this end, and in concert with Comcare’s strategies in the field of claims management and regulatory reform, Comcare has prepared a ‘Better Practice Guide’ on the management of occupational stress by Federal Government employers. The guide draws on an Australian National Audit Office report on The Management of Occupational Stress in Commonwealth Employment, as well as on cooperative prevention projects conducted with Federal Government employers.
Article:
Effective management of occupational stress must be underpinned by clear senior management commitment to a healthy and safe working environment. Staff working to manage occupational stress must have the backing of senior management in fostering appropriate workplace cultures and practices. Senior management should consider how their commitment is demonstrable to their staff.
A first step towards effective management of occupational stress is knowledge of the nature and extent of any problems. It is essential that information is collected and analyzed on a periodic basis to ensure that the agency is aware of where and to what extent occupational stress impacts on the employer.
In summary, employers must take a strategic approach to the management of occupational stress, focusing particularly on prevention. They should utilize management information available from the workers’ compensation scheme as well as from internal sources to ensure that stress prevention programs are appropriately targeted. They should continually review the effect and outcomes of programs in this area to ensure that the best results are achieved.
Research Article # 3:
Stress Management in Organizations and Society
by Gerald Schueler, Ph.D. © 1997
http://www.schuelers.com/psychology/HS884.htm
Abstract:
Actions or situations that place physical or psychological demands on people over time will cause stress. Both physical and mental stress are required for normal and healthy growth and moderate amounts in the workplace can increase productivity. But if not managed properly, stress can eventually lead to burnout as well as to physical problems. In the workplace, one of the chief causes of stress is the feeling of inequity or unjust treatment. Effective stress management addresses employees both physically and mentally. Easy and economical treatment at the workplace includes provisions for music and physical exercise with suggestions for rest, diet, and meditation. Management can also reassign tasks and provide more flexible work schedules. Workplace stress is expensive because it can cause absenteeism, increased sick leave and medical costs, and high turnover rates.
Article:
Stress Management.
The methodology used to alleviate stress.
Why Stress Management is Important:
Hollin (1995) states that "It has been known since the beginning of the century that the experience of stress can have quite serious effects on health" (p. 119). However, because we all respond to stress differently, "stress-related disease is not easily predictable from objective measures of environmental stressors" (p. 120).
Restak (1988) says that "the more life stress a person experiences, the greater the likelihood of developing a physical disorder like heart disease, infection, allergies, even cancer" (p. 152). According to Restak (1994) one of the ways the ego sometimes responds to stress is dissociation, where whole blocks of memory are repressed and forgotten. According to Flannery (1995), very stressful experiences can lead to psychological trauma, which, in turn, can lead to post traumatic stress disorder.
Jung (1978) considered stress to be essential for the birth and growth of the ego. He writes, "It [the ego] seems to arise in the first place from the collision between the somatic factor and the environment, and, once established as a subject, it goes on developing from further collisions with the outer world and the inner" (p. 5). Thus some degree of stress is essential for a healthy growing ego. A problem arises when the ego is presented with more stress than it can adequately handle. This is also true for stress in the workplace, as noted by Waxler (1993) who points out that moderate stress often fosters productivity.
Aim of Study:
“To conduct a research regarding the stress patterns in young and middle-age employees and analyze the findings to draw conclusions regarding the reasons of occupational stress.”
The company that we went to for the research was, Crescent Commercial Bank.
Introduction of the Company:
Crescent Commercial Bank Limited:
Crescent Commercial Bank Limited is a scheduled commercial bank, licensed by the State Bank of Pakistan under Section 27 of the Banking Companies Ordinance 1962. The bank was incorporated on November 12, 2002 with its registered office in Karachi.
CresBank was formed as a result of an agreement between Crescent Investment Bank Limited and Mashreqbank for the amalgamation of CIBL and Mashreqbank’s Pakistan operations into a new banking company. The amalgamation took place on July 9, 2003 under a Scheme of Amalgamation approved by the respective shareholders and sanctioned by the SBP under Section 48 of the Banking Companies Ordinance 1962.
On March 30, 2007 Samba Financial Group ("Saudi Arabian Middleast Bank of America) acquired 68.4% of CresBank by subscribing to six hundred million new ordinary shares for a consideration of PKR 6.0 billion. CresBank’s Board has been reconstituted to appropriately reflect the change in the bank’s ownership. CCBL’s new Board of Directors bring immense banking and business judgment, strong knowledge of the global banking industry, and a deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges faced by the bank. The expertise and vision provided by the new Board will help guide the bank towards long term sustainable growth that will deliver superior returns for stakeholders and benefit the institution and country as a whole. Following this investment by Samba, CresBank has emerged as one of the highest capitalized banks in the country with a paid-up capital of PKR 8.769 billion.
Samba is Saudi Arabia’s premier financial institution with a market capitalization of approximately US$ 23.3 billion and shareholder’s equity of US$ 4.1 billion. Samba enjoys one of the highest credit ratings by S&P, Fitch, and by Capital Intelligence. The Saudi banking group offers varied banking and investment services with a commitment to providing innovative financial solutions of the highest quality and delivering superior returns to its investors. CresBank will benefit immensely from the balance sheet strength and strong profile that Samba provides.
New Ownership of Crescent Commercial Bank:
Samba has acquired majority stake in Crescent Commercial Bank. The mane of the bank will soon be registered as Samba Commercial Bank.
Branches:
CresBank is listed on all three bourses of the country namely Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. The bank currently has a network of twenty eight branches, eleven located in Karachi, eight in Lahore, four in Islamabad, and one each in Peshawar, Sialkot, Multan, Gujranwala and Faisalabad.
Our Sources:
- Our source with in the organization was our group member Umama Riaz, who is in the liabilities department serving as Personal Banker.
- Rafay Hassan Parvez, business development manager.
- Mansoor Azam Kazi who is the Cluster Manager in the Regional Branch of Cresent Commercial Bank.
Contact Number:
- Umana Riaz: 0333-48254633
- Rafay Hassan Parvez: 0321-4439394
- Mansoor Ahmed Kazi: 0301-8489999
(V-cards are available with the report)
Administer the Scale on Employees:
Methodology:
The research was conducted by having the employees of Crescent Commercial Bank fill out “Adrenalin Junkie Stress Scale”, to calculate their respective levels of stress.
Sample:
Was filled by 10 employees were studied in whole. Out of these 5 were young employees who lied between the ages of 25-35 years. The other 5 were middle aged individuals lying between the ages of 36-45 years.
Research Tool:
The research tool that was used was a questionnaire called the “Adrenalin Junkie Stress Scale”. It constituted of 15 questions in total. And the responses of the employee subjects was ranged according to “Never”, “Sometimes”, “Often”, “Always”. The numbers attributed to each of them were as follows:
“Never” =0
“Sometimes” =1
“Often” =2
“Always” =3
Procedure:
In order to conduct the research we went to Crescent Commercial Bank. Our source there was our group member, Umama Riaz. More over, the Cluster Manager of the regional Branch, Mr. Mansoor Azam Kazi also helped us with our research. We conducted the research by having 5 young and 5 middle-aged managers or assistant managers of various designations.
Moreover, our group member Umama Riaz and Mr. Mansoor Azam Kazi also helped us to get an insight into the internal work environment of Crescent Commercial Bank and the various factors that may induce stress in the employees.
Results:
Given below is a detailed description of the results of the research and its explanation:
Table A
Table of Results of Young Employees
140
Total:
The total score of the young employees is 140.
Table B
Table of Results of Middle-Aged Employees
108
Total:
The total score of the middle-aged employees is 108.
Average Stress:
The average mean of the young employees is, hence:
Average Mean= 140/ 5
= 28
The average mean of the middle-aged employees is, hence:
Average Mean= 108/ 5
= 21-6
Table C
Table of the Average of Young and Middle-Aged Employees
Over All result:
Young Employees:
The young employees have shown an average of 28 which is a above the cut-off point of 22.5. Showing that the average young age employee experiences more stress.
Middle-Aged Employees:
The middle-aged employees have shown an average of 21.6 which is slightly below the cut-off point of 22.5. Showing that an average middle-aged employee experiences less stress. 28
Chart of Over All Results
Graph Showing Stress Levels on Each Question:
Discussion:
Results of Young Employees:
Employee # A of age 24 scored 31 which is above the cut-off point of 22.5, implying that the employee takes “more stress”.
Employee # B also of age 24 scored 25 which is near the cut-off point of 22.5, implying that the employee takes “average stress”.
Employee # C of age 25 scored 18 which is quite below the cut-off point of 22.5, implying that the employee takes “less stress”.
Employee # D of age 27 scored 31 which is above the cut-off point of 22.5, implying that the employee takes “more stress”.
Employee # E of age 29 scored 35 which is above the cut-off point of 22.5, implying that the employee takes “more stress”.
Causes of the Results of Young Employees:
Young employees are often inexperienced or have little experience, with the consequence that adjusting to a newly discovered professional environment is hard for them. And it usually takes years for them to adjust to their work environment. Due to this very reason they feel uncomfortable in the initial years regarding their jobs. Moreover, young employees usually have a lot of superficial expectations which might not be pertaining to the real world. As a result they may face disappointments regarding their unrealistic high expectations.
Moreover, inexperience combined high energy levels in young employees leads them to misuse their energy pursuing unprofessional goals rather than realistic ones. For example, young employees tend to move away from their job descriptions to pursue some activity that they enjoy more, or believe they are better at, as a result that, they do not perform their jobs properly.
Transfer of Ownership of Crescent Commercial Bank:
Another important reason for the young employees to feel stressed is because Crescent Commercial Bank is preparing to transfer its ownership to Samba. The employees were observed to feel uncertain as to the changes that would take place when the ownership would eventually change. More over, they feel that a change of ownership might disturb the smooth functioning of their office, and induce changes which they are unwilling to endure.
Results of Middle-Aged Employees:
Employee # F of age 36 scored 16 which is quite below the cut-off point of 22.5, implying that the employee takes “less stress”.
Employee # G of age 38 scored 19 which is also quite below the cut-off point of 22.5, implying that the employee takes “less stress”.
Employee # H of age 39 scored 23 which is a little below the cut-off point of 22.5, implying that the employee takes almost average stress.
Employee # I of age 40 scored 25 which is almost exactly the cut-off point of 22.5, implying that the employee takes “average stress”.
Employee # J of age 44 also scored 25 which is almost exactly the cut-off point of 22.5, implying that the employee takes “average stress”.
Causes of the Results of Middle-Aged Employees:
Middle-aged employees have shown less stress levels as compared to the young employees. A number of reasons were seen to contribute to their low levels of stress. One of the more apparent reasons, of course, is the fact that most of these employees have been with this company from the very beginning. Because of which they have a high sense of loyalty to the company. Moreover, they are comparatively more comfortable with the company’s culture and environment because they themselves have played key roles in developing the bank’s culture. As far as the work environment is concerned, these employees have adapted to most of the company procedures and feel comfortable and motivated because they feel that they are being compensated and appreciated well.
Conclusion:
During the course of the research, we have come to know that occupational stress not only effects job performance, but also the personal lives of the employees as well. Moreover, job stress being faced by the employees of an organization mean reduced productivity, poor organizational culture and low profits. Therefore, it is customary for organizations to adopt preventive stress management to make sure that any type of stress in employees can be prevented or eliminated in its initial stages. Moreover, organizations must use combinations of stress management and organizational change techniques to eradicate any stresses being experienced by its employees. Moreover, we found through our research that the average levels of stress in young employees are much more as compared to the average levels of stress in middle-aged employees.
Implications:
Considering the specific conditions prevalent in Crescent Commercial Bank and the results of its employees in the adrenalin’ junkie stress scale. Following are some advices which may help them reduce the stress level in their employees:
Organizational Change:
Improve communication:
- Share information with employees to reduce uncertainty about their jobs and futures
- Clearly define employees’ roles and responsibilities
- Make communication friendly and efficient, not mean-spirited or petty
This might contribute to allow the young employees to understand their job descriptions well, so as to avoid them wondering off into unrelated tasks. Moreover, this will give the employees a sense that their jobs are leading to a bright future, keeping them motivated to do their best.
Consult your employees:
- Give workers opportunities to participate in decisions that affect their jobs
- Consult employees about scheduling and work rules
- Make sure employees understand any changes that may be in store for them by the management
- Show that individual workers are valued
This is necessary since, Crescent Commercial Bank is transferring ownership, and the employees are feeling insecure as to what changes might be in store for them. Keeping them aware of the ongoing activities and consulting them while taking any decisions regarding changes in work environment will reduce their level of uncertainty and hence, reduce their level of stress. This will also give them a feeling of being important in the organization. And sense of empowerment in employees has been tested to improve the dedication and loyalty of the employees to the organization.
Offer rewards and incentives:
- Provide opportunities for career development
- Promote an “entrepreneurial” work climate that gives employees more control over their work
Such an activity would allow the young employees of Crescent Commercial Bank to feel that they are moving towards successful careers. Moreover, promoting an entrepreneurial environment would allow the young employees to channel their energy and ambitions towards increasing the organization’s productivity rather than, unrealistic goals, as mentioned earlier in the report.
Change Management:
Since, Crescent Commercial Bank is on the verge of a huge organization wide change, the management needs to ensure that this oncoming change is properly managed. Especially since, improper handling of the workforce during such a significant change may lead to adverse consequences. People who are confronted by change will experience a form of culture-shock as established patterns of corporate life are altered or viewed by people as being threatened. Typically, employees experience a form of grief, loss and/or insecurity. For this purpose the change should be properly managed to not prepare the employees’ minds to cope with the change, but also to shape their thinking patterns and convert then into productive elements which will allow the change to take place in the most desired manner. And take the company further than it ever thought possible.
References:
- “THE MANAGEMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL STRESS – A GUIDE FOR MANAGERS”: By Annette Stanton, Chief Executive Officer, Comcare, GPO Box 211, Canberra, ACT 2601, AUSTRALIA http://www.worksafe.nt.gov.au/corporate/publications/pub0003.pdf
- “Occupational Stress and its Effects on Organizational Communication”
- Stress Management in Organizations and Society
by Gerald Schueler, Ph.D. © 1997
http://www.schuelers.com/psychology/HS884.htm
