UNIT – I Lesson 1 HRM – AN OVERVIEW Lesson Outline Nature of ...

6. Maintain positive health buffers such as daily exercise, good eating habits,
adequate sleep and healthy pleasures to build stress resistance and prevent
stress build-up
7. Recognize early warning signs of mental and physical distress.
8. Develop means of mobilizing and controlling stress in performance situations.
Tranquility and serenity are rare in human existence. However, some jobs like that
of office managers, sales persons, drivers and security officers do expose the people who
hold them to high levels of stress than others like the jobs of college professor, trainers or
copy writers . Similarly some industries like Telecommunications, financial services and
producers of Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) are rated to be the most stressful
industries. Some individuals with aggressive, ambitious personality types are more prone
to stress than other types who are patient, tolerant and calm.
In terms of organizational factors, any attempt to lower stress would have to begin
with employee selection, during which care has to be taken to ensure that an employee’s
abilities match the requirements of the job. Subsequently, improved organizational
communications will keep ambiguity-induced stress to a minimum. Similarly a
performance planning program such as Management by objectives will clarify job
responsibilities, provide clear performance objectives and thus reduce anxiety. If stress can
be traced directly to boredom or work overload, jobs should be redesigned to increase
challenge or reduce the work load. Redesign s that increase opportunities for employees to
participate in decisions and to gain social support have also been found to lessen the
burdens arising out of stress.
4.12.3. Stages of Reaction to Stressors: Stages of coping refer to primary appraisal and
secondary appraisal. Primary appraisal involves the determination, based on one’s
knowledge of the stressor, whether we are potentially threatened or are in jeopardy.
Assessment of resources for dealing with the stressors is called secondary appraisal. Hans
Selye is considered the father of Stress Management Studies. He specified the General
Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) to depict the stages undergone by people facing stressful
situations. GAS comprises of three phases, the first being alarm, a state of heightened
alertness and bodily arousal, followed by Resistance, a stage of putting up with and
opposing the stress-causing force. The third phase would be one of exhaustion, when the
person begins to give up the struggle against the stressor and submits meekly to the reality.
Major sources of organizational stress include confusing directions and conflicting
demands from two or more people. The other sources are too much work or too little
work, career insecurity and lack of opportunities, irritating habits of co-workers, conflict