Statement of Problem
Work pressure has occupied a great part of a consideration in social psychological exploration, and the psychological well-being of employees in the workplace is critical to avoid stress and improve employees’ performance (Vainio, 2015). Stress is inevitable in the workplace, and the effects of stress are mostly negative, as it has the outcomes on the incomes of the organization and the health of the worker (Hiriyappa, 2013).
Noteworthy examination conclusions have stated that continued stress will have the undesirable impact on the well-being of the worker as well as on employees’ assertiveness towards the company (O’Keefe, Brown, & Becky, 2014). With the inevitability of the work-related stress, the general problem is that it affects people emotionally, mentally, and physiologically, resulting in aggravated job performance (O’Keefe et al., 2014; Patel, 2013).
In the emotional, mental, and physiological aspects, occupational stress leads to the development of cardiovascular diseases, disturbances of mood, psychological and emotional disorders, musculoskeletal problems, and injuries at the workplace (Patel, 2013). The job strain, burnout, bullying, harassment and diversity-related issues are directly connected to the worsening of employees’ working performance and cooperation with other colleagues; furthermore, employees feel dissatisfaction with their work, and they become disengaged (Leon & Halbesleben, 2013). The lack of motivation and commitment also leads to unsatisfactory performance; stress at workplace often results in the increased rate of turnover and absenteeism and translates into the overall worsening of the organization’s performance (Leon & Halbesleben, 2013).
Preventing work-related stress is essential to successful performance outcomes, and preventive measures should incorporate interventions that are meant to neutralize the stressful environment (Sherridan & Ashcroft, 2015). Knowledge gained about this phenomenon would help to identify the influence of differences on employees’ response to activities aimed at diminishing stress at a workplace (Sherridan & Ashcroft, 2015).
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to examine particular ways people of different cultures respond to a strategy aimed at reducing the stress of the workers. Focus groups and interviews with employees will gather all relevant data for the investigation of the purpose of the study. An inductive approach and the phenomenological analysis will be utilized for the evaluation of the work-related stress in employees of five companies. A group of 20 employees of 5 different companies will be interviewed. Open-ended questions will be used to collect the comprehensive qualitative data on the matter.
The researcher will focus on employees’ attitudes towards strategies aimed at diminishing stress at the workplace that are utilized in the companies. Particular attention will be given to such factors as job strain, burnout, bullying, harassment and diversity-related issues.
Research Questions
The following section contains the necessary information regarding the statement of the problem and the research questions. The following research questions elaborate on how the research purpose will be fulfilled and demonstrate how they are aligned with the research purpose statement. These questions ensure that the process of defining key factors of workplace stress and ways to reduce it is accomplished by viewing the phenomenon from several critical perspectives. Moreover, these questions will help to work out the recommendations for work-related stress reduction.
The readings have proven work-related stress to be one of the most inflated professional health matters in relations to the damage to administrative assets. Common straight outcomes of work-related stress are decreased levels of productivity, amplified absence, and worker turnover.
Even though mild stress can enhance employees’ performance at the workplace (Britt & Jex, 2015), 75% of American workers report experiencing significant stress every month resulting in health damages, reduced performance (Leon & Halbesleben, 2013), and increased turnover (American Psychological Association, 2015). Damages associated with or resulting from work-related stress include the development of cardiovascular disorders as well as increased cases of injuries at the workplace (O’Keefe et al., 2014). Psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, sleep and eating disorders often become a result of work-related stress. Finally, work-related stress can lead to reduced performance, increased turnover rates, and employee disengagement.
All these factors lead to significant losses. For instance, it has been found that work-related stress causes 5-8% of the entire US healthcare costs each year (White, 2015). Companies spend more than $150 billion dollars in healthcare expenses (White, 2015). This involves compensations, absenteeism, and turnover related to healthcare issues. Decreased productivity may also lead to replacement and greater losses on recruiting and preparation of new workers (O’Keefe et al., 2014). For example, the replacement of employees who make less than $50,000 a year may cost 20% of his or her salary while the replacement of an executive worker may require up to 200% of his or her annual salary (Return on Employee Investment, 2013).
- Q1. Which advanced occupation circumstances intensify or diminish preexisting distress?
- Q2. Which target group should be sampled (new or experienced employees) and why?
- Q3. What are the primary internal and external preconditions that may lead to the occupational stress?
- Q4. What are the social and economic consequences of occupational stress?
- Q5. How does the cultural diversity of the employees affect the results of a strategy aimed at reducing occupational stress?
References
American Psychological Association. (2015). Stress in America. Web.
Britt, T., & Jex, S. (2015). Thriving under stress. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
Hiriyappa, B. (2013). Stress management. Bloomington, Indiana: Booktango.
Leon, M., & Halbesleben, J. (2013). Building resilience to improve employee well-being. In A. Rossi, J. Meurs & P. Perrewe (Eds.), Improving employee health and well-being (pp. 65-79). Charlotte, North Carolina: IAP.
O’Keefe, L., Brown, K., & Becky, C. (2014). Policy perspectives on occupational stress. Workplace Health & Safety, 62(10), 432-438.
Patel, C. (2013). The complete guide to stress management. New York, New York: Springer.
Return on employee investment. (2013). Web.
Sherridan, C., & Ashcroft, K. (2015). Work related stress – what is it, and what do employers need to do to address it. NZ Business, 29(4), 4-5.
Vainio, H. (2015). Occupational safety and health in the service of people. Industrial Health, 53(1), 387-389.
White, G. B. (2015). The alarming, long-term consequences of workplace stress. The Atlantic. Web.