The Negative Impact of Stress in the Workplace
Stress is a major problem in the workplace. Boyd (2021) argues that stress reduces organisation performance, employee performance, and the quality of work. Boyd (2021) also notes that stress leads to absenteeism and a high employee turnover rate due to emotional disorders, higher levels of anxiety, work-life imbalance, and depression. Over 40% of workers reported that their jobs were highly stressful (Boyd, 2021). In addition, 25% reported that their job is a critical stressor in their lives. The research found that 26% of stressed employees had family, financial, and health problems.
Stress has also become a significant concern for managers and employees in Information Technology (IT) organisations. As the job responsibilities are huge and the working hour are long, the different employees are bound to become stressed which then impacts the overall quality of work. Hence, the IT organisations continuously roll out new ideas, knowledge, and systems, increasing stress and competition among employees so that the productivity of the organization can be well maintained. Vijayan (2017) argues that the Information Technology (IT) sector is a leading industry in the economy; however, due to its complexity and nature, employees experience high levels of stress. This stress level has several negative connotations for the different performance aspects such as productivity, engagement, enthusiasm and interest in the work alongside the motivation to work hard. Hence, the IT enterprises around the globe are concerned about the stress levels being experienced by the employees and intends to find viable solutions for the same which will bring about better Productivity And Employee Motivation alongside reducing the overall stress levels. While understanding the effectiveness of stress management strategies on employee performance, this will shed further light on the problem, highlight potential causes, and identify possible strategies to mitigate stress among employees, thereby improving individual wellbeing and by extension organisational performance. This will be helpful for the IT industry and help them to resolve the issues with highly stressed employees.
This research is motivated by personal reasons, as the researcher is part of an IT company and has noticed that colleagues appear to be more stressed than in other industries. Consequently, this research is needed in an important area focused on the potential strategies to mitigate stress within the IT sector. This research will also add value to the existing literature on stress management within the IT sector.
As this research aims to understand the effectiveness of stress management strategies on employee performance, the overarching research question is
What are the stress management strategies employed by IT organisations?
- What is the impact of stress management strategies on employee performance?”
- What are the different types of stress faced by the employees in the IT sector?
To address the research question, 10 employees from the IT sector will be interviewed on the impact of stress management strategies on their performance.
The proposal is structured as follows:
- Introduction: sets out the background, problem, purpose, and motivation for the research.
- Literature Review: encompasses the fundamental theories, ideas, and arguments used to inform this research. This section also contains the conceptual framework that will guide this research.
- Research Methodology: outlines the research design, analysis techniques, ethical considerations, and research timeline.
The literature review provides an outline of the key literature used to guide this research. The different domains which have been researched into may be identified as the stress, causes of the stress, strategies and solutions by the firms and the impact of the strategies and the stress on the overall performance of the employees.
Stress in Information Technology (IT) Organizations
Vijayan (2017) defines the concept of job stress. The author states that job stress is the result of stimuli of certain environmental aspects of the organisation. Job stress can lead to the low morale of an employee. The author found that job stress increases in organisations due to the demands of a competitive lifestyle, constant changes, and employees losing their concentration while working.
The IT sector has received a tremendous boost due to globalisation. However, the level of competition among IT skilled individuals has also increased. Therefore, employees working in IT firms are prone to develop various health issues due to physical and mental stress. Mental and physical stress leads to diabetes, fatigue, tension, and headache (Boyd, 2020). Stress in the IT sector is linked with the nature of the profession, mostly as employees sometimes work day and night to fulfil objectives (Padma et al., 2015: Chen, 2019). According to Vijayan (2017), job stress is greatly defined by factors which lie internal or external to the workplace. For instance, due to a poor mental health, an employee may find themselves feeling stressed and the symptoms reflect on their workplace. However, job stress may be identified as the stress which results from the content of the job such as the stressful environment, work content, long hours and the customer complaints thus having a strong impact on the overall manner in which the employee can perform.
Shukla& Srivastava (2016) focused on the reasons for stress in the workplace. The author states that organisational stress is linked to various causes, including role conflict, role ambiguity, overload of the work, and role expectations. The author also found out those demographic characteristics impact the level of stress; employees face during their jobs (Padma et al., 2015: Chen, 2019). The demanding schedules in organisations, especially in the information technology sector, lead to a high-stress level. Long hours, results in a lack of sleep, a primary cause of fatigue in the organisation.
Chen (2019) said that management’s lack of concern for employees is a key major stressor. Vijayan (2017)’s study shows various reasons for job stress, including workload, job security, shift work, low salaries, and lack of recognition of employees’ efforts to achieve the objectives. The author stresses that work shift leads to physiological and psychological distress. Maslach (2017) mentions that the causes of the job stress are critical to monitor in consideration of the fact that they assist in reviewing and analysing the problems which the firms are facing and help in finding a resolution of the same. These problems may be faced by all employees but unless the firm takes some actions on it, a resolution cannot be arrived at.
Vijayan (2017) examined the impact of stress on employee job performance. The research shows that the organisation’s primary cause of low productivity is stress. The author argues that employees require a certain level of motivation and stress mitigation strategies to minimise stress. Significant factors contributing to the stress level were workload, autonomy, job security, role conflict and low salaries. Similar research was conducted by Muraale, Basit & Hassan (2017). Their study found that role ambiguity and time pressure have a significant and negative impact on employee performance. The research concluded that management should reduce role ambiguity and time pressure to minimise employee performance in different sectors. Chen (2019) also determines that the stress and employee performance have a critical influence on one another. In this context it becomes evident to identify the fact that when the employee feels under pressure and is unable to manage the different work aspects, they tend to feel less motivated and thus ultimately decreases their performance.
The Need for Stress Management Strategies in IT Sector
Holman et al. (2018) focused on evaluating interventions and practical job-focused strategies to mitigate job management related stress. Management training in terms of mentoring can work as a successful stress releaser. The author suggests that companies could arrange various sessions to help employees reduce stress, such as mediation, and teach coping skills.
Maslach (2017) states that to reduce the stress level of employees and deal with burnout, there are two aspects companies should focus on; fixing the jobs and fixing the person. Fixing a person requires mediation therapies and the use of relaxation strategies. The author argues that teaching time management skills to employees are essential to help them create a balance their work and personal life. Employees should also be provided with training such as acceptance, commitment therapy and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (Chen ,2019).
Identification of the stressors at the workplace is crucial because the focus just does not lie on a single employee but instead lies on the entire firm which thereby gives a poor work impression on the overall future of the enterprise (Maslach ,2017). In this context, it is crucially significant to note that the strategies to manage the stress levels of the employees must be rather holistic and focused on engaging in the betterment of the firm on a whole.
A number of researchers have considered these ‘on the job’ and ‘non-job stressors’ factors (Maslach, 2017; Holman et al., 2018; Karamchandani and Dubule, 2020). Therefore, the same factors will be used for this research. Critically, these factors are observed to be most influential on employees and eventually their performance. Muraale, Basit & Hassan (2017) found a positive impact between job stress and employee performance. Employees under stress tend to be productive. On the other hand, Chen (2019) argued that the impact of stress on employee performance is based on the level of stress they have. For example, high-stress levels creates a negative impact and moderate to low stress leaves a positive impact on employee performance. Holman et al. (2018) evaluated the relationship between job stress and work performance. In the literature review, the author found management seldom focuses on employee stress in many organisations. Managers also do not understand the need to use stress management measures to improve employee performance. Management often overpressures employees without acknowledging that it can impact their performance. While stress can be harmful it can also be helpful to job performance.
Figure 1: Theoretical Framework
Source: (Maslach, 2017; Holman et al., 2018; Karamchandani and Dubule 2020: Muraale, Basit & Hassan, 2017: Holman et al., 2018)
According to Shekhar et al. (2019), a research design is the researcher’s frame of research tools and techniques. As the researcher aims to explain the impact of stress management techniques on the performance of employees and how these techniques are making a difference, a descriptive research design is appropriate. The descriptive research design is chiefly used for qualitative research, where the overall in-depth discussion about the research questions can be engaged in to identify how a particular phenomenon takes place at large. (Deakin, 2018). The key components for this research are discussed below:
Research Aim and Question
As the researcher intends to determine the impact of stress management techniques on the performance and seeks to engage in an in-depth analysis of the overall effectiveness of the strategies at large, in relation to the employees, an interview will be employed (see Appendices 1: interview Questions). An interview is useful for the effective collection of qualitative data. The interview as a research instrument seeks to base the findings on the participant’s perspective as well as the researcher interpretation. It aligns well with the study design and would also be able to ensure that the researcher is being able to gain a significant understanding of the phenomenon. Hence, the primary data collection technique in the form of the interview would ensure that the perspectives of the employees can be well incorporated into the study (Calhoun et al. 2017).
Alexander (2020) defines sampling as the technique and process for the selection of an adequate or representative sample. Chatterjee (2019) argues that the non-probability type of sampling is biased while the probability method is mostly unbiased regarding the choice of topics. To evaluate the impact of stress management activities on the performance of the workforce and dive into a deep discussion of the stress management techniques, the researcher will adopt the purposive sampling technique. It comes under the non-probability method of sampling. Given the time constraints for this research, it is a feasible and beneficial method for addressing the research objectives (Apuke, 2017.)
In this sense, the researcher will select employees that belong to different departments in an IT company. The selected employees possess adequate knowledge related to the topic of research. The selected participants must have relevant knowledge about stress management. Alexander (2020) states that purposive sampling is useful for understanding relationships. The sample will comprise of 10 employees of IT organisations. The organisation selected is Xero, based on the following criteria:
- The company should be located in Auckland, New Zealand.
- The company is engaged in Information technology services.
An interview technique of data collection is widely used for qualitative research methods. The main benefit of interview technique of research is that it is a simple and allows the perspective of the participants to be collected without any restriction and limitation. Here the nonverbal as well as the verbal cues as given by the participants (Deakin, 2018). Moreover, although it is often structured, it does not restrict the answer and in addition to the questions being asked, other relevant questions pertaining to the study or insights may be obtained. There might be some employees who may not be willing to answer all questions, but their silence can also be taken as a que. However, given the researchers access to Xero, these potential problems can be overcome (Berkovich, 2018). The findings of this research will enable the company’s management to improve processes to reduce work related stress. This will lead to better employee performance. The findings will be useful for promoting social change in a positive manner by improving the well-being of employees. The format of the interview is semi structured with 10-11 questions.
Due to the pandemic, the interview will be conducted online. The researcher will use LinkedIn for approaching the participants. An official message will be emailed to the HR Manager along with a research interview question list A formal procedure will be followed for approval regarding the study’s implementation. After mutual consultation, the discussion will be conducted during an official meeting. In this meeting, criteria will be established for the implementation of the interview and as per the convenience of the participants, each participant would be given adequate time for the interview via a Zoom/Google meeting.
Methodology
According to Alcañiz et al. (2018), data analysis is considered the essential aspect of research for which researchers utilise different techniques based on relevant data collection types. As this research collects primary qualitative data from employees of Xero, thematic analysis as a data analysis technique has been opted for. Here based on the respondent’s replies, different themes would be formulated and based on the secondary findings and the participant’s perspectives which will not only add to the literature in the field but will also answer the research question (Berkovich, I218).
The research is limited in terms of its sample size and scope. Moreover, the industry that the study focuses on is the IT sector; therefore, generalisation of findings to other sectors is not possible.
The researcher will ensure that participants voluntarily engage in the research, and thus it will be important to ensure that potential participants will be approached devoid of any compulsion. The participants will be informed about the purpose of the research and the company will sign off an information sheet prior to the deployment of the survey (see Appendices 2: Information Sheet). In addition, reassurance will be provided about confidentiality and that information collected will only be used for academic purposes. Additionally, the participants will not be asked any related personal questions and all questions would largely relate to the workplace and the stress level of the employees itself. Additionally, the study would not be engaged in without the consent of the participants present. Only when the consent is obtained, the study would be engaged in. Importantly the researcher will:
- Minimise any potential risk to research participants.
- Ensure the confidentiality of participants. The name of participants will not be disclosed to any individual.
- Ensure the fairness concept concerning participants’ recruitment and location choice.
- Ensure that cultural factors are considered. The multicultural aspects are assessed throughout the research project.
- The research details would only be applied and used for the study and disposed off after a particular time period.
The research is expected to be completed within two to three months (refer to below project timeline). The estimated research cost ranges from $400 to $ 500.
References
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Key Literature on Stress Management Strategies in IT Organizations
Deakin, S. (2018). The use of quantitative methods in labour law research: An assessment and reformulation. Social & Legal Studies, 27(4), 456-474.
Holman, D., Johnson, S., & O’Connor, E. (2018). Stress management interventions: Improving subjective psychological well-being in the workplace. Handbook of well-being. Salt Lake City, UT: DEF Publishers.
Ismail, H. N., & Gali, N. (2017). Relationships among performance appraisal satisfaction, work-family conflict and job stress. Journal of Management & Organization, 23(3), 356-372.
Jacobs, S., Johnson, S., & Hassell, K. (2018). Managing workplace stress in community pharmacy organisations: lessons from a review of the wider stress management and prevention literature. International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 26(1), 28-38.
Jalagat, R. (2017). Determinants of job stress and its relationship on employee job performance. American Journal of Management Science and Engineering, 2(1), 1-10.
Karamchandani, K., & Dubule, V. K. (2020). Job Anxiety and Occupational Stress among Employees of IT Sector: Impact on their Attitude towards Management. International Journal of Engineering and Management Research, 8(1). 5-23
Koay, K. Y., Soh, P. C. H., & Chew, K. W. (2017). Do employees’ private demands lead to cyberloafing? The mediating role of job stress. Management Research Review, 0(9), 1025-1038.
Maslach, C. (2017). Finding solutions to the problem of burnout. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 69(2), 143-150
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Muraale, S., Basit, A., & Hassan, Z. (2017). Impact of job stress on employee performance. International Journal of Accounting and Business Management, 5(2), 13-33.
Padma, V., Anand, N. N., Gurukul, S. S., Javid, S. S. M., Prasad, A., & Arun, S. (2015). Health problems and stress in Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing employees, Journal of pharmacy & bioallied sciences, 7(1), 9-25
Page Hocevar, K., & Flanagin, A. J. (2017). Online research methods, quantitative. The International Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods, 1-8.
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Shukla, A., & Srivastava, R. (2016). Development of a short questionnaire to measure an extended set of role expectation conflict, coworker support and work-life balance: The new job stress scale. Cogent business & management, (1), 1134034-1244032.
Velte, P., & Stawinoga, M. (2020). Do chief sustainability officers and CSR committees influence CSR-related outcomes? A structured literature review based on empirical-quantitative research findings. Journal of Management Control, 1-45.
Vijayan, M. (2017). Impact of job stress on employees job performance in aavin, Coimbatore. Journal of Organisation and Human Behaviour, 6(3), 21-35.
Yahaya, A., Maakip, I., Voo, P., Sam, S. K., & Sawai, J. P. (2019). The Effects of Occupational Stress on the Management of an Organization. International Journal of Asian Social Science, 9(2), 248-255.
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