Abstract
Stress in the workplace has been observed to cause a myriad of health problem. It is an area that needs to be checked since it is posing a threat to the health of many. If left unchecked many more will continue to fall into the same problems. It is hard for managers to get time to learn how to handle stress given their busy schedules. This leads to many of them getting too exhausted to proceed with their work and some may develop health problems. High levels of stress have been seen to even lead to insanity. It is important that the causes of stress at the workplace be identified. This will help managers to deal with work related issues.
The paper focuses on the main causes of stress to managers and how they can set systems to reduce it or avoid it altogether. Attention is given to manager-employee relationship which greatly affects the working environment. Some solutions are proposed on how managers can reduce stress. The hazards related with high stress levels have been outlined. The benefits realized by an appropriate stress management are also discussed.
Managerial stress and effects on Managers
Stress has been defined in the Oxford dictionary as “a state of affairs involving demand on physical or mental energy.” Stress forces an individual to react to a demand which at times may be threatening. Researchers have studied stress and have said that it can produce positive or negative results. In the positive sense stress has been found to increase the performance of individuals. When we are confronted by situations that dictate that we learn new ways of thinking and doing things, we do not hesitate to do that no matter the cost. This is what improves us. Stress on the other hand may lead to great problems which may culminate in insanity if not well managed.
Stress is known to challenge the brain to prepare to take action or to take cover. Much of how we react under strain has to do with attitude. Doctors have proposed that if we identify the causes of stress in our environments we would be better positioned to handle it positively. Cultivating a good attitude will therefore help us to manage stress effectively. Yet many people do not know that they are stressed. It is only when it reaches lethal stage that they finally understand they were suffering from stress. The main causes of stress are life issues that are not within human control while other are artificially created.
Stress traverses all sectors of human existence such that no individual is immune from its effects. The workplace has enough challenges of its own that can result to stress. The employees are under constant pressure to meet the expectations of the manager. They are under pressure from their families as they have to support them financially. Employees have to contend with huge workloads, changing work patterns and changing work environments. These and more pressures may exceed a person’s ability to cope with them and this leads to stress. A combination of work related issues and personal issues are what accelerate stress. Organizations should develop ways of managing stress among its workforce to maintain high productivity.
The past three decades have seen many managerial posts being taken by women. This is in contrast with the ancient days when work related stress was only associated with men. Today all are working hand in hand and stress affects both parties. The question researchers have been pursuing is to know whether men and women face the same levels of stress. They have sought to know who between the sexes is mostly affected by stress. They also seek to know who experiences more causes of stress the other. Several studies have been done in this regard and have come up with many varied results.
A recent study was done to respond to the above questions. The study involved managers from the UK and South Africa. According to Miller et al (2000), the study did not find differences in the stressors between male and female managers. The study found out that men, unde`r stressful conditions, exhibited better mental and physical well being than women. There were also differences in the way male and female managers coped with stress. This difference did not indicate where the real difference was between males and females and how it varied with the countries. It is agreeable that the different sexes experience stress in various forms.
The managers of organizations are the ones dangerously exposed to many stress causers. The responsibilities placed on them are enormous. The manager of a company is charged with the ensuring that the company meets the expectations of all stakeholders. The shareholders of the company look on the manager to make their money grow. The employees of the company are on the look out not to let the manager take them for granted by overworking them. The manager has to keep up with changing government policies and position the business appropriately. The manager has to keep ahead of their competitors by learning new approaches and taking every opportunity to advance the business. They have to balance their role as managers with the roles as family men and women. Keeping in step with the technology is another cause of worry for managers. Managers are expected to upgrade their skills from time to time despite their busy schedules. Managers need not be thought of as only the senior most people. There are also managers who head smaller groups within the company and they face similar challenges.
Managers are expected to develop measures within their organizations to manage stress, at the managerial level and at the employees’ level. They need to understand the causes of stress at the workplace in order for them to tackle them. A main concern for managers is their employees. A stress free workforce will ensure less stress for the manager. According to International Stress Management in the UK, the major causes of stress among the employees are job demands, employees’ control over their work, the support given by managers and colleagues, relationships at work, role in the organization and change and how it’s managed.
Managers should not put demands on their employees that exceed their capacity. If there are jobs to be done that surpass the current workforce it is important to consider hiring people qualified for the job. Alternatively the management should develop training programs for its staff to ensure that they are capable of handling their roles. Employees should be allowed space to do their jobs as per their best skills. They should be encouraged to be innovative. Managers should ensure that appropriate measures are put in place to prevent conflicts and to resolve those that arise. Appropriate measures should also be put in place to encourage managers to support employees when need arises and awareness of the ways through which such may be obtained.
Another major contributor to stress to managers is role conflicts within the workforce. This is the case where the employee is told to do anything by anyone. There are no immediate supervisors to guide them on what needs to be done. Such undefined structures may lead to great conflicts especially when one is ordered around by someone their junior. To avoid this, managers need to ensure that each employee understands their duties and scope to avoid duplication of duties. The managers should give the staff clearly defined goals that they are expected to achieve. There should be procedures to ensure managers receive feedback from employees.
Managers are known to extend into late hours in the offices long after normal working hours. As much as it is advisable for the welfare of the business, they need to realize that working long hours does not necessarily increase productivity. In most cases it postpones exhaustion until a time when one cannot hold on any more. Proper time management will ensure that the available working hours are used to the maximum. This will allow managers and even employees’ personal time with their families. Stability at home ensures peace of mind at work and this underscores the importance of family to everyone, including managers. Neglecting this has led to some divorcing even when a couple is doing well financially. It is important to balance family time and work time.
Managers make mistakes when they think that everything is only done well if they do it. It may be true but this only adds to their chances of being stressed. They need to learn to delegate some responsibilities to their juniors. This is why there are assistants. The work of the manager should mainly be to oversee and direct but not to do everything. This helps the managers to perform their roles well and be better placed to evaluate all areas of the business. The immediate juniors are also made to feel responsible and this motivates them to work harder thus increasing their productivity. In the case that the manager does not report for work in any day, there will be smooth flow of the business since the junior staff has been trained to handle responsibility. This enables the managers to attend meetings elsewhere with no fear that things will go wrong in their absence.
Managers should also create working environments that are flexible to accommodate important arising matters, those that were not in a day’s schedule. Having a day’s schedule is important since it prioritizes important issues and delegates the less urgent ones. However, such schedules should allow upcoming issues to be addresses like by convening urgent meetings to resolve issues. It has been discovered that many work related stresses are as a result of financial problems. This mainly affects the staff. Managers can prevent this from extending to affect office operations of the company by developing a loan program to enable their staff to concentrate with work related matters.
Some companies have contracted the services of firms to help their employees cope with staff. This of course comes with some cost but it is worth. A workforce that is bogged down by issues cannot deliver and therefore if it means spending a bit more to have them active so be it. This has been done to help some individual staff members experiencing high stress levels (Rhoda, 2005). This encourages the other members to work well with an assurance that should anything befall them, they will get assistance.
The major effects that result from stress are exhaustion. This is characterized by fatigue to the extent of inability to carry on usual roles. These may be accompanied by headaches which extend over long durations. Some extreme levels of stress may lead to some people developing allergies. Stress leads to having bad tempers and this makes managers unable to focus on issues objectively. Other medical complications that may result are hypertension or heart attacks.
To avoid such extremes some ways of reducing stress have been proposed in literature. Managers are known to be ever serious people who have no room for fun. But humor has been discovered to lengthen one’s life. Managers should spare some time to mingle with friends or even workmates to enjoy life. This helps to keep the mind away from work issues for a while and this is good for their health. Some activities like creating time for hobbies is also an important stress cure. Engaging in some activities like sports, hiking, watching games or other such like is important.
Some other methods that have been proposed are listening to soothing music. Taking deep breaths when you feel tension is mounting up can lower stress build up. There are many centers for relaxation such as jims. These relax the mind and refresh it. Going for a massage is another way to relax the mind. If a person resumes work after such a relaxation, they will be more productive and less likely to get stressed up.
There are cases where stress levels may lead to forgetfulness for the part of the manager. It is highly recommended that counsel be sought. The problem could have developed to levels which if not checked can lead to disastrous levels. Consulting a doctor will help avert impending disaster. The manager should always know that health is vital and should also be managed.
Whenever there are changes in the operations of the business managers would spare themselves and their staff a lot of stress if such changes are properly communicated. Some managers have the expectation that their staff will catch up with new systems fast which may not be the case. This leads to the managers expectations not been met in time. Conflicts easily arise from such. Managers need to adopt systems that allow all staff or employees who will be affected by any change to properly be briefed and if possible involve them in initiating that change. A smooth transition is therefore possible from old systems to new ones. The staff in some cases may be required to undergo some training in order to cope with the changes. Such decisions should be communicated well in advance to allow the staff time to reposition themselves. Wide consultations are encouraged.
Managers need to realize that mistakes are made by all human beings. The important thing is to learn from the mistake and move on. When some managers realize they have made mistakes they attempt to blame it on the staff. This ends up creating more problems. Managers should accept their mistakes and make right decisions later. Managers can avoid making mistakes by involving the staff in decision making at some levels. This will ensure that the staff is making a contribution to their company. Such moves build staff’s loyalty to the company. It avoids the instance of many employees leaving the company in search of places where they have can contribute.
A company stands to gain a lot if stress is handled well. By addressing stress the company increases the commitment of the employees to their work, (Cooper, 2007). The staff is motivated to greater performance levels leading to greater productivity. There is greater staff retention which ensures that the company retains its greatest resource. The company gains from a well built image with the general public. The company is thus able to attract more staff members from other organizations. The approach of the company in addressing stress issues will enable the company to easily transit without losing out staff.
In conclusion managers whether they are senior managers or lower level managers need to learn how to deal with stress. The benefits to the firm as well as personal are enormous. Training courses for managers that are offered from time to time should be take advantage of. Stress management should therefore be integrated into the policy of every company.
References
Cooper, C, (2007). Management Standards for Stress. Available on Available on http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards/before.htm [cited on 21 July 2007].
Earley, R. J. (2007).How to Reduce Stress at Work. Dow Jones & Company. Available on http://www.careerjournal.com/myc/survive/19980813-earley.html
Miller, K. et al (2000). Stress Medicine: Occupational Stress and Gender-Cultural Study. Available on http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/73504773/PDFSTART [cited on 21 July 2007].
Rhoda, S. (2005). Managing stress at work. Available on http://www.channel4.com/health/microsites/0-9/4health/stress/saw_manage.html [cited on 21 July 2007].
The Management Standards, (2007). Available on http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards/standards.htm [cited on 21 July 2007].
