39013829 Final Stress Management Project Accel

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NO. TITLEPAGE

NO.

1 AGE OF RESPONDENTS

2 GENDER OF RESPONDENTS

3 WORK EXPERIENCE OF RESPONDENTS

4EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION OF

RESPONDENTS

1.1

RESPONDENTS WITH DIFFICULTY IN

SLEEPING

1.2RESPONDENTS WITH DIFFICULTY INCONCENTRATING

1.3 RESPONDANTS WITH FINANCIAL PROBLEMS

1.4 RESPONDENTS AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE

1.5 RESPONDENTS AND FREQUENCY OF ANGER

1.6 RESPONDENTS WITH JOB PESSIMISM

1.7RESPONDENTS WITH SLOW RECOVERY

DURING ILLNESS

1.8 RESPONDENTS WHO FEEL ISOLATED

1.9 RESPONDENTS WITH NO CONTROL OF LIFE

1.10 RESPONDENTS WITH BAD EATING HABITS

1.11RESPONDENTS WHO OVER REACT TOCONFLICTS

1.12RESPONDENTS WHOSE WORK EXCEEDSONE'S CAPACITY

1.13 RESPONDENTS CAUGHT BETWEEN FAMILYAND WORK PRESSURE

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1.14RESPONDENTS WHO FEEL UNDER - PAR AT

THE BEGINNING OF A WORK DAY

1.15RESPONDENTS WHO SHY AWAY FROM

SOCIAL CONTACT WITH COLLEAGUES

1.16RESPONDENTS WHOSE APPEARANCES ARECOMMENTED UPON

1.17RESPONDENTS WITH NO TIME FOR

THEMSELVES

1.18RESPONDENTS WHO FEELMISUNDERSTOOD/ UNAPPRECIATED BYOTHERS

1.19RESPONDENTS WHO ARE COPERS FORFAMILY/ COLLEAGUES WITH NO SUPPORTFOR THEMSELVES

1.20RESPONDENTS WHO TAKE A DAY OFF JUSTTO RECUPERATE EMOTIONALLY,MENTYALLY & PHYSICALLY

INTRODUCTION

20TH century has been regarded as the period of incredible change in human history.

Philosophers and scientists have been various names to this period. Peter Drucker has called it

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The Age of Discontinuity, John Galbraith has called it The Age of Future Shock and Hari

Albrecht called it The Age of Anxiety.

Stress has become the 21 century buzz word, from the high pervading corporate echelons to the

bassinets of teaching infants nurseries we find this world liberally used. Stress is part of

modern life. Various events in life cause stress, starting with the birth of a child and enduring

with the death of a dear one.

Urbanization, industrialization and the increase scale of operations in society are some of the

reasons for rising stress. It is an inevitable consequence of socio-economic complexity and to

some extent, its stimulant as well. People experience stress as they can no longer have complete

control over what happen in their lives. The telephone goes out of order, power is shut down,

water supply is disrupted, children perform poorly at school etc, we feel frustrated and then

stressed.

The word stress is derived from a Latin word stringere, meaning to draw tight. From the

view point of physical sciences, the phenomena of stress are evident in all materials when they

are subjected to force, pressure, strain or strong-front. Every material steel, rock or wood has

its own limit up to which it can withstand stress without being damaged. Similarly human

beings can tolerate certain level of stress. Stress is highly individualistic in nature. Some peoplehave high levels of stress tolerance for stress and thrive very well in the face of several

stressors in the environment. In fact, some individuals will not perform well unless they

experience a level of stress which activates and energizes then to put forth their best results.

For every individual there is an optimum level of stress under which he or she will perform to

full capacity. If the stress experience is below the optimum level, then the individual gets

bored, the motivational level of work reaches a low point and it results to careless mistakes,

forgetting to do things and thinking of things other than work during work hours and also leads

to absenteeism which may ultimately lead to turnover. If on the other hand, stress experience is

above the optimum level, it leads to too many conflicts with the supervisor or leads to increase

of errors, bad decisions and the individual may experience insomnia, stomach problems, and

psychosomatic illness.

The present world is fast changing and there are lots of pressures and demands at work. These

pressures at work lead to physical disorders. Stress refers to individuals reaction to a

disturbing factor in the environment. It is an adaptive response to certain external factor or

situation or what can be called environmental stimuli as reflected in an opportunity, constraint,

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or demand the outcome of which is uncertain but important. In short stress is a response to an

external factor that results in physical, emotional, behavioral deviations in a person.

Stress is an all pervading modern phenomenon that takes a heavy toll of human life. Different

situations and circumstances in our personal life and in our job produce stress. Those can be

divided into factors related to the organization and factors related to the person which include

his experience and personality traits. Job related factors are work overload, time pressures, poor

quality of supervision, insecure political climate, role conflict and ambiguity, difference

between company values and employee values. Person related factors are death of spouse, or of

a close friend, family problems, change to a different line of work, prolonged illness in the

family, change in social activities, eating habits, etc.,

Personality traits are Type A personality. They are impatient, ambitious, competitive,

aggressive, and hardworking. They set high goals and demands of themselves and others. And

they are particularly prone to stress inducing anticipatory emotions such as anxiety.

REMEDIES TO REDUCE STRESS

There are two major approaches to reduce stress. They are,

Individual approaches Organizational approaches

INDIVIDUAL APPROACHES

An employee can take individual responsibility to reduce his/her stress level. Individual

strategies that have proven effective include, implementing time management techniques,

increasing physical exercise, relaxation training, and expanding the social support network.

Time management

Many people manage their time very poorly. Some of well known time management principles

include,

o Making daily list of activities to be accomplished

o Scheduling activities according to the priorities set

o Prioritizing activities by importance and urgency

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o Knowing your daily cycle and handling the most demanding parts of your job.

Physical exercise

Practicing physical exercises like aerobics, brisk walking, jogging, swimming, and riding a bi-

cycle.

Relaxation training

Relaxation techniques such as meditation, hypnosis and bio-feedback. The objective is to reach

in state of deep relaxation, where one feels physically relaxed, somewhat from detached from

the immediate environment. Fifteen or twenty minutes a day of deep relaxation releases tension

and provides a person with a pronounced sense of peacefulness.

Social support

Having families, friends or work colleagues to talk provides an outlet, when stress levels

become excessive. So expand your social support network that helps you with someone to hear

your problems.

ORGANIZATIONAL APPROACHES

Several of the factors that cause stress particularly task and role demands and organizations

structure are controlled by management. As such they can be modified or changed. Some of the

strategies that management want to consider include improved personal self section and job

placement, use of realistic goal setting, redesigning of jobs, improved organizational

communication and establishment of corporate wellness programmes.

Certain jobs are more stressful than others. Individual with little experience or an external

lower of control tend to be more proven to stress. Selection and placement decisions should

take these facts into consideration. Goal setting helps to reduce stress. It also provides

motivation. Designing jobs to give employees more responsibility, more meaningful work,more autonomy, and increased feedback can reduce stress, because these factors give the

employee greater control over work activities and lessen dependence on others.

Increasingly formal organizational communication with employees reduces uncertainty by

reducing role ambiguity and role conflict. Wellness programs like employee counselling form

on the employees total physical and mental condition. They typically proud work ships to help

people quit smoking, control alcohol usage, eat better and develop a regular exercise program.

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Another remedy for reducing stress is cognitive restructuring. It involves two step

procedures. First irrational or maladaptive thought processes that create stress are identified.

For example Type A individuals may believe that they must be successful at everything they

do. The second step consists of replacing these irrational thoughts with more rational or

reasonable ones.

One important remedy to reduce stress is the maintenance of good sleep. Research conducted

on laboratory specimen to have met with startling discoveries. Sleep starved rats have

developed stress syndrome. The amount of sleep one requires varies from person to person and

is dependent on ones lifestyle. The American National Sleep Foundation claims that a

minimum of eight hours of sleep is essential for good health. Generally studies shows that

young adults can manage with about 7-8 hours. After the age of 35, six hours of sleep is

sufficient whereas people over 65 years may just need three or four hours.

TYPES OF STRESSES

The different types of stress are as follows:

Mechanical

Stress (physics), the average amount of force exerted per unit area. Yield stress, the stress at which a material begins to deform plastically.

Compressive stress, the stress applied to materials resulting in their compaction.

Biological

Stress (biological), physiological or psychological stress; some types include:

Chronic stress, persistent stress which can lead to illness and mental disorder

Eustress, positive stress that can lead to improved long-term functioning

Workplace stress, stress caused by employment

Other

Stress (game), card game

Stress (linguistics), phonological use of prominence in language

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STRESS IN MECHANICAL TERMS :

Stress (physics)

Stress is a measure of the average amount of force exerted per unit area. It is a measure of the

intensity of the total internal forces acting within a body across imaginary internal surfaces, as

a reaction to external applied forces and body forces. It was introduced into the theory of

elasticity by Cauchy around 1822. Stress is a concept that is based on the concept of

continuum. In general, stress is expressed as

Where,

is the average stress, also called engineering ornominal stress, and

is the force acting over the area .

Chronic Stress

Chronic stress is stress that lasts a long time or occurs frequently. Chronic stress is potentially

damaging. Symptoms of chronic stress can be:

upset stomach

headache

backache

insomnia

anxiety depression

anger

In the most severe cases it can lead to panic attacks or a panic disorder.

There are a number of methods to control chronic stress, which include, exercise, healthy diet,

stress management, relaxation techniques, adequate rest, and relaxing hobbies.

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Ensuring a healthy diet containing magnesium may help control or eliminate stress, in those

individuals with lower levels of magnesium or those who have a magnesium deficiency.

Chronic stress can also lead to a magnesium deficiency, which can be a factor in continued

chronic stress, and a whole host of other negative medical conditions caused by a magnesium

deficiency.

It has been discovered that there is a huge upsurge in the number of people who suffer from

this condition. A very large number of these new cases suffer from insomnia.

In a review of the scientific literature on the relationship between stress and disease, the authors

found that stress plays a role in triggering or worsening depression and cardiovascular disease

and in speeding the progression of HIV/AIDS.

Compressive stress:

Compressive stress is the stress applied to materials resulting in their compaction (decrease of

volume). When a material is subjected to compressive stress, then this material is under

compression. Usually, compressive stress applied to bars, columns, etc. leads to shortening.

Loading a structural element or a specimen will increase the compressive stress until the reach

of compressive strength. According to the properties of the material, failure will occur as yield

for materials with ductile behavior (most metals, some soils and plastics) or as rupture for

brittle behavior (geometries, cast iron, glass, etc).

In long, slender structural elements -- such as columns or truss bars -- an increase of

compressive force F leads to structural failure due to buckling at lower stress than the

compressive strength.

Compressive stress has stress units (force per unit area), usually with negative values to

indicate the compaction. However in geotechnical engineering, compressive stress is

represented with positive values.

STRESS IN BIOLOGICAL TERMS:

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Stress is a biological term which refers to the consequences of the failure of a human or animal

body to respond appropriately to emotional or physical threats to the organism, whether actual

or imagined. It includes a state of alarm and adrenaline production, short-term resistance as a

coping mechanism, and exhaustion. It refers to the inability of a human or animal body to

respond. Common stress symptoms include irritability, muscular tension, inability to

concentrate and a variety of physical reactions, such as headaches and accelerated heart rate.

The term "stress" was first used by the endocrinologist Hans Selye in the 1930s to identify

physiological responses in laboratory animals. He later broadened and popularized the concept

to include the perceptions and responses of humans trying to adapt to the challenges of

everyday life. In Selye's terminology, "stress" refers to the reaction of the organism, and

"stressor" to the perceived threat. Stress in certain circumstances may be experienced

positively. Eustress, for example, can be an adaptive response prompting the activation of

internal resources to meet challenges and achieve goals.

The term is commonly used by laypersons in a metaphorical rather than literal or biological

sense, as a catch-all for any perceived difficulties in life. It also became a euphemism, a way of

referring to problems and eliciting sympathy without being explicitly confessional, just

"stressed out". It covers a huge range of phenomena from mild irritation to the kind of severe

problems that might result in a real breakdown of health. In popular usage almost any event or

situation between these extremes could be described as stressful.

GOOD STRESS V/S BAD STRESS:

Stress has often been misunderstood to be negative, with few people acknowledging the

importance and usefulness of positive stress. In our everyday lives, stress is everywhere and

definitely unavoidable; hence our emphasis should be on differentiating between what is goodstress, and what is bad. This will help us to learn to cope with negative stress, and harness the

power of positive stress to help us achieve more.

There are 4 main categories of stress, namely eustress, distress, hyper stress and hypo stress.

Negative stress can cause many physical and psychological problems, whilst positive stress can

be very helpful for us. Heres how we differentiate between them.

EUSTRESS

This is a positive form of stress, which prepares your mind and body for the imminent

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challenges that it has perceived. Eustress is a natural physical reaction by your body which

increases blood flow to your muscles, resulting in a higher heart rate. Athletes before a

competition or perhaps a manager before a major presentation would do well with Eustress,

allowing them to derive the inspiration and strength that is needed.

DISTRESS

We are familiar with this word, and know that it is a negative form of stress. This occurs when

the mind and body is unable to cope with changes, and usually occurs when there are

deviations from the norm. They can be categorized into acute stress and chronic stress. Acute

stress is intense, but does not last for long. On the other hand, chronic stress persists over a long

period of time. Trigger events for distress can be a change in job scope or routine that the

person is unable to handle or cope with.

HYPER STRESS

This is another form of negative stress that occurs when the individual is unable to cope with

the workload. Examples include highly stressful jobs, which require longer working hours than

the individual can handle. If you suspect that you are suffering from hyper stress, you are likely

to have sudden emotional breakdowns over insignificant issues, the proverbial straws that

broke the camels back. It is important for you to recognize that your body needs a break, or

you may end up with severe and chronic physical and psychological reactions.

HYPO STRESS

Lastly, hypo stress occurs when a person has nothing to do with his time and feels constantly

bored and unmotivated. This is due to an insufficient amount of stress; hence some stress is

inevitable and helpful to us. Companies should avoid having workers who experience hypo

stress as this will cause productivity and mindfulness to fall. If the job scope is boring and

repetitive, it would be a good idea to implement some form of job rotation so that there is

always something new to learn.

INDUSTRY PROFILE

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Industry Profile

Overview on India's Software Industry

According to statistics, country's software exports reached total revenues of Rs

46100 crores. The shares of total Indian exports form 4.9 per cent in 1997 to 20.4

percent in 2002-03. It is expected that the industry will generate a total

employment of around four millions peoples, which accounts for 7 per cent of

India's total GDP as in the year 2008.

The year 1995-96 was a boom for the industry. The performance of the industry over the years

is as follows:

(In terms of US $ millions)

Domestic software Market490670920125017002450

Software Exports 73410851750265040006300

Indian Software Industry 122417552670390057008750

India's Software Exports:

Software exports has major share in India's total exports. As of the year 2004-05,both software and services revenue grew by 32 percent to $ 22 billions and $ 28.5 billions in

2005-06.

According to NASSCOM, India's domestic market, grew by 24 per cent. Presently Indian

companies have concentrated on only two largest IT service markets. They are USA and the

UK. Even Canada, Japan, Germany and France represent huge growth potential in the industry.

Why India?

Rapidly Improving infrastructure Large Talent Pool Availability

Infrastructure High Quality Educat ional

Low Operaing Costs

R&D Strengths

Established Technology Clusters

Government Incentive

Progress of IT Industry(In terms of US $ billion)

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Year2003-042004-052005-06*IT software and service exports9.212.015.2ITE-BPO

exports3.65.27.3Domestic market3.94.86.0Total16.722.028.5

*Estimated

Source: Ministry of Communications and IT.

1995-1996 - 1224 million US Dollars




1999- 2000 - 5700 million US Dollars


According to the NASSCOM- McKinsey report on the IT industry of India, the

projected revenue of the IT industry of India for the year 2008 is 87 billion US Dollars. The

projected exports or the year 2008, accord to this report, is 50 billion US Dollars.

Some of the important aspects of the NASSCOM- McKinsey report related to the

size of India's IT industry are -

There is potential of 3.2 million people being employed in the IT industry of

India by the end of 2012.

Contribution of software and services to the total GDP of India will be more

than 7.5%.

FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) of 10.5 billion US Dollars expected in the IT

industry by the end of 2011. 45% of total exports from India will be from IT exports.

225 billion US Dollars worth of market capitalization from ITshares.

Softwares and services are exported to bout 195 companies from India. North

America accounts for 61% of the software exports from India.

The projections about the size of India's IT industry present a very optimistic

picture. The industry is expected to grow to double its current size by the year

2012. India's IT industry is expected to grow at an annual average rate of 18% in

the next five years. The industry is also expected to cross the 100billion US Dollar mark by 2011. One of the major areas of growth for the IT industry

of India is by tapping the potential in the domestic market. The IT industry of India

is largely dependant on the export market. Penetrating more into the domestic

market would create further opportunities of growth for the IT industry.

Adoption of new liberal policies in India has given birth immense opportunities to its

industries. Success story of India's Software Industry is a step in the same direction.

The Software Industry, which is a main component of the Information technology, has

brought tremendous success for the emerging economy.

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India's young aged manpower is the key behind this success story. Presently there are more

than 500 software firms in the country.

Worldwide IT Spending to Grow 5.3 Percent in 2010

Unseasonably Strong Hardware Sales in First Quarter Sets Up 2010 for Solid IT

Spending Growth Worldwide IT spending is forecast to reach $3.4 trillion in 2010,

a 5.3 percent increase from IT spending of $3.2 trillion in 2009, according to

Gartner, Inc. The IT industry will continue to show steady growth with IT spending

in 2011 projected to surpass $3.5 trillion, a 4.2 percent increase from 2010.

"Following strong fourth quarter sales, an unseasonably robust hardware supply

chain in the first quarter of 2010, combined with continued improvement in the

global economy, sets up 2010 for solid IT spending growth," said Richard Gordon,

research vice president at Gartner. "However, it's important to note that nearly 4

percentage points of this growth will be the result of a projected decline in thevalue of the dollar relative to last year. IT spending in exchange-rate-adjusted

dollars will still grow 1.6 percent this year, after declining 1.4 percent in 2009."

Worldwide computing hardware spending is forecast to reach $353 billion in 2010,

a 5.7 percent increase from 2009 (see Table 1). Robust consumer spending on

mobile PCs will drive hardware spending in 2010. Enterprise hardware spending

will grow again in 2010, but it will remain below its 2008 level through 2014.

Spending on storage will enjoy the fastest growth in terms of enterprise spending

as the volume of enterprise data that needs to be stored continues to increase.

Near-term spending on servers will be concentrated on lower-end servers; longer-term, server spending will be curtailed by virtualization, consolidation and,

potentially, cloud computing.

"Computing hardware suffered the steepest spending decline of the four major IT

spending category segments in 2009. However, it is now forecast to enjoy the joint

strongest rebound in 2010," said George Shiffler, research director at Gartner.

"Consumer PC spending will contribute nearly 4 percentage points of hardware

spending growth in 2010, powered by strong consumer spending on mobile PCs.

Additionally, professional PC spending will contribute just over 1 percentage point

of spending growth in 2010 as organizations begin their migration to Windows 7

toward the end of the year."

Worldwide IT Spending Forecast (Billions of U.S. Dollars)

2009

Spending

2009

Growth (%)

2010

Spending

2010

Growth (%)

Computing Hardware 333 -12.5 353 5.7

Software 221 -2.1 232 5.1

IT Services 777 -4.0 821 5.7

Telecom 1,892 -3.4 1,988 5.1

All IT 3,223 -4.5 3,394 5.3

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Worldwide software spending is expected to total $232 billion in 2010, a 5.1

percent increase from last year. Gartner analysts said the impact of the recession

on the software industry was tempered and not as dramatic as other IT markets. In

2010, the majority of enterprise software markets will see positive growth.

The infrastructure market, which includes all the software to build, run andmanage an enterprise, is the largest segment in terms of revenue and the fastest-

growing through the 2014. The hottest software segments through 2014 include

virtualization, security, data integration/data quality and business intelligence. The

applications market, which includes personal productivity and packaged enterprise

applications, has some of the fastest-growth segments. Web conferencing, team

collaboration and enterprise content management are forecast to have double-

digit compound annual growth rates (CAGR), in the face of growing competition

surrounding social networking and content.

"Cost optimization, and the shifts in spending form mega suites to the automation

of processes will continue to benefit alternative software acquisition models as

organizations will look for ways to shift spending from capital expenditures to

operating expenditures," said Joanne Correia, managing vice president at Gartner.

"Because of this, vendors offering software as a service (SaaS), IT asset

management, virtualization capabilities and that have a good open-source

strategy will continue to benefit. We also see mobile-device support or

applications, as well as cloud services driving new opportunities."

The worldwide IT services industry is forecast to have spending reach $821 billion

in 2010, up 5.7 percent from 2009. The industry experienced some growth in

reported outsourcing revenue at the close of 2009, an encouraging sign for serviceproviders, which Gartner analysts believe will spread to consulting and system

integration in 2010.

"We continue to see a long-term recession 'hangover' as a more-cautious mind-set

continues as the norm among a lot of buyers who keep looking for small, safe

deals where cost take-out is a key factor, said Kathryn Hale, research vice

president at Gartner. "In the face of that ongoing strong pressure to renegotiate

contracts, and in the absence of equivalent pressure from stockholders, we believe

vendors will generally choose to maintain margins over revenue growth."

Worldwide telecom spending is on pace to total close to $2 trillion in 2010, a 5.1

percent increase from 2009. Between 2010 and 2014, the mobile device share of

the telecom market is expected to increase from 11 percent to 14 percent, while

the service share drops from 80 percent to 77 percent and the infrastructure share

remains stable at 9 percent of the total market.

Worldwide enterprise network services spending is forecast to grow 2 percent in

revenue in 2010, but Gartner analysts said this masks ongoing declines in Europe

and many other mature markets as well as an essentially flat North American

market.

"Longer term, the global enterprise network services market is expected to grow

modestly, largely on the back of growth in Internet services, such as hosting," said

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Peter Kjeldsen, research director at Gartner. "Ethernet services will also grow

significantly, albeit at the expense of both legacy services and multiprotocol label

switching (MPLS)."

In India, the software boom started somewhere in the late 1990s. Most of the

Indian software companies at that moment offered only limited software servicessuch as the IT and the engineering software. The business software boom started

with the emergence of Y2K problem, when a large number of skilled personnel

were required to fulfill the mammoth database-correction demand in order to cope

up with the advent of the new millennium

The profile of the Indian IT Services has been undergoing a change in the last few

years, partly as it moves up the value chain and partly as a response to the

market dynamics. Ten years ago, most US companies would not even consider

outsourcing some of their IT projects to outside vendors. Now, ten years later, a

vast majority of US companies use the professional services of Indian Software

engineers in some manner, through large, medium or small companies or through

individuals recruited directly.

The market competition is forcing organizations to cut down on costs of products.

The professional IT services on the other hand are becoming increasingly

expensive. The offshore software development model is today where onsite

professional services were ten years ago. There is a high chance (almost a

mathematical certainty), that in less than ten years, the vast majority of IT

services (software development being just one of them) from developed countries,will be, one, outsourced and two, outsourced to an offshore vendor.

Despite the global economic slowdown, the Indian IT software and services

industry is maintaining a steady pace of growth. Software development activity is

not confined to a few cities in India. Software development centers, such as

Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Calcutta, Delhi-Noida-Gurgaon,

Vadodara, Bhubaneswar, Ahmedabad, Goa, Chandigarh, Trivandrum are all

developing quickly. All of these places have state-of-the-art software facilities and

the presence of a large number of overseas vendors. Indias most prized resource

is its readily available technical work force. India has the second largest English-

speaking scientific professionals in the world, second only to the U.S. It is

estimated that India has over 4 million technical workers, over 1,832 educational

institutions and polytechnics, which train more than 67,785 computer software

professionals every year. The enormous base of skilled manpower is a major draw

for global customers. India provides IT services at one-tenth the price. No wonder

more and more companies are basing their operations in India.

India's IT industry caters to both domestic and export markets. Exports

contribute around 75% of the total revenue of the IT industry in India. The ITindustry can be broadly divided into four segments

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The industry is in an expansion mode right now, with dozens of new offshore IT

services vendors emerging everyday, the industry has a high probability of being

subjected to the 80:20 rule in not too distant a future. In perhaps another tenyears, 80 percent of all outsourced offshore development work will be done by 20

percent of all vendors, a small number of high quality, trusted vendors. Only a few

select countries and only the most professional companies in those countries, will

emerge as winners. India will definitely be the country of choice for offshore

software development. We have the potential to become and remain the country

of choice for all software developments and IT enabled services, second only to

the USA. The third choice could be far distant.

India is among the three countries that have built supercomputers on their own.

The other two are USA and Japan. India is among six countries that launch

satellites and do so even for Germany and Belgium. India's INSAT is among theworld's largest domestic satellite communication systems. India has the third

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largest telecommunications network among the emerging economies, and it is

among the top ten networks of the world.

To become a global leader in the IT industry and retain that position, we need to

constantly keep moving up the value chain, focusing on finished products and

solutions, rather than purely on skill sets and resumes. We need to be able to

package our services as products, rather than offering them as raw material. We

need to be able to recognize and build up on our strengths and work on our

weaknesses.

The IT industry has emerged as one of the most important industries in the Indian

economy contributing significantly to the growth of the economy.

The IT industry of India got a major boost from the liberalization of the Indian

economy. India's software exports have grown at an annual average rate of more

than 50% since 1991. The structure of the IT industry is quite different from other

industries in the Indian economy. The IT industry of India is hugely dependant on

skilled manpower. Primarily a knowledge based industry, the IT industry of India

has reordered significant success due to the huge availability of skilled personnel

in India.

The industry structure in the IT sector has four major categories. These are -

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IT services

IT enabled services

Software products

Hardware

IT services

IT services

IT services constitute a major part of the IT industry of India. IT services include

client, server and web based services. Opportunities in the IT services sector exist

in the areas of consulting services, management services, internet services and

application maintenance. The major users of IT services are

Government

IT

Financial services

Retail and distribution

Manufacturing

The services which make extensive use of information andtelecommunication technologies are categorized as IT enabled services. The IT

enabled services is the most important contributor to the growth of the IT industry

of India. Some of the important services covered by the ITES sectorin India are -

Customer-interaction services including call-centers

Back-office services

Revenue accounting

Data entry and data conversion

HR services

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Software products

Software products are among the most highly exported products from India. The

software industry in India originated in the 1970s and grew at a significant pace in

the last ten years. Between 1996-1997 and 2002-2003, the Indian software

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industry grew more than five times from 2630 crores to 13200 crores. During the

same period software and service exports from India grew by almost twelve times.

Hardware

The hardware sector of the It industry focuses on the manufacturing and

assembling of computer hardware. The consumption of computer hardware is high

in the domestic market. Due to the rise in the number of IT companies, sales of

desktops, laptops, servers, routers, etc have been on the rise in recent years.

Many domestic and multi-national; companies have invested in the computer

hardware market in India.

Another categorization in the structure of India's IT industry is related to the

market. There are two major market classifications - the domestic market and

the export market. The export market, dominates the IT industry accounting for

75% of the revenue.

Challenges before Indian IT Industry

At present there are a number of challenges that are facing the information

technology industry of India. One of the major challenges for the Indian

information technology industry was to keep maintaining its excellent performance

standards.

The experts are however of the opinion that there are certain things that

need to be done in order to make sure that India can maintain its status as one of

the leading information technology destinations of the world. The first step that

needs to be taken is to create an environment for innovation that could be carried

for a long time.

The innovation needs to be done in three areas that are connected to the

information technology industry of India such as business models, ecosystems and

knowledge. The information technology sector of India also has to spread the

range of its activities and also look at the opportunities in other countries

. The improvement however, also needs to be qualitative rather than

just being quantitative. The skill level of the information technology professionalsis one area that needs improvement and presents a considerable amount of

challenge before the Indian information technology industry.

The Indian information technology industry also needs to co-ordinate with

the academic circles as well as other industries in India for better performance and

improved productivity. The experts are of the opinion that the business process

outsourcing service providers in India need to change their operations to a way

that is more oriented to the knowledge process outsourcing. One of the most

important crises facing the Indian information technology industry concerns the

human resources aspect. The problems with outsourcing in countries like the

United States of America are posing problems for the Indian information

technology industry as well.

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In the recent times a bill has been passed in the state of New Jersey that allows

only the citizens or legal non-Americans to be given contracts. This legislation has

also affected some other states like Missouri, Connecticut, Wisconsin and

Maryland. These states are also supposed to be considering these laws and theirimplementation. This is supposed to have an adverse effect on the outsourcing

that is the source upon which the information technology industry of India thrives.

The information technology professionals who aim at working in the country are

also likely to be hindered by the legislation as a significant amount of these

professionals have been going to work in the USA for a long time

The size of India's IT industry has grown significantly over the years. The size of

this sunshine industry of India grew from 150 million US Dollars to 50 billion US

Dollars between 1990-1991 and 2006-2007. The growth of the IT industry has

been very high in the last few years. The size of the Information Technology

industry of India was 5.7 billion US Dollars in 1999-2000. After the turn of the

century the industry experienced exponential growth to reach the 50 billion markby 2006-2007.

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COMPANY PROFILE

ACCEL FRONTLINE TECHNOLOGIES

Date of Establishment 1995

Revenue78.8069 ( USD in Millions )

Market Cap 815.95125 ( Rs. in Millions )

Corporate Address75, Nelson Manickam Road,Aminjikarai, Chennai-600029, Tamil Nadu

www.accelfrontline.in

Chairperson - N R Panicker

MD - N R PanickerDirectors - A P Parigi, Alok Sharma, Harrison Wang Hong She, K R Chandrasekaran,

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Lakshmi G Menon, N R Panicker, Sinnakaruppan R, Steve Ting Taun Toon, Steve Ting TuanToon, Sudhir Narang, Suresh K Sharma, Sweena Nair

Business OperationIT - Software Background

Accel Frontline was incorporated as Accel Automation in the year 1991. Five engineers withmore than 50 years of combined experience in the IT industry came together with a vision to

build an organization focusing on IT services. The company commenced operations byproviding multi-vendor services for computers systems.

Multi-location operations commenced in 1992 with off

FinancialsTotal Income - Rs. 3404.327287 Million ( year ending

Mar 2011)

Net Profit - Rs. 63.793748 Million ( year ending Mar 2011)

Company SecretarySweena Nair

BankersAuditorsKS Aiyar & Co

Accel Frontline was incorporated as Accel Automation in the year 1991. Five engineers withmore than 50 years of combined experience in the IT industry came together with a vision to

build an organization focusing on IT services. The company commenced operations by

providing multi-vendor services for computers systems.

Multi-location operations commenced in 1992 with offices in Coimbatore andThiruvananthapuram. Having identified opportunities in hardware infrastructure solutions andsystem integration, the company took over a computer manufacturing unit from Kothari groupof companies in 1993 to provide system integration and product solutions.

In 1996, Accel forayed into software by setting up an application development center inChennai. The company also expanded its operations to various parts of South India.

In 1997, the company decided to expand its service network nationally. This resulted in Accel

acquiring a Delhi based company named Athreya Technologies and Industrial DevelopmentPrivate an offshoot of India Telecomp, which provided a base for Accel in all major cities of

North India.

In 1998, Accel acquired the services business of Network, an HCL Group company focusing inoffice automation products and services. This provided the company with a national footprintof 16 offices and 250 trained engineers. The companys turnover crossed USD 10 million in1998.

In 1999, the company raised private equity from one of Indias largest venture capital funds -ICICI Ventures. During this year Accel acquired the Systems and Engineering Services

business of Fujitsu ICIM in India, which was at one time the countrys largest IT Company.The IT business of Accel was re-organized in to Accel ICIM Systems & Services after this

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acquisition and Accel then became the holding company. The key management team wasmoved from Accel & Fujitsu ICIM to Accel ICIM Systems & Services.

In 2000, Accel crossed the $25 million turnover milestone and established itself as a leadingenterprise IT services company operating in the corporate segment with one of the largest

network of offices in India. The company received strategic investment from Intel Capital.

From 2001 to 2003 the company focused on institutionalizing the organization andconsolidating its position as a leading systems integration and infrastructure services company.The company reached a turnover of Rs 150 crores for the year ended 31st March 2003. Itforged alliances with Sun Microsystems, Oracle, JD Edwards, Citrix etc, to provide EnterpriseIT solutions and software services. It also started operations in Dubai and Singapore to create amarket for its software services.

In the year 2004, the company forged a strategic alliance with Singapore based FrontlineTechnologies Corporation (FTC) and made Accel ICIM a joint venture between Accel and FTC

and changed the name to Accel ICIM Frontline. FTC is a leading IT services company listed onthe Singapore Exchange Main Board with a group turnover of US$ 200 Mn. Frontline hasoperations in five countries spread across the Far East and China.

The joint venture would help Accel ICIM financially as well as for its business expansions. Aspart of the joint venture agreement, Frontline invested in the equity of Accel ICIM to improveits long-term viability and profitability and introduced an array of new support offeringsthrough the Indian arm.

The name of the company changed to Accel Frontline with effect from 01.11.2005 to reflect thenew direction.

The year 2004-2005 witnessed the emergence of the Software Division as a major business unitwithin Accel Frontline. The company was assessed at SEI CMMi Level 5 for its EnterpriseSoftware Solutions practice. Major long-term software contracts were awarded to the companyand the manpower resource of the software group grew to more than 300 professionals in 2005.

Major steps initiated by the company to improve process quality and manpower competenceresulted in the company securing ISO-9001 for its IT Services division and SEI CMMi Level 5for its Software Division.

For the third year in a row Accel Frontline was adjudged among the top 10 IT employers inIndia by Dataquest in September 2005, in its national Employee Satisfaction Survey conductedfor the Indian IT Industry.

Strategic Business Units

The company has organized its business into four strategic business units to help enterprisesboost performance and enhance operational efficiency through optimal use of informationtechnology. The strategic business units are aimed at giving customers the ability to choosefrom the best services available while the company stays focused and remains profitable in itsvarious practice domains. SBU 1 IT Infrastructure SolutionsSBU 2 Infrastructure

Management ServicesSBU 3 Enterprise Software Solutions

SBU 1 - IT Infrastructure Services (IIS)

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Whether it is enhancing operational efficiency, handling exponential data growth, tacklingsecurity issues or improving service availability, Accel Frontline helps its customers to assess,

build and optimize their IT infrastructure to drive business growth cost effectively. The IISdivision provides end-to-end solutions for all IT Infrastructure and Integration needs ofcorporate and government customers.

SBU 2 - Infrastructure Management Services (IMS)

Accel Frontline has established and time-tested practices for IT infrastructure management thatinclude onsite and offsite service delivery methodologies to ensure that customersrequirements are met. The objective of this service is to manage enterprise infrastructures froman availability, manageability and performance perspective. A host of services devised to meetdiverse customer requirements spans simple reporting of basic level availability of technologyinfrastructure to advanced system administration activities, to managed and hosting services.

SBU 3 - Enterprise Software Solutions (ESS)

With a CMMi Level 5 Software development and delivery practice, and with the experience ofhaving executed important software development and ERP delivery projects, Accel Frontline iswell entrenched in the enterprise application software space. Accel's dedicated teams from the300-strong and growing number of software professionals, focus on ERP consulting, customapplication development and services.

Clients of the company

Accel Frontline has got a prestigious client list of over 2,000 including Bajaj Electricals, Titan

Industries, BHEL, Hindalco, TISCO, Greaves India, CESC, ONGC, TVS, LIC, and SBI amongothers.

Milestones:

1991 - Incorporation of the company 1992 - Commencement of multi-location operations with offices in Coimbatore and

Thiruvananthapuram 1993 - The company takes over a computer manufacturing unit from Kothari group of

companies 1996 - The company forays in software business

1997 - The company decides to expand its service network nationally 1998 - The company acquires the services business of Network, an HCL Group

company 1999 - The company raises private equity from ICICI Ventures 1999 - The company acquires the systems and engineering services business of Fujitsu

ICIM in India 1999 - Accel re-organizes its IT business in to Accel ICIM Systems & Services and

Accel then becomes the holding company 2001 to 2003 - The company achieves a turnover of Rs 150 crore. Starts operations in

Dubai and Singapore to create a market for its software services 2004 - The company forges a strategic alliance with Frontline Technologies

Corporation (FTC) and makes Accel ICIM a joint venture between Accel and FTC andchanges its name to Accel ICIM Frontline

2005 - The company changes its name to Accel Frontline to reflect the new direction

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Chairman Message

FY11 has been a successful year for Accel Frontline Limited. We

have seen a sharp recovery from the slowdown witnessed duringthe last two years and have bagged several prestigious orders fromdomestic and international companies. It appears that theuncertainty is behind us and we can look forward to the future withoptimism. Overall, AFL has seen 46% growth in FY11 over FY10.This performance is far superior by any standards.

I am also of firm belief that this feat is surely not a one-off performance. A lot ofdeliberations, discussions and employee involvement have led us to shape ourstrategy and goals. In the last few quarters we have initiated several small stepswhich will ultimately help us take a giant leap. These measures have started to yield

results. To cite an example here the company took 12 long years to build a solidfoundation and grow into Rs 200 crore company and only three years to almostdouble it up. Such are the kind of steps that we are determined to take in the future.

With the India growth story pegged at 9% plus, it thrusts confidence that the ITIndustry is going to witness explosive growth. Its not the domestic market only. Asthe world continues to recover, the IT industry will continue to receive uptick inorders and better margins. AFL is determined to be part of this domestic andinternational growth story.

Version 2.0 of the company is about accelerated growth as Accel Frontline Limitedbecomes a truly global IT services player, focused on Enterprise Applications andInfrastructure Management Services (IMS).

We have already begun FY2012 on a bullish note with some visibility and clarity tokeep this momentum going. We are confident that our continued slew of newinitiatives will help us achieve accelerated growth in the coming years.

I look forward to your co-operation and continued success of Accel FrontlineLimited.

N R PanickerChairman & CEO

BUSINESS FOCUS

Accel Frontline is managed by a core group of technocrats headed by N.R.Panicker, theChairman & CEO. N.R.Panicker is widely regarded in the IT industry and investor circles as a

successful technocrat and businessman who is totally focused on customer service. Hisreputation stems from the way he steered Accel from a humble beginning to a well-respectedtotal IT Services organization over the last 20 years in a highly competitive Indian market.

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IT Infrastructure Services remain the core business focus of Accel Frontline Ltd. Thebusiness also include systems integration, facilities management, software services andbusiness process outsourcing.

As the company matured to become a total IT solution provider, it decided to expand its

software services business, by tapping the overseas markets. A slew of measures were initiatedto expand the software services portfolio. It has partnered with global software majors such asOracle, IBM and Microsoft to offer services around their products. The company establishedstate-of-the-art software development facility in Chennai. Two subsidiaries were set up in UAEand Singapore to offer near shore services. The software unit specializes in providing ERPConsulting, Application Management, Outsourced Product Development and Industry SpecificSolutions. The company has created expertise in industry domains such as IT, Healthcare,Manufacturing, Education and Government. A separate entity has been formed by name AccelFrontline Technologies (www.accelfrontline.com) to focus on offshore software developmentactivities for overseas customers.

The BPO services division of Accel Frontline has got a unique business model, wherein itprovides warranty outsource and technical helpdesk services to six major IT and telecomproduct companies.

With the joint venture operation with FTC going on stream, Accel Frontline has introduced afull new range of service offerings in Infrastructure Management in association with FTC. Formore information visit: www.frontline.com.sg/services-ITinfra.htm

SCOPE & SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

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The world today is fast changing and every individual faces a lot of pressure and demand at

work. These pressures at work lead to mental and physical disorders. Stress refers to an

individuals response to a disturbing factor in the environment and the consequences of such a

reaction. This study will help organizations know what causes stress and how to reduce the

same in employees since it is a well known fact that a healthy and sound employee is a

productive employee.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Primary objective:

To undergo an in-depth study about the existence of stress among the employees of theACCEL FRONTLINE TECHNOLOGIESPost - Recession.

Secondary objective:

To identify the factors causing stress among the employees.

To find out the level of stress among the employees of different age groups.

To study about the effects of stress on employees in ACCEL FRONTLINE

TECHNOLOGIES.

To identify the coping strategies to manage stress.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

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In spite of the precautions, vigilance and scrupulousness taken by the investigator to make the

study objective, it cannot be denied that there are certain limitations.

The questionnaires were filled be 30 employees working in various

Companies. So the scope of sample findings was less.

The questionnaire was filled by 30 employees of different designations. So

the point of view of employees differs as per their designations.

The employees from whom the questionnaires are filled are in a heavy

workload so some of the questionnaires filled by the employees who are in

stress cannot be called reasonable.

The responses of the employees cannot be accurate as the problem of

language and understanding arises. (These problems are not in all cases.)

As the study was done within a limited time, investigator could not select a

sufficiently large sample for the study.

The employees were reluctant to give correct information.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

A review on the previous studies on stress among the employees is necessary to know

the areas already covered. This will help to find our new areas uncovered and to study them in

depth. The earlier studies made on stress among the employees are briefly reviewed here.

The research study of Jamal. M* finds that job stressors were significantly related to

employees psychosomatic problems, job satisfaction, unproductive time at the job, and

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absenteeism. Type A behaviour was found to be an important moderator of the stress outcome

relationship.

Hans Selye was one of the founding fathers of stress research. His view in 1956 was

that stress is not necessarily something bad it all depends on how you take it. The stress of

exhilarating, creative successful work is beneficial, while that of failure, humiliation or

infection is detrimental. Selye believed that the biochemical effects of stress would be

experienced irrespective of whether the situation was positive or negative.

The most commonly accepted definition of stress (mainly attributed to Richard S

Lazarus) is that stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that

demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize. Inshort, it's what we feel when we think we've lost control of events.

Brief. A. P. and J. M. Atieh*, argues that it is not safe to assume that job conditions that

have an adverse impact on affective reactions to the job will also have a negative impact on

overall subjective well-being.

Fienmann views stress as a psychological response state of negative effect characterized

by a persistent and a high level of experienced anxiety or tension.

* Jamal M. Job stress-prone Type A behaviour, personal and organizational consequences,

Canadian Journal Administration Sciences, 1985. pp 360-74.

* A. P and J. M. Atieh, Studying job stress: Are we making mountains out of molehills?

Journal of occupational behavior, 1987 pp115-26.

Hans Seyle, the endocrinologist, whose research on General Adaptation Syndrome

(GAS), for the first time, revealed how human beings adapt themselves to emotional strives and

strains in their lives. According to him emotional stress occurs in three important stages. 1.

Alarm reaction stage 2. Resistance stage 3. Exhaustion stage.

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Alarm reaction is caused by physical or psychological stressors. Resistances are

brought about by ACTH hormone of the body. Exhaustion follows when ACTH dwindles as a

result of continual stress. (ACTH-Aprinocorticotropic)

According to Stephen .P. Robbins*, stress related headaches are the leading cause of

loss of work time in U. S. industry.

Cooper and Marshall* visualize stress as characteristics of both the focal individual and

his environment. They designate the internal and external consultive forces as pressures or

stressors and the resulting stalk of the organism on stress.

Recent research into the interaction between the mind and body show that we may

place our body on stress alert quite unconsciously, because of our psychological and

emotional attitudes to stress. Anticipatory emotions like impatience, anxiety, and anger can

produce the same nerve impulses and chemical reactions as being faced with a concrete

challenge. So when faced with a stressful situation, we must either use up the energy created by

the body to challenge or learn how to turn off, the response using a conscious relaxation

technique.

*Stephen Robbins, Organizational Behavior, Prentice Hall, U.K, 1989 pp 499-501.

*Cooper. C. L. and Marshall. J, Understanding Executive Stress, The McMillan Press Ltd,

1978 p 4.

WHAT IS STRESS?

Stress is a dynamic condition in which an individual is confronted with an opportunity, demand

or resource related to what the individual desires and for which the outcome is perceived to be

both uncertain and important. This is a complicated definition.

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Stress is not necessarily bad in and of itself. Although stress is typically discussed in a negative

context, it also has a positive value. Its an opportunity when it offers potential gain. Consider

for example, the superior performance that an athlete or stage performer gives in clutch

situations. Such individuals often use stress positively to rise to the occasion and perform at or

near their maximum. Similarly, many professionals see the pressures of heavy workloads and

deadlines as positive challenges that enhance the quality of their work and the satisfaction the

get from their job.

But it is different in the case of IT employees. The IT employees are the people who also have

to achieve the certain target and so for the non achievement of target the employees remain

stressed and tensed. The employees who have the simple table work also have to face the

problem of stress. Due to recession the ITing sector is also facing the problem of employee cut-

offs and so the work load of the existing employees increases and the feel stressed.

Stress refers to the strain from the conflict between our external environment and us, leading to

emotional and physical pressure. In our fast paced world, it is impossible to live without stress,

whether you are a student or a working adult. There is both positive and negative stress,

depending on each individuals unique perception of the tension between the two forces. Not

all stress is bad. For example, positive stress, also known as eustress, can help an individual to

function at optimal effectiveness and efficiency.

Hence, it is evident that some form of positive stress can add more color and vibrancy to our

lives. The presence of a deadline, for example, can push us to make the most of our time and

produce greater efficiency. It is important to keep this in mind, as stress management refers to

using stress to our advantage, and not on eradicating the presence of stress in our lives.

On the other hand, negative stress can result in mental and physical strain. The individual will

experience symptoms such as tensions, headaches, irritability and in extreme cases, heart

palpitations. Hence, whilst some stress may be seen as a motivating force, it is important to

manage stress levels so that it does not have an adverse impact on your health and

relationships.

Part of managing your stress levels include learning about how stress can affect you

emotionally and physically, as well as how to identify if you are performing at your optimal

stress level (OSL) or if you are experiencing negative stress. This knowledge will help you to

identify when you need to take a break, or perhaps seek professional help. It is also your first

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step towards developing techniques to managing your stress levels. Modern day stresses can

take the form of monetary needs, or emotional frictions. Competition at work and an increased

workload can also cause greater levels of stress. How do you identify if you are suffering from

excessive stress? Psychological symptoms commonly experienced include insomnia, headaches

and an inability to focus. Physical symptoms take the form of heart palpitations, breathlessness,

excessive sweating and stomachaches.

What causes stress? There are many different causes of stress, and that which causes stress is

also known as a stressor. Common lifestyle stressors include performance, threat, and

bereavement stressors, to name a few. Performance stressors are triggered when an individual

is placed in a situation where he feels a need to excel. This could be during performance

appraisals, lunch with the boss, or giving a speech. Threat stressors are usually when the

current situation poses a dangerous threat, such as an economic downturn, or from an accident.

Lastly, bereavement stressors occur when there is a sense of loss such as the death of a loved

one, or a prized possession.

Thus, there are various stressors, and even more varied methods and techniques of dealing with

stress and turning it to our advantages. In order to do so, we must learn to tell when we have

crossed the line from positive to negative stress.

STRESS AND DECISIONMAKING, PERCEPTION, AND COGNITION

Stress can affect an individuals decision making process and ability to make effective

judgments. For example, Easterbrook proposes a cue utilization model and argues that when

exposed to stressors, individuals experience perceptual narrowing meaning that they pay

attention to fewer perceptual cues or stimuli that could contribute to their behaviour or

decision. Peripheral stimuli are likely to be the first to be screened out or ignored. Decision

making models proposed by Janis and Mann support this hypothesis and suggest that under

stress, individuals may make decisions based on incomplete information. Friedman and Mann

suggest that when under conditions of stress, individuals may fail to consider the full range of

alternatives available, ignore long-term consequences, and make decisions based on

oversimplifying assumptions. Furthermore, the individuals may suffer from performance

rigidity as a result of their reduced search behaviour and reliance on fewer perceptual cues to

make decisions. Research on decision making under stress supports these theoretical models.

Observe the decision making processes of individuals under time pressure. We find that

individuals under time pressure tend to focus their attention only on a few salient cues. Larsen

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finds that, like other types of stressors, sleep deprivation can reduce an individuals ability to

reason, to analyze complex situations, and to make effective decisions.

Sleep-deprived (stressed) individuals in his study were more likely to obey orders without

thinking and to ignore cues that implied the presence of something unusual. Stress can also

contribute to performance decrements by slowing cognition and individual information

processing. Stress can be looked at as a form of task overload (e.g., asking an individual to

perform more than one task under a time constraint) and it is seen that the addition of multiple

required tasks reduces the quality of individual performance and increases the magnitude of the

performance decrement as compared with the case in which the individual has only one task to

perform.

STRESS MANAGEMENT

Stress management is the need of the hour. However hard we try to go beyond a stress

situation, life seems to find new ways of stressing us out and plaguing us with anxiety attacks.

Moreover, be it our anxiety, mind-body exhaustion or our erring attitudes, we tend to overlook

causes of stress and the conditions triggered by those. In such unsettling moments we often

forget that stressors, if not escapable, are fairly manageable and treatable.

Stress, either quick or constant, can induce risky body-mind disorders. Immediate disorders

such as dizzy spells, anxiety attacks, tension, sleeplessness, nervousness and muscle cramps

can all result in chronic health problems. They may also affect our immune, cardiovascular and

nervous systems and lead individuals to habitual addictions, which are inter-linked with stress.

Like "stress reactions", "relaxation responses" and stress management techniques are some of

the body's important built-in response systems. As a relaxation response the body tries to get

back balance in its homeostasis. Some hormones released during the 'fight or flight' situation

prompt the body to replace the lost carbohydrates and fats, and restore the energy level. The

knotted nerves, tightened muscles and an exhausted mind crave for looseness. Unfortunately,

today, we don't get relaxing and soothing situations without asking. To be relaxed we have to

strive to create such situations.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF STRESSORS

As mentioned previously, stressors can come in a variety of forms, including extreme heat or

lighting, lack of sleep, risk of injury or death, or time pressure. The description of stressors and

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their impact on behaviour is an open-ended task, and current research considers an increasing

number of events and conditions to be stressors. Although stressors can be

physical (biological or chemical demands on the body) or

cognitive (threat of death, personal assault)in form, they are always external and produce similar physiological responses within the body.

These physiological effects, defined as a stress response, can include increased blood pressure,

dilated pupils and increased heart rate.

RECOGNIZING A STRESSOR

It is important to recognize whether you are under stress or out of it. Many times, even if we

are under the influence of a stressful condition and our body reacts to it internally as well as

externally, we fail to realize that we are reacting under stress. This also happens when the

causes of stress are there long enough for us to get habituated to them. The body constantly

tries to tell us through symptoms such as rapid palpitation, dizzy spells, tight muscles or

various body aches that something is wrong. It is important to remain attentive to such

symptoms and to learn to cope with the situations.

We cope better with stressful situation, when we encounter them voluntarily. In cases of

relocation, promotion or layoff, adventurous sports or having a baby, we tend to respond

positively under stress. But, when we are compelled into such situations against our will or

knowledge, more often than not, we wilt at the face of unknown and imagined threats. For

instance, stress may mount when one is coerced into undertaking some work against one's will.

WORKPLACE STRESS

Workplace stress is the harmful physical and emotional response that occurs when there is a

poor match between job demands and the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker.

Stress-related disorders encompass a broad array of conditions, including psychological

disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder) and other types of emotional

strain (e.g., dissatisfaction, fatigue, tension, etc.), maladaptive behaviors (e.g., aggression,

substance abuse), and cognitive impairment (e.g., concentration and memory problems). In

turn, these conditions may lead to poor work performance or even injury. Job stress is also

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associated with various biological reactions that may lead ultimately to compromised health,

such as cardiovascular disease.

Stress is a prevalent and costly problem in today's workplace. About one-third of workers

report high levels of stress. One-quarter of employees view their jobs as the number one

stressor in their lives. Three-quarters of employees believe the worker has more on-the-job

stress than a generation ago. Evidence also suggests that stress is the major cause of turnover in

organizations.

Health and Healthcare Utilization

Problems at work are more strongly associated with health complaints than are any other life

stressor-more so than even financial problems or family problems. Many studies suggest that

psychologically demanding jobs that allow employees little control over the work process

increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. On the basis of research by the National Institute for

Occupational Safety and Health and many other organizations, it is widely believed that job

stress increases the risk for development of back and upper-extremity musculoskeletal

disorders. High levels of stress are associated with substantial increases in health service

utilization. Workers who report experiencing stress at work also show excessive health care

utilization. In a 1998 study of 46,000 workers, health care costs were nearly 50% greater for

workers reporting high levels of stress in comparison to low risk workers. The increment

rose to nearly 150%, an increase of more than $1,700 per person annually, for workers

reporting high levels of both stress and depression. Additionally, periods of disability due to

job stress tend to be much longer than disability periods for other occupational injuries and

illnesses.

CAUSES OF WORKPLACE STRESS

Job stress results from the interaction of the worker and the conditions of work. Views differ on

the importance of worker characteristics versus working conditions as the primary cause of job

stress. The differing viewpoints suggest different ways to prevent stress at work. According to

one school of thought, differences in individual characteristics such as personality and coping

skills are most important in predicting whether certain job conditions will result in stress-in

other words, what is stressful for one person may not be a problem for someone else. This

viewpoint leads to prevention strategies that focus on workers and ways to help them cope with

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demanding job conditions. Although the importance of individual differences cannot be

ignored, scientific evidence suggests that certain working conditions are stressful to most

people. Such evidence argues for a greater emphasis on working conditions as the key source

of job stress, and for job redesign as a primary prevention strategy. Personal interview surveys

of working conditions, including conditions recognized as risk factors for job stress, were

conducted in Member States of the European Union in 1990, 1995, and 2000. Results showed a

trend across these periods suggestive of increasing work intensity. In 1990, the percentage of

workers reporting that they worked at high speeds at least one-fourth of their working time was

48%, increasing to 54% in 1995 and to 56% in 2000. Similarly, 50% of workers reported they

work against tight deadlines at least one-fourth of their working time in 1990, increasing to

56% in 1995 and 60 % in 2000. However, no change was noted in the period 19952000 (data

not collected in 1990) in the percentage of workers reporting sufficient time to complete tasks.

A substantial percentage of Americans work very long hours. By one estimate, more than 26%

of men and more than 11% of women worked 50 hours per week or more in 2000. These

figures represent a considerable increase over the previous three decades, especially for

women. According to the Department of Labor, there has been an upward trend in hours

worked among employed women, an increase in extended work weeks (>40 hours) by men,

and a considerable increase in combined working hours among working couples, particularly

couples with young children.

SIGNS OF WORKPLACE STRESS

Mood and sleep disturbances, upset stomach and headache, and disturbed relationships with

family; friends and girlfriends or boyfriends are examples of stress-related problems. The

effects of job stress on chronic diseases are more difficult to see because chronic diseases take

a long time to develop and can be influenced by many factors other than stress. Nonetheless,

evidence is rapidly accumulating to suggest that stress plays an important role in several types

of chronic health problems-especially cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders, and

psychological disorders.

PREVENTION

A combination of organizational change and stress management is often the most useful

approach for preventing stress at work.

How to Change the Organization to Prevent Job Stress

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Ensure that the workload is in line with workers' capabilities and resources.

Design jobs to provide meaning, stimulation, and opportunities for workers to use their

skills.

Clearly define workers' roles and responsibilities.

Give workers opportunities to participate in decisions and actions affecting their jobs.

Improve communications-reduce uncertainty about career development and future

employment prospects.

Provide opportunities for social interaction among workers.

Establish work schedules that are compatible with demands and responsibilities outside

the job.

Discrimination inside the workplace. (e.g. nationality and language )

St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company conducted several studies on the effects of stress

prevention programs in hospital settings. Program activities included (1) employee and

management education on job stress, (2) changes in hospital policies and procedures to reduce

organizational sources of stress, and (3) establishment of employee assistance programs. In one

study, the frequency of medication errors declined by 50% after prevention activities was

implemented in a 700-bed hospital. In a second study, there was a 70% reduction in

malpractice claims in 22 hospitals that implemented stress prevention activities. In contrast,

there was no reduction in claims in a matched group of 22 hospitals that did not implement

stress prevention activities.

COPING WITH STRESS AT WORK PLACE

With the rapid advancement of technology, the stresses faced at work have also increased.

Many people dread going to work, hence the term Monday Blues. What is the reason for

this? There is partly the fear from being retrenched in bad times, leading to greater job

insecurity on the part of those who remain. Undoubtedly, occupational stress is one of the most

commonly cited stressors faced by people all over the world.

Stress refers to the pressure and reactions to our environment which results in psychological

and physical reactions. Whilst some stress is good for motivation and increasing efficiency, too

much stress can result in negative impacts such as reduced effectiveness and efficiency. More

and more people are feeling isolated and disrespected at work, and this has led to greater

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occupational stress. Many companies have taken to consulting experts and professionals on

ways to increase connectedness and motivation of their employees.

Some companies organize parties and make their employees feel valued at work. These are

measures to motivate employees and help them to feel secure at their jobs, translating into

greater productivity. However, not all companies have such measures in place, and some have

not gotten it quite right. Hence, it is up to you to make sure that you can cope with stress at

your workplace, and use it to help you work better. Here are 3 simple steps to help you with

coping with stress in the workplace.

Step 1: Raising Awareness

Help yourself to identify when you are facing rising levels of stress, tipping the scales from

positive to negative. This is important, as being able to identify signs of being stressed can help

you to take steps to ensure that your overall quality of life does not drop. If left

unacknowledged, the problem will only snowball, leading to disastrous consequences to your

health and overall wellbeing.

You can identify if you are feeling stressed by checking if you have any physical or

psychological reactions, such as excessive sweating or heart palpitations, or the onset of

headaches, irritability or the need to escape. If you experience any of these reactions, identify if

you are feeling any overwhelming negative emotions, and if you are constantly worried.

Step 2: Identify the Cause

You need to be able to analyze the situation and identify what is causing the rise in stress.

These stressors can be external and internal. External stressors refer to things beyond your

control, such as the environment or your colleagues at work. Internal stressors refer to your

own thinking and attitude. Often, we only start reacting to stress when a combination of

stressors working together exceeds our ability to cope.

Keep a diary or a list of events that have caused you to feel strong negative emotions, or that

are likely stressors. This will help you to identify the causes of your stress. Whilst it is not

always possible to eradicate them, we can change the way that we cope with it.

Step 3: Coping with Stress

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In order to deal with the situation that is causing you stress, you need to calm your mind and

body so as to stave off the reactions and cope with it in a positive way. This can be through

different methods, such as taking time off. If a situation is triggering your stress and you are

unable to calm down, remove yourself from it. Go outside and take a walk to calm down.

Alternatively, you can try implementing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing. If it is an

internal stressor, stop your thought process until you are able to deal with it logically.

The key to making these 3 steps work for you is to practice them. These are not instantaneous

solutions, and you need to condition your mind and practice them so that you can implement it

when you are feeling stressed.

REDUCING STRESS

1. Job analysis:

We have all experienced that appalling sense of having far too much work to do and too little

time to do it in. We can choose to ignore this, and work unreasonably long hours to stay on top

of our workload. The risks here are that we become exhausted, that we have so much to do that

we do a poor quality job and that we neglect other areas of our life. Each of these can lead to

intense stress.

The alternative is to work more intelligently, by focusing on the things that are important for

job success and reducing the time we spend on low priority tasks. Job Analysis is the first step

in doing this.

The first of the action-oriented skills that we look at is Job Analysis. Job Analysis is a key

technique for managing job overload an important source of stress.

To do an excellent job, you need to fully understand what is expected of you. While this may

seem obvious, in the hurly-burly of a new, fast-moving, high-pressure role, it is oftentimes

something that is easy to overlook.

By understanding the priorities in your job, and what constitutes success within it, you can

focus on these activities and minimize work on other tasks as much as possible. This helps you

get the greatest return from the work you do, and keep your workload under control.

Job Analysis is a useful technique for getting a firm grip on what really is important in your job

so that you are able to perform excellently. It helps you to cut through clutter and distraction to

get to the heart of what you need to do.

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2. Rational & positive thinking:

You are thinking negatively when you fear the future, put yourself down, criticize yourself for

errors, doubt your abilities, or expect failure. Negative thinking damages confidence, harms

performance and paralyzes mental skills.

Unfortunately, negative thoughts tend to flit into our consciousness, do their damage and flit

back out again, with their significance having barely been noticed. Since we barely realize that

they were there, we do not challenge them properly, which means that they can be completely

incorrect and wrong.

Thought Awareness is the process by which you observe your thoughts and become aware of

what is going through your head.

One approach to it is to observe your "stream of consciousness" as you think about the thing

you're trying to achieve which is stressful. Do not suppress any thoughts. Instead, just let them

run their course whil

Documents

39013829 Final Stress Management Project Accel