Spcl Project 2013-2015_Main Report_Umair Khann

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Chapter 1

Executive Summary

This report talks about both the BPO and Real Estate Sector which is an eye candy for

many individuals who are in need of a job holding great qualifications both on Graduate

and Post Graduate level. Both these sectors are considered as a place for quick

employment, lucrative and most importantly its work culture and at the same time is

also known for its stressful work environment. This report talks about what causes

stress to the employees and after effects of stress on their health this report talks about

the factor which causes stress and the methods by which one can overcome stress.

Stress can be mitigated at two levels one at organization level and another at individual

level. The report studies the efforts which an individual and an organization should take

so as to develop a foolproof coping mechanism which will reduce the attrition rate in

the respective industries. Stress degrades the quality of work and is directly related to

productivity, more the stress less the productivity. The crux of this report is the factors

which cause stress and the methods which can be used to mitigate stress. The study

says who faces more stress in an organization i.e. male or female and also elaborates

factors which causes stress and what type of coping mechanisms can be effective , what

all can be done to reduce stress levels in an organization and make it stress free and

pleasant to work. This report also studies the health issues caused by stress and studies

the behavior of employees through which there stress levels can be measured and can

be concluded that they are stressed. The report also talks about the effect of this stress

on the motivation and the performance of an employee. Job performance, workload and

job security are creating more stress on the employees. Stress effecting on poor

performance and not a single word of praise on excellence are the features of job

feedback in call center. The report also analyses how an employee be can be motivated

by the help of managing stress. Training is given regularly and special sessions are

undertaken to release the stress. The report talks about how the level of the

performance of the employee can be increased so that highest level of productivity is

achieved.

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Chapter 2

Introduction

2.1 Introduction to Human Resources Management

Human Resource Management is an art of managing people at work in

such a manner that they give their best to the organization. In simple word

human resource management refers to the quantitative aspects of

employees working in an organization. Human Resource Management is also a

management function concerned with hiring, motivating, and maintains people

in an organization. It focuses on people in organization.

Organizations are not mere bricks, mortar, machineries or inventories. They are

people. It is the who staff and manage organizations. HRM involves the

application of management functions and principles. The functions and

principles are applied to acquisitioning, developing, maintain, and remunerating

employees in organizations.

Decisions relating to employees must be integrated. Decision on different aspect

of employees must be consistent with other human resource decisions. Decision

made must influence the effectiveness of organization. Effectiveness of an

organization must result in betterment of services to customers in the form of

high-quality product supplied at reasonable costs

HRM function s is not confined to business establishment only. They are

applicable to non-business organizations, too such as education, health care,

recreation etc. The scope of HRM is indeed vast. All major activities in the

working life of his or her entry into an organization until he or she leaves-come

under the previews of HRM. Specifically, the activities included are HR planning,

job analysis and be sign, recruitment and selection, orientation and placement,

training and development.

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2.2 Introduction to Stress Management

A lot of research has been conducted into stress over the last hundred years. Some of the

theories behind it are now settled and accepted; others are still being researched and

debated. During this time, there seems to have been something approaching open

warfare between competing theories and definitions: Views have been passionately held

and aggressively defended.A definition should therefore be obvious, except that it is not

Definition

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.

Since then, a great deal of further research has been conducted, and ideas have moved

on. Stress is now viewed as a "bad thing", with a range of harmful biochemical and long-

term effects. These effects have rarely been observed in positive situations. 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

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..This is the main definition used by this section of Mind Tools,

although recognize that there is an intertwined instinctive stress response to

unexpected events. The stress response inside us is therefore part instinct and part to do

with the way everyone thinks. Stress is associated with constraints and demands.

The former prevents an individual from doing what he or she desires. The latter

refers to the loss of something desired.

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Stress is the response of the body to any demand for change. Both negative and

positive stressors can lead to an experience of stress and the stressor can be

external (e.g. job demands) or internal (e.g. high expectations) or both.

There are two types of stress:

1. Acute (short-term) stress is the bodys immediate response to a situation that

is demanding, dangerous or exciting.

2. Chronic (long-term) stress is caused by stressful situations or events that last

a long period of time.

The intensity and duration of the experienced stressor can vary depending on

personal and situational factors. These include physical health, emotional health,

social support, social issues; job related issues, coping strategies, personality,

temperament and previous experience with stress related issues. Stress is

therefore a complex experience that varies for each individual. Stress is an

individuals response to a disturbing factor in the environment and the

consequence of such reaction. Stress obviously involves interaction of the person

and the environment. To quote a definition: stress is an adaptive response to an

external situation that results in physical, psychological and/ or behavioral

deviations for organizational participants.

z

Stress (physics), the average amount of force exerted per unit area

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 or nominal stress, and

Is the force acting over the area .

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Response to Stress

Not all individuals experience stress at the same intensity. Some people

overreact to stressors and get highly stressed. Others have the stamina,

endurance and composure to cope with any stressors. How an individual

experiences stress depends on

i. The persons perception of the situation

ii. The persons past experience

iii. The presence or the absence of social support

iv. Individual differences with regard to stress reaction.

Perception: Perception refers to a psychological process whereby a person

selects and organizes stimuli into a concept of reality. Employees perception of a

situation can influence whether or not they experience stress. A simple transfer

from one place to another may be perceived by one employee an opportunity to

see new places and learn new things. The same transfer may be understood by

another employee as extremely threatening and indicating unhappiness of the

management with his/ her performance.

Past Experience: Whether a person experiences stress or not depends on

his/her past experience with the similar stressor. For example, writing

anonymous letters against the boss or giving leads to the press and getting false

stories published against the boss are common among disgruntled employees.

Over a period of time the boss will get used to such allegations, though initially

he/ she undergoes stress.

The relationship between experience and stress is also based on reinforcement.

Positive reinforcement or previous success in a similar situation can reduce the

level of stress that a person experiences under certain circumstances;

punishment or past failure under similar conditions can increase stress under

the same circumstances.

Social Support: The presence or absence of other people influences how

individuals in the workplace stress and respond to stressors. The presence of co-

workers may increase individuals confidence, allowing the person to cope more

effectively with stress.

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Individual Differences: Individual differences in motivation, attitudes,

personality and abilities also influence whether employees experience work

stress and if they do, how they respond to it. What one person considers a major

source of stress, another may hardly notice. Personality characteristics, in

particular, may explain some differences in the way employees experience and

respond to stress.

Performance: Performance is defined as the results and accomplishments

cherished by the organization or system that one works in. It is natural that the

working environment of the system where people work directly affects

performance of human beings. People need work that motivates them with

healthy working conditions, and the chance to play a part in social surroundings

of work and to feel valued. Stressful working situations and conditions, arising

from any of above mentioned factors, can directly or indirectly effect on job

performance of the employee.

Work place pressure affects the performance at a greater extent and it need to be

dealt with carefully. Stress at a greater level on the other hand is harmful and has

a negative effect on performance of employees over the long term as it wears

down an individual and underutilizes his or her energy resources. High levels of

stress can cause, low morale at work, fatigue, late comings, absenteeism and

trouble in getting along with other team members or co-workers.

Thus the study aims to find the impact of stress on employees performance. As it

is obvious that no one can work to its optimum level when s/he is under stress.

Under severe stress, an individual fails to take clear-cut decisions, reevaluate and

reassess the priorities and lifestyles, and ultimately, tend to fall into

unproductive distractions

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The Impact of Stress on Performance

Various studies have been conducted to examine the relationship between job

stress and job performance. Job performance can be viewed as an activity in

which an individual is able to accomplish the task assigned to him/her

successfully, subject to the normal constraints of reasonable utilization of the

available resources. At a conceptual level, four types of relationships were

proposed to exist between the measures of job stress and job performance

(Jamal M, 2007). One is a negative linear relationship, when productivity

decreases with stress (distress). Productivity can also increase as a consequence

of stress, thereby implying a positive linear relationship between the two.

Thirdly, there could be a U-shaped or a curvilinear relationship wherein, mild

stress could increase the productivity initially up to a peak and then it declines as

the person descends into a state of distress.

The relationship between stress and performance has been portrayed by the

stress response curve created by Nixon P. in 1979. In addition, pressure, an

important stressor, has also a crucial influence on an individual's response to

stress.

One of the most noticeable effects of stress in ones life is the changes in his

performance. While it can easily be recognized, the consequences of normal or

excessive amounts of stress through mere observation, its best to learn about

the scientific relationship between stress and performance.

Effects of Stress Performance Response Curve

To better understand the effects of stress to performance, Nixon, P. (1979)

created the following graph of the stress performance curve explaining how

stress affects performance in theoretical terms.

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(Image from lesstress.net)

The Stress Response Curve

The curve shows that as the level of stress increases, the performance level also

increases, to the point of eustress, or healthy tension. Near the point of fatigue, a

called the Comfort Zone indicates the range of stress levels that can be

absolutely manage and facilitates good performance levels.

As stress begins to be perceived as overwhelming or excessive, the person

reaches a fatigue point wherein the performance levels starts to decline. The

ultimate end of overwhelming stress, called burnout, can be exhaustion, ill-

health or breakdown.

Positive Effects

As shown by the graph, performance levels increase when stress management is

effective. Stressors such as pressure and demands can facilitate better stress

response and thus, higher levels of performance. For instance, a basketball

player tries to run faster, shoot a three-point shot and succeeds in it because of

the pressure he has obtained from the audience, the close scores and the tough

opponents.

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Another example is the short but adequate deadline given to an employee, which

motivates and encourages her to work actively and efficiently on the project

assigned to her. Yet another instance is an approaching major examination which

leads a college student to double time on studying and reviewing of lessons.

Negative Effects

When stress is perceived as uncontrollable or unmanageable, the person begins

to experience a gradual to drastic decrease in performance levels, causing a

decline in productivity and enthusiasm to respond to the stress.

For instance, a very tight deadline is given to an office employee who has to take

care of her four children at home and a sick mother at the hospital. This

overwhelming mix of situations, if not managed carefully and totally, will result

to a poor performance at work, bad relationships with other members of the

family, ill health, and burnout.

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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 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.

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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, one only starts

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, one can change the

way that can be deal with.

Step 3: Coping with Stress

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.

Stress Factors and its Impact on Performance

Stress and Reliability of Employee

Reliability is essential to employee performance. Reliability consists of the extent

to which an individual or other entity may be counted on to do what is expected

of him. For example, a reliable employee is one who shows up for work on time

and is prepared to complete his work in a timely manner. A reliable worker does

what he says he will do. The performance of a reliable employee may be

degraded due to stress, when he or she is not able to meet targets, deadlines etc.

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Stress and Alertness of an Employee

Stress affects your ability to remember things you already know, to process new

information you are learning and to apply both to analytical situations and tasks

that require concentration. When employees are mentally exhausted from all of

the worries, anxieties and tension brought on by a stressful environment or

lifestyle, employees are more easily distracted, less alert and prone to make

costly, harmful or even fatal mistakes on the job.

Changes of alertness and efficiency have been suggested in employees who are

disrupted, for e.g., night or shift-workers. Long working hours, sleep deprivation,

irregular dietary habits, etc., which are common to these industries may have a

negative effect on performance in normal human beings.

Stress and Creativity of an Employee

In an attempt to ensure a higher degree of consistency in service level and

reduce costs, call centers have shifted to oversimplify tasks, encourage the

adherence to strict scripts and standardize processes for their agents. These

shifts reduce the amount of mental stimulation, creativity, autonomy and

decision-making discretion that the agents are able to exercise.

Stress and Absenteeism of an Employee

According to Dimensions Data, absenteeism in call centers averaged 14.9 percent

around the globe and was slightly higher in Asia because employees had to work

the graveyard shift. Doctors also suggest that call center employees are four

times more likely than other types of employees to miss work because of mental

health issues such as stress or depression.

Some of the main causes of absenteeism have been identified as too much focus

on the quantity of customers helped rather than the quality of the service

delivery. Other causes for a less-than-ideal environment included inadequate

equipment and equipment failure, punitive use of call monitoring, unsupportive

management and customer abuse.

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Stress Management

Stress management is the need of the hour. However hard one tries 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; tend to overlook causes of stress and the conditions triggered

by those. In such unsettling moments one 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, one does not get relaxing and soothing situations without

asking. To be relaxed one has to strive to create such situations.

It is important to recognize whether you are under stress or out of it. Many

times, even if under the influence of a stressful condition and our body react to it

internally as well as externally, one fail to realize that 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.

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2.3 Introduction to the Project

BPO and Real Estate Sector industry are considered to be the employment

generator for the economy and also it proved feasible occupations for the Indian

society considering both the males and the females. It has helped many people to

get the job and good pay with good position to live their livelihood. It helped

each and every individual working in that sector to raise their standard of living

and their familys level and status. It has contributed a major chunk of income in

the growth of the economy. It changed the entire life style of the people working

in those sectors with the advancement of technology. It also changed the

mentality for the female working for late night jobs in field of BPO. The project

highlights the employees stress level working in both the BPO and Real Estate

Sector. The projects states about the stress level among the employees and their

reparations on their motivation and performance for the company and

individual. It helped the female to stand up on their own and earn to live their

livelihood. It gave women a good status in the job. The report also talks about

how the stress level effects the employees motivation and performance. There

are mainly two types of stress among people i.e. mental stress and Physical

stress. Physical stress is seen through health disorders and many more things

but mental stress directly affects the emotional level of the employees. When an

employee is going through an emotional stress his state of mind is different and

he doesnt work properly because his mind is unbalanced. The stress also affects

the personal or family life of the employees which in turn spoils the social life

and there is no one to share his or her thoughts. This stress level affects the

employees morale and he is not motivation. When the employee is not

motivated he is not satisfied with the job nor is he willing to do the job out of

passion but just out of compulsion to fulfill his responsibilities.And it is seen that

absenteeism increase, alertness and awareness decreases, productivity

decreases and in turn the individual and companys performance decreases. This

leads to making loss in the organization. At the end it is concluded that the

company should take some steps to overcome the workplace stress so that the

employees personal and professional life is managed and balanced well and also

the individual on his own should try to be happy and stress free. It is said that if

you are happy then only can keep people happy around you.

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Chapter 3

Project Details

3.1 Objective

To understand the Stress Level of the Employees within a BPO and a Real Estate

Company and to examine the influence of stress on the employees motivation

and performance.

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3.2 Methodology

Data Source

Primary Research: Personal Survey

Secondary Research: Websites, Magazines

Primary Research

Information Areas

Level of Stress faced during work (across different key aspects)

Effect of Stress on Motivation and Performance

Research Approach and Research Instrument

Quantitative, Face-to-Face Interview using Structured Questionnaire

Sampling Plan

Sampling Unit: Grab House Pvt.Ltd. (Goregaon West), Global Solutions Pvt.

Ltd. (Andheri West)

Target Respondent: Employees of sector

Sample Size: 100

Sampling Procedure: Convenience, Simple Random Sampling

Secondary Research

Information Areas

Effect of Stress on Motivation and Performance

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3.3 Limitations of the Report

The sample of business employees for the study was chosen for convenience

and may not be representative of the total population of business employees.

The report makes use of a questionnaire as an instrument for collecting data

and no other tool has been used.

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Chapter 4

Analysis & Findings

A. Demographic Profile

A1. Gender Break-up

Particulars Grab House

(%) Global Solutions

(%) Male 78 45

Female 22 55

TOTAL 100 100

Inference

Maximum respondents in Grab House were Males i.e 78% and rest were females

whereas the percentage of females working in Global Solutions were more i.e 55

%.So this shows that BPO sector offers better job opportunities to female

workforce.

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Grab House.com Global Solutions

Female Male

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A2. Age Break Up

Particulars Grabhouse.com

(%)

Global Solutions

(%)

21-30 84 67

31-40 16 33

TOTAL 100 100

Inference

84 % of the employees working in Grab House belong to the age group 21-30

rest in the age group 31-40.67% of the employees working in Global Solutions

belong to the age group 21-30 rest in the age group 31-40.This shows that

employees working in both BPO and Real Estate sector are youngsters.

0

20

40

60

80

100

Grab House.com

Global Solutions

31-40

21-30

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A3. Employees Experience



(%)

Less than a year 78 91

1-5 years 22 9

5-10 years 0 0

More than 10 years 0 0

TOTAL 100 100

Inference 78% of the employees working in Grab House have an experience of less than a

year in the firm and 91% of the employees working in Global Solutions too have

an experience of less than a year. This shows that employees working in both the

companies are mostly freshers.

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Less then a year

1-5 Years 5-10 Years More than 10 years

Global Solutions

Grab House.com

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B. Stress Level at Work in Grab House and Global Solutions

B1. Are you comfortable with the working environment in which you work?

The respondents were asked to select from the following particulars about the

comfort level they feel in the organization.

Inference 44% and 45 of the employees working in Grab House and Global Solutions are of

the opinion that they are Neither Comfortable Nor Uncomfortable. This shows

that employees working in both the companies are neutral in percepting the

comfort level at the same time not being very comfortable and very

uncomfortable.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Global Solutions

Grab House.com

Particulars Grab

House (%)

Global Solutions

(%) Very Comfortable 18 9

Comfortable 27 18

Neither Comfortable Nor Uncomfortable 44 45

Somewhat Uncomfortable 7 16

Very Uncomfortable 4 11

TOTAL 100 100

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B2. In which of the following areas do you face a problem in your job?


problems they face in the organization.

Inference

44% and 40% of employees working in Grab House and Global Solutions cite

health issues due to stress occurring out of the work pressure. This shows that

health of the employees is severely affected more than other problems that arise

out of stress.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Global Solutions

Grab House.com


(%)

Global Solutions

(%)

Health 44 40

Psychological 22 36

Meeting Targets 9 18

Work Itself 20 4

Others 4 12

TOTAL 100 100

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B3. Do you think you are happy doing work in your Company?


degree to which they feel happy in the Company.

Inference

45 % of the employees working in both the Grab House and Global Solutions are

Neither Happy Nor Unhappy. This clearly shows Employees are really not

enjoying the work they do and lack enthusiasm in the same.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

100

Global Solution

Grab House



(%) Not at all happy 23 13

Not so Happy 18 17

Neither Happy Nor Unhappy 45 45

Somewhat Happy 12 20

Very Happy 2 5

TOTAL 100 100

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B4. If Unhappy, according to you which of the following do you think are the reasons for being Unhappy?

The respondents had to select among the following reasons for being Unhappy.

Inference

62% of the employees working in the Grab House are Unhappy because of

workload.55% of the employees working in Global Solutions are Unhappy

because of the working hours. This shows that Employees working in the Real

Estate Sector have pressure of meeting targets that adds to the workload.

Employees working in the BPO sector have long working hours in terms of both

the day and night shifts that becomes a cause of sleep deprivation.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Global Solutions

Grab House.com



(%)

Work Load 62 18

Working Hours 22 55

Meeting Targets 6 18

Ventilation 0 0

Interpersonal Relationships 7 5

Performance Anxiety 3 4

TOTAL 100 100

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B5. Does Stress in your workplace have an effect over your basic performance?

The respondents were asked to select from the following particulars the impact

of stress over performance.

Inference

44% and 42% of the employees working in the Grab House and Global Solutions

are not so affected by the stress occurring at the workplace .Very few employees

about 3% and 4% in both the companies feels that that they are very much

affected. This shows that the stress in a way is manageable by the employees

working in both the companies.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

100

Global Solutions

Grab House.com



(%) Not at all affected 11 13

Not so Affected 44 42

Neither Affected Nor Unaffected 33 36

Somewhat Affected 9 5

Very Much Affected 3 4

TOTAL 100 100

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B6. How do you think the stress at workplace, which is internal in nature can

be controlled?

The respondents were asked to select from the following particulars as to how

the stress can be controlled.

Inference

67% and 58% of the employees working in Grab House and Global Solutions

feels that flexible working hours would help them to control the stress arising at

the workplace. Therefore it can be said that flexibility in the working hours

would help them render better performance in the output of the work.

0 20 40 60 80

100 120 140

Global Solutions

Grab House.com


(%)

Global Solutions

(%)

Flexible Working Hours 67 58

Distributed Workload 9 18

Timely Targets 11 5

Periodic Relaxation 9 11

Other 4 8

TOTAL 100 100

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B7. What measures do you suggest in controlling the stress causing factors?

The respondents were asked to select from among the following particulars to

control the stress causing factors.

Inference

69% and 75% of the employees working in the Grab House and Global Solutions

feels that Recreational tours if organized by the employer would be a good

measure to control stress and would give them a break from work.

0 20 40 60 80

100 120 140 160

Global Solutions

Grab House.com


(%)

Global Solutions

(%)

Recreational Tours 69 75

Sports Activities 20 18

Family Tours 7 3

Honouring Hard Work 2 2

Others 2 2

TOTAL 100 100

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B8. How often does your Company Provide recreational activities to reduce the

work stress of the employees?

The Respondents were asked to select from the following particulars the period

during which the stress management activities are carried out

Inference

Yearly stress management drive is conducted in both the organizations .This

shows that either of the companies are not too serious about managing stress

and would not want to invest much time and money to manage stress for the

employees working for the company.

0

50

100

150

200

250

Monthly Quarterly Half Yearly Yearly

Global Solutions

Grab House.com


(%)

Global Solutions

(%)

Monthly 0 0

Yearly 0 0

Quarterly 0 0

Half Yearly 0 0

Yearly 100 100

TOTAL 100 100

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B9. Do you think the performance of the employees enhances due to various

techniques adopted by the Management?

The respondents were asked about possible enhancement in work after

introducing the stress management Techniques by the Management.

Inference

44% and 45% of the employees working in both the organizations feels that

their performances are Neither enhanced Nor Unenhanced due to the stress

Management techniques adopted. This shows that the techniques adopted to

manage the stress are ineffective and since the stress management drive are

conducted on yearly basis it only looks like a formality that yields nothing.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

100

Global Solutions

Grab House.com

Particulars

Grab

House

(%)

Global

Solutions

(%)

Not at all Enhanced 9 11

Not so Enhanced 33 27

Neither Enhanced Nor Unenhanced 44 45

Somewhat Enhanced 9 11

Very Enhanced 5 6

TOTAL 100 100

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B10. How do you want your H.R department in implementing work Stress

Management Techniques?

Reviews regarding the opinion of the employees as to how they wish the stress

Management Techniques are implemented in the Company.

Inference All the employees of Grab House and Global Solutions are of the suggestion that

there opinions be sought while implementing the stress management program.

This shows that employees are more flexible in being a part of stress

management drive through offering their suggestions.


(%)

Global Solutions

(%)

Pre Planned 0 0

Opinion Of

Employees 100 100

TOTAL 100 100

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Grab House.com Global Solutions

Opinion of the Employees

Pre Planned

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C. How to Keep the Workforce Motivated

1. Happy Workforce = Happy Customers

Provide a great environment to work in and look after your staff the way you

expect them to look after your customers.

Why should they be nice to customers if they are getting a raw deal at work

themselves? Keep them happy by providing what they need in terms of

training (soft skills as well as technical knowledge) and genuine support with

positive messages where appropriate and constructive feedback where

development is needed.

2. Senior Manager Feedback

You dont need to spend a lot of money to make your people feel motivated

and valued. Quite often a telephone call from a senior manager

congratulating a team member on a good week is equally as effective as an

offer of a training course or gift voucher. You cant be seen to be withdrawing

from investing in your people. Of course, you may have to make decisions to

protect the profitability of your business that may not be popular so the

messages you communicate are extremely important and must continue to

celebrate success, coach people on specific challenges and address any

difficult issues they face.

3. A Positive Attitude

It is vital that recruitment team managers realign their expectations and take

into consideration the economic climate when setting targets and objectives.

Whilst it is all doom and gloom out there, it is definitely tougher to convert

leads into sales and there are fewer opportunities. That said, team leaders

must encourage their staff to raise their game and sell themselves out of the

credit crunch.

4. The Right Tools and Skills for the Job

Staff motivation is influenced by the following factors: having the right

person in the job who is capable of doing it; equipping them to do the job by

giving them the right tools and support and finally setting realistic targets

that they believe can be achieved.

5. Dont be tempted to carry anyone who is not up to the job

Leadership skills are ever more important during a credit crunch and you

must lead from the front and inspire the team. Concentrate on motivating

your best people and dont be tempted to carry anyone who is not up to the

job this can be highly demotivating for the rest of the team.

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6. Keep things fresh

As obvious as it may sound, the key to motivation is to keep things fresh. Any

job, however much you enjoy it, can become monotonous. This is even truer

for the call center environment.

7. Small quick fix prizes

Monthly bonuses and incentive schemes are always useful, but what will keep

them motivated throughout the month is the small quick fix stuff, the here

and now, if you like. The little prizes they can take away with them as soon as

they win them (or hit target).

8. Training is always good, it keeps people up to date and focused on the

job

Regular, effective and relevant training is massively important and a great

motivator. If you want them to perform properly and consistently then you

have to give them the tools to do so. Training is always good, it keeps people

up to date and focused on the job at hand, it keeps their skills at the forefront

and it will show them that management are obviously concerned with how

well they do their job, etc.

If they are given good quality training that covers the topics and issues they

are faced with then they will respond and to a certain extent motivate

themselves to stick with what they learn.

9. Offer a nice clean working environment

You need to make sure that the environment they are working in is conducive

to good performance. Everyone likes to work somewhere nice, clean carpets,

working computers and phones, a couple of nice plants.

Consider this, which team do you think would give the best performance, the

one who works in a scruffy office where the equipment only works half of the

time and the managers never offer any support, or the team that works in a

clean, friendly office where everything works properly and managers spend

their day patting you on the back?

10. Reward System and appraisal

Human nature dictates that no matter what job is done, everyone likes to be

rewarded or praised for doing it well. Sales people live by that, generally

because the better they do the more money they get. Reward system is a

must therefore to increase motivation and performance.

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Chapter 5

Conclusions & Recommendations

5.1 Conclusions

01. There are mostly young people working in the BPOS as well as the online

Real Estate Companies at the same time having advantages in terms of

computer usage and multitasking making them fit enough for these jobs.

02. Currently more than half of the employees working in the call centers and

online real estate companies are fresh graduates. Youth take multitasking

to a whole new dimension.

03. The stress levels are increasing, both in the Call centers and Real estate

companies and employees are exposed to high amounts of pressure from

the Management in terms of meeting targets and servicing the complaints

of the customers thereby increasing the stress levels.

05. The ability to cope with stress is severely reduced because of long hours of

work causing sleep deprivation among the employees.

06. Many problems with regards to stress occur because Management has not

taken adequate steps to cope with stress among the employees.

07. Male Employees specifically Smoke to reduce the stress which is fatal to

health and female employees are more inclined to mediation, chatting

listening songs to overcome stress.

08. Almost all the employees working in both the companies are of the decision

that their opinion be sought to plan techniques that will ease their work

pressure.

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5.2 Recommendations

01. Companies must tie up with health clubs to ensure the health of the

employees remains intact.

02. Recreational tours must be organized periodically so that employees

develop enthusiasm towards the respective companies.

03. The Duration of breaks should be adequate enough to rest and consume

food.

04. Periodic Job Rotation would help employees explore other possible areas of

rendering performance at the same time increasing the level of learning.

05. Regular counseling of the employees through an inside member or an

outside agent be sought to understand and overcome weak areas of

performance and other interpersonal issues.

06. Conducting seminars and workshops for their employees to address the

problems encountered during work.

07. Exercise meditation yoga and laughter therapy are good stress busters

which should be periodically done by employees.

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ANNEXURES

A. Questionnaire

Name of the Company: ________________________________________________________

Name: ___________________________ Age: __________

Designation: ___________________________ Education: ___________________________

1. Gender of the Respondent

a) Male b) Female

2. Respondent Age

a) 21-30 b) 31-40

3. Since how long have you been working with the Company?

a) Less than a year b) 1-5 years

c) 5-10 Year d) More than a 10 years

4. Are you comfortable with the working environment in which you

work?

a) Very Comfortable

b) Comfortable

c) Neither Comfortable nor Uncomfortable

d) Somewhat Uncomfortable

e) Very uncomfortable

5. In which of the following areas do you face a problem in your job?

a) Health b) Psychological c) Meeting Targets

d) Work Itself e) Others __________________

5. Do you think you are happy doing work in your Company?

a) Not at all happy b) Not so happy

c) Neither happy nor unhappy d) Somewhat Happy

e) Very happy

6. What are the reasons for being Unhappy?

a) Work Load b) Working Hours c) Interpersonal Relationships

d) Ventilation e) Meeting Target f) Performance Anxiety

7. Does Stress in your workplace have an effect over your basic

performance?

a) Not at all affected b) Not so affected

c) Neither affected nor unaffected d) Very much affected

e) Somewhat affected

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8. How do you think the stress at workplace, which is internal in nature

can be controlled?

a) Flexible working hours b) Distributed Workload c) Timely Targets

d) Periodic Relaxation e) Other ____________________

9. What Measures do you suggest in controlling the stress causing

factors?

a) Recreational Tours b) Honouring the hardworking people

c) Family tours d) Sports Activities

e) Other __________________

10. How often does your Company Provide recreational activities to

reduce the work stress of the employees?

a) Monthly b) Quarterly

c) Half Yearly d) Yearly

11. How do you want your H.R department in implementing work Stress

Management Techniques?

a) Pre-planned b) Opinion of the Employees

12. Do you think the performance of the employees enhances due to

various techniques adopted by the Management?

a) Not at all enhanced b) Not so enhanced

c) Neither Enhanced nor Unenhanced d) somewhat enhanced

e) Very Enhanced

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B. Bibliography

Books referred

Barden, N. R. (2001, November). Wellness programs: Everyone wins.

Commerce and Health, 28-42.

Foster, L. B. (2002). Workplace stress: Changing the pattern. Sales and

Marketing Journal, 3233.

100 ways to motivate others-Chandler and Richarson

Quality without tears- Philips B. Crosby

Websites referred

http://www.stress.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Workplace-

Stress-Survey.pdfhttp://www.slideshare.net/hemanthcrpatna/stress-

management-in-bpo

http://www.health.qld.gov.au/goodhealthintnq/documents/30896.pdf

http://www.unitetheunion.org/uploaded/documents/StressSurvey11-

8353.pdf

http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/12230/str

esswise_att_2.pdf

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=VJU04_n4W38C&pg=PA14&lpg=PA1

4&dq=supportive+culture+in+call+center&source=bl&ots=XujBE8C38T&

sig=jowZ16xHc79b06x8U7EK1SoIjgI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Q552UubmKcKPr

gfR1IGICA&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=supportive%20culture%

20in%20call%20center&f=false

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Spcl Project 2013-2015_Main Report_Umair Khann