Question

Workplace stress is the harmful physical and emotional responses that can happen when there is a conflict between job demands on the employee and the amount of control an employee has over meeting these demands. But stress isn’t always bad. A little bit of stress is good.

a-Why a certain level of stress is good and how does it affect performance?

b-How can managers help reduce workplace stress for their employees?

Answer 1

Q-a-Why a certain level of stress is good and how does it affect performance?

A: A certain amount of stress is good and can improve performance so long as it remains healthy and under control. Some stress can be positive and push the mind and body to go a little out of the way to perform which is always a good thing to encourage and support. Such positive stress is also referred to as eustress by psychologists and can keep the adrenaline high and make us excited before a race or a wedding. In 1908, two psychologists Robert M. Yerkes and John Dilingham Dodson propounded what is known as the, ' Yerkes-Dodson law'. As per their theory, there is a direct relationship between arousal and performance. Arousal refers to stress and excitement which raises performance upto a certain level, but after it cross that level, it becomes detrimental and harmful leading to burnouts. So, here is a case of showing that certain levels of stress are good and can positively affect performance.

Q-b-How can managers help reduce workplace stress for their employees?

A: Workplace stress can be quite demanding and taxing on employees leading to toxic work environments. Managers can help reduce workplace stress for their employees by providing some of these:

i) Having regular meetings with team members and ensuring all communication is clear and transparent

ii) Conducting team building exercies and team get-togethers like project completion parties, birthdays, picnics, etc.

iii) Ensuring all team members get their eligible leaves and off days to prevent burnout and maintain work-life balance

iv) Supporting team members with advice and guidance and be friendly and supportive

v) Providing training programs to team members to further their growth and development

vi) Providing cross functional opportunities to team members to ensure that they are rotated and given breaks from doing monotonous/repetitive tasks

vii) Ensure team members are assessed correctly, fairly and ethically in order to promote trust and confidence which lowers anxiety and stress

viii) Ensure team members are given over time and incentives for their performance and extra efforts

ix) Provide recreational and exercise activities to the team members like a gymnasium, badminton court, table-tennis, billiards/pool, dance classes like zumba

x) Provide flexibility in terms of work-from-home options

xi) Provide day care and creche facilities at the office

xii) Provide proper breaks for meals and ensure team members follow it to eat on time

xiii) Explore ways for team members to engage in mindfulness activities like meditation, yoga, etc., to build mental resilience.