کتاب OCCUPATIONAL STRESS IN THE WORKPLACE

Contents

Acknowledgments 3
CONCEPT OF STRESS 6
TYPES OF STRESS 7
OCCUPATIONAL STRESS 8
STRESS MANAGEMENT 9
DEFINITIONS OF STRESS MANAGEMENT 9
STRATEGIES OF STRESS MANAGEMENT 10
MODELS RELATING TO STRESS MANAGEMENT 10
TECHNIQUES OF STRESS MANAGEMENT 12
REVIEW OF LITERATURE 14
TYPES OF OCCUPATIONAL STRESS 27
CAUSES OF OCCUPATIONAL STRESS 29
STRESS 30
MEASURING OCCUPATIONAL STRESS 34
MAJOR CAUSES OF OCCUPATIONAL STRESS 36
CORRELATION BETWEEN OCCUPATIONAL STRESS AND WORK PERFORMANCE 42
IMPACT OF OCCUPATIONAL STRESS ON ORGANIZATION 46
FACTORS LEADING TO DIFFICULTY AT WORK IN THE WORKPLACE 49
OCCUPATIONAL STRESS MANAGEMENT AT THE ORGANIZATIONAL LEVEL 52
OCCUPATIONAL STRESS MANAGEMENT AT THE INDIVIDUAL LEVEL 58
COPING AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES TO PREVENT OCCUPATIONAL STRESS 60
OCCUPATIONAL STRESS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES 67
CONCLUSION 69
SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 69
Reference 73
About the author 80

Introduction
Pressure at the workplace is an inescapable fact considering the demands of the present-day work environment. To an extent, pressure may be perceived as acceptable and may even help in keeping organizational members vigilant, motivated, and eager to learn. However, when that pressure becomes excessive or unmanageable, it leads to stress, which can adversely affect an employee’s health and performance. Till the middle of the 19th century, there was a relatively low level of stress in the workplace. However, occupational stress has grown alarmingly over the past few decades. In the simplest terms, occupational stress is understood as the harmful physical and emotional response that occurs when the requirements of the job exceed the capabilities, needs, or resources of the worker. Occupational stress has gradually increased due to technological advancements, growing globalization, fierce global market competitions, global financial crises, and automation of work processes and systems, affecting almost all countries, all professions, and all categories of employees, as well as families and societies. As a result, it has become essential to focus on the issue of occupational stress.
Stress has been described as a stimulus, a response, a stimulus-response combination, or a transactional relationship between individuals and the environment. As a stimulus, stress can be understood as consisting of the attributes of the environment that are considered distressing and cause strain reactions in the individual exposed to such environmental factors. In this sense, the stimulus-based models of stress focus on what happens to the individual at the physical level and not what happens in the person. Intellectually and psychologically as a response, stress is considered from the viewpoint of an individual’s psychological reactions to stressors. A third understanding of stress is based on the broader notion of the stimulus-response relationship. Here, stress is seen, not as an individual response to external forces but as an interaction between the individual and those sources of demands that dilute the well-being of an individual. The ‘interactionist’ approach to stress depicts stress as the result of a structural mismatch between the needs and demands of the individual and his/her environment.13
To summarize, job stress results from the influence of external stimuli (stressors). Second, it involves the personal evaluation of external stimuli (appraisal). And third, job stress negatively impacts mental, emotional, physical, and/or behavioral functioning (strain). In short, job stress is a dynamic process in which subjective cognitive appraisals of job-related stressors produce negative health and behavioral strain outcomes.43
Scholars have developed four perspectives for understanding job stress. First, originating from medicine, the response-based view classifies job stress as a strain outcome in the form of either a cognitive (dissatisfaction), physiological (illness), and/or behavioral (absenteeism) response. Second, the stimulus-based view applies an engineering analogy to job stress. Its chief concern is identifying stressors (e.g., caseloads or layoffs) capable of weakening one’s internal means of resistance, rather than the outcome associated with these stresses. Third, derived from organizational psychology, the interactional view emphasizes the interplay between two distinct stressors. For example, stress arises when social workers managing high caseloads are delegated little, to no control, over assigned job duties. The fourth perspective, which has emerged from cognitive psychology, is the transactional view in which job stress is construed as a reciprocal person-environment relationship involving subjective judgments of the work milieu that influence the presence or absence of strain outcomes.
There is considerable disparity in different viewpoints whether work stress should be conceptualized as pressures from the environment, strain within the affected individual, or the interactional or transactional relationship between the individual and external forces. In extending these arguments, the diversity and differences of stress models seem to further exacerbate the problem of finding an integrated meaning of occupational stress. Furthermore, the methodological confusions earlier highlighted also limit our full understanding of the endemic nature of job stress realities that are constantly evolving especially in our modern world deeply engrained in rapid technological advancements, fierce global market competitions, growing globalization, and automation of work processes and systems.
Stress, thus, is an unavoidable part of human life. With growing complexities, all aspects of life have become imbued with stress. This is especially true of industrial organizations where each employee undergoes one type of stress or the other which impacts his or her physical, mental, and social health. In this study, our focus will be on the issue of occupational stress and its management by the employees of various types of organizations, namely, those in the information technology industry, in which the work is highly taxing and creates various kinds of physical, mental and social pressures for the employees.
CONCEPT OF STRESS
The historical beginning of the study of stress can be traced to Walter Cannon (1915) and Hans Selye (1977) who can be credited for establishing the earliest scientific basis for the study of stress by using animal studies. Cannon measured the psychological responses of animals to external pressures such as heat and cold, and surgical procedures, and then extrapolated from these studies to human beings. (1939). Selye’s work on stress emerged from his lab experiments as well as his scientific work as a medical student in Prague.
The term “stress” as it is presently used was conceived by Hans Selye in 1936, who defined it as the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change, later changing it to the “rate of wear and tear on the body”. Later researchers explained stress in general as a physical, psychological, and emotional response to events that cause physical or mental tension. According to Richard S. Lazarus (1966), stress is a situation when one comprehends that one may not be able to muster the personal and social resources required to fulfill one’s needs and demands. For Tom Cox (1993) too, stress denotes a psychological condition that emerges with the realization of the discrepancy between one’s occupational demands and one’s skills to deal with those demands.
Deo Strumpfer (1983) distinguished between “good” and “bad” stress. Distress or “bad” stress implies detrimental and disagreeable demands on the individuals while “positive” stress, i.e., eustress, (derived from the Greek word ‘en’ meaning good) points to a pleasing and easy variety of stress, its illustration being a employee who thrives in a competitive or demonstrating work environment even though stressful. D. S. Krantz, N. E. Grunberg, and A. Baum (1985) speak of stressors as stimuli that make demands on an organism which then needs to adapt to the stimuli. Stress is a circumstance where occupational factors relate to the employee’s change in his or her physical and psychological condition.4
TYPES OF STRESS
Stress has varied forms. Eustress can be defined as good and positive stress which provides immediate energy and motivation for people to do their work. Eustress is supposed to increase the productivity in an organization. Distress, on the other hand, is otherwise known as bad stress and has negative consequences. In this type of stress, the body and mind experience an uncomfortable feeling when the normal routine is constantly adjusted and altered. Distress decreases the level of motivation and results in a decrease in the quality of performance. Acute stress is the type of stress that comes immediately with a changed routine. It usually involves an immediate and intense reaction of body and mind to a significant threat or challenge but it passes quickly. Chronic stress occurs if there is a constant change of routine week after week. This is dangerous and can lead to health problems of different types. The other type of negative stress is called hyper-stress which comes when a person is required to accept more than one can take. A stressful job will cause that person to face hyper-stress. Hypo-stress is an insufficient amount of stress. A person who is continuously bored experiences this type of stress called hypo stress. Stress is thus, an emotional and physical strain on the body. And one of its most common forms is occupational or job stress.
OCCUPATIONAL STRESS
Occupational stress is stress related to one’s work. According to WHO (2007), the stress related to work is the one faced by people in response to the work demands and various types of pressures that do not correspond to their level of knowledge and capability and which thus, call into question their capacity to handle their work pressures.
In the same way, H. K. Mahajan (2013) defines occupational stress as the harmful physical and emotional response that occurs when the demands of the job exceed the capabilities, needs, or resources of the worker.
Jose Rivera (2018) defines it as a condition in which a person experiences a sharp intensity of anxiety, mental fatigue, and other symptoms. He also adds that certain professions and jobs may entail conditions that cause more stress than others.
Overall occupational stress is defined as consisting of the harmful physical and psychological effects on individuals that crop up when there is inconsistency between demands of the work environment and individual needs, abilities, and resources. Most people experience some episodic short-term stress due to events in their workplace but it is not harmful for them. However, if the stressful conditions persist for a long time, there may be serious physical, psychological, and social consequences.
Occupational stress may occur due to heavy workload, lack of clarity regarding one’s occupational tasks, job expectations, etc. Some of its main symptoms are tension, inability to concentrate on work, feelings of excessive tiredness, irritability, etc. Hence, stress is a complex phenomenon and can be explained in several ways, but in simple words, it is the wear and tear or fatigue of everyday life.
STRESS MANAGEMENT
Today Stress Management is given much attention, specifically in the corporate sector, more so in Information Technology organizations. Occupational stress is a prevalent and costly problem in every organization. Therefore, today, majority of the organizations are turning to stress management to overcome the problem of occupational stress. The principle of stress management is being followed for the improvement in their response to stress and also for enabling the organization to reduce workplace stressors.77 The major aim of stress management is to prevent and reduce occupational stress among employees and the organization. Various methods are being followed to reduce occupational stress of employees, such as – biofeedback, meditation and massage, and counseling to identify the suitable stress management method for employees. There are many solutions to cope with certain situations, even though there are some adverse situations that cannot be controlled. Implementing effective stress management principles is something that makes the work life of employees run a little more smoothly. It is important to implement stress management techniques or principles in the work life of employees.
DEFINITIONS OF STRESS MANAGEMENT
In general, stress management includes mechanisms and techniques that are aimed at arming a person with effective methods and means to cope with psychological stress. According to John Sichel (2016), stress management is a process that controls the occupational stress of employees. It may include practicing daily meditation, identifying releasing activities, or a combination of multiple techniques used to reduce occupational stress. Interventions to reduce the impact of stressors in the workplace have been defined by the Oxford University Press Glossary (2015). An individual focus is aimed at increasing an individual’s ability to cope with stressors or by stress management programs with an organizational focus that attempts to remove the stressor in a role. Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine (2008), has described stress management as a technique that would help people to learn about stress for controlling and identifying the specific symptoms of stress in their lives.
STRATEGIES OF STRESS MANAGEMENT
According to J. E. Bower and S. C. Segerstrom (2004), there are so many techniques and strategies to cope with occupational stress such as physical fitness, reading books, relaxation, cognitive therapy, meditation, yoga, attending conferences related to the reduction of stress, listening to music, etc. According to Louise Thomson (2002), the techniques of stress management consist of prevention, timely reaction, and treatment of the effects. Stress Management techniques will tend to differ based on philosophical paradigms followed by an organization.
MODELS RELATING TO STRESS MANAGEMENT
Transactional Model
Stress can be thought of as resulting from an “imbalance between demands and resources.’’ or as occurring when “pressure exceeds one’s perceived ability to cope. “As stated by Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman (1984). Stress management was developed and premised on the idea that stress is not a direct response to a stressor but rather one’s resources and ability to cope with or mediate the stress response and are open and responsive to change, thus allowing stress to be controllable.45 First of all, to develop an effective stress management program, certain factors need to be identified. These factors are central to a person for controlling his/her stress. There is a strong need to identify intervention methods that effectively target these factors. The interpretation of Lazarus and Folkman focuses on the transaction between people and their external environment known as the transactional model. The models conceptualize stress as a result of how a stressor is appraised and how a person assesses his or her resources to cope with the stressor. The model breaks the stressor-stress link by proposing if stressors are perceived as positive or challenging rather than as a threat, and if the stressed person is confident that he or she possesses adequate rather than deficient coping strategies, stress may not necessarily follow the presence of a potential stressor. The model proposes that stress can be reduced by helping stressed people change their perceptions of stressors, providing them with strategies to help them cope and further improve their confidence in their ability to do so.
Health Realization Model
Scholars like D. H. Barlowis advocated the health realization model of stress. According to this model, stress does not essentially follow the existence of a potential stressor. The health realization model focuses on the nature of thought rather than focusing on the individual’s appraisal of so-called stressors about his or her coping skills (as the transactional model does). Stress results from assessing oneself and one’s conditions through a mental filter of insecurity and negativity, whereas a feeling of well-being results from approaching the world with a “quiet mind” as per this model. This model suggests that helping individuals under stress to understand the nature of thought, especially providing them with the ability to recognize when they are having negative thinking helps them, disengage from it, and have access to positive feelings and thinking, all these will reduce their stress.3

TECHNIQUES OF STRESS MANAGEMENT
According to T. Cox, A. Griffiths, and S. Leka (2004), several techniques can manage occupational stress. These include:
• Primary prevention, which involves decreasing stress by a) Ergonomics, b) environment design c) Organizational and management improvement.
• Secondary prevention, involving decreasing stress through Education, and Programmes.
• Tertiary prevention, which entails decreasing stress through improving the management system.
According to James Ronald Webster, managers play an important role in identifying and managing stress within the organization. So the strategies of stress management include: a) Recognition of employee and team achievement b) Treating employees with respect c) Formulating conflict management strategies according to circumstances d) Consulting the employees when they are feeling anxiety and e) Involving participation of employees in making decisions of organizations.
According to Soni Kushwaha (2015), the techniques of stress management include:
A) Becoming knowledgeable about stress and its impact
One of the important things in stress management is understanding the stress, process, and impact of stress. persons should identify stress find the level of stress and make a plan for reducing the stress.
B) Changing the lifestyle
Reducing smoking, having regular meals, always beginning the day with breakfast, having a proper diet, reducing the intake of alcohol, doing meditation, and adopting yoga as a way of life
C) Managing one’s time
Making a plan for one’s work and distinguishing between what should be done and what would be important to do.
R. Donatelle (2009) explained various stress management strategies adopted by the management. These strategies are:
a) Knowledge about stress
A person should know about the concepts and symptoms of stress to prevent check negative impacts of stress in the workplace.
b) Exercise (Physical fitness)
Exercise will help people to reduce and cope with stress. Non-competitive exercise like walking, running, swimming, jogging, etc. neutralizes the impact of stress.
c) Time Management
Is the way to control and analyze stress. The lack of time management causes stress among people at the place of work. Through time management people can prevent stress.
d) Meditation
This means focusing on the positive aspects of life by closing the eyes and clearing the mind of negative thoughts.
Apart from this, management can improve the employees’ ability to deal with difficult work situations through stress management training programs and employee assistance programs. Therefore, the process of stress management is performed by removing stress factors or by training the employees to battle the conditions that create stress in the workplace. The stress management process and its implication at the workplace is that it results in more creativity and quicker cursor movement for achieving organizational goals. The HR management through a better recognition and management of stress factors can impart training to the management and employees and thus prevent negative stress and its effects.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Introduction
The available literature related to Occupational Stress and Stress management has been reviewed by the author in the present chapter. The reviewed literature has been divided into the following segments.
1) Review of Literature Related to Occupational Stress in Information Technology Organizations
Suresh Kumar (2016) has focused on occupational stress among BPO workers. Through the study, he has identified the main kinds of stress such as distress, Hypo-Stress, and Eu-stress. The main purposes of the research were to recognize the occupational stress level between BPO workers and to know the difference in occupational stress among male and female BPO workers. He has pointed out that, BPO employees have moderate occupational stress. He has also observed that occupational stress contributed not only to the physical disorder but also to the emotional problems.
H. Jadeja and M. Verma (2016) have pointed out that, occupational stress in the workplace is generally caused by various factors such as – work overload, workplace conditions, organizational behavior, organizational culture, lack of participation, etc. They have also pinpointed stress management strategies to control and decrease occupational stress among employees which include training programs, meditation, time management, etc.
M. M. Kinstone and M. Ngonidzashe (2016) have sought to find out the various effective techniques for managing stress as perceived by employees in Zimbabwe. The case study method was used for the study. The study was concerned with the industrial area of Zimbabwe. Per the opinion, it is not healthy for the employees to have stress and it leads to demotivation at the workplace. In their opinion, counseling is one such technique that provides solutions and improves the coping capacity of affected employees. They are of the view that prevention and management of occupational stress require organizational-level interventions because stress is generally created by the organization itself. Apart from this, they have also suggested that the organization should also have a stress management policy and should facilitate the establishment of an employees’ committee to improve communication within the organization. Frequent workshops on safety training should be held and interactive sessions with new employees should be carried out frequently. The findings of the study revealed that the employees are actively following the concept of counseling, body exercise, and sports as techniques for managing stress in the workplace.
J. S. Narban, B.P.S. Narban, and Jitendra Singh (2016) have presented an exploratory study on occupational stress, to bring out its causative factors and impacts. Through the study, they have focused on the concept of stressors. They have pointed out that job stress affects job satisfaction negatively and there is a significant relation between these two concepts. Through the study, they have observed that, occupational stress results in decreased performance, absenteeism, low turnover, and employee misalignment with the organization. They have concluded that the exploration of occupational stress has been relatively a neglected area of research among industrial psychologists. They have also suggested that empirical research in the area of employee health should consider and map the effects and influences of various factors like environmental and personal processes along with, human consequences and organizational consequences. In the opinion of Narban et al., occupational stress needs to be constantly harnessed and minimized to provide a conducive work environment at the workplace.

K.V.D Prasad, R. Vaidya, and V.A. Kumar (2016) have focused on occupational stress on the work performance of international agricultural research institute employees and IT sector employees. Through the study, they have observed that there is a higher effect of occupational stress on the work performance of IT employees as compared to IARI employees. They found that the effect of stress on the work performance of IARI employees was moderate. The result of the study indicated that higher stress among IT employees caused physical problems.
J. M. Jani (2016) has focused on the factor of work stress and the stress management techniques adopted by smart employers in India. In his opinion, it was the responsibility of both the employer and the employee to check stress at the workplace. Through the study, he has focused on stress management activities implemented by Google India, Accenture, Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, and Larsen and Toubro. According to him, stress arises when the job in the organization demands work beyond the capacity and capability of the workers. He has pointed out that, stress is a state of mental or emotional tension which occurs due to adverse circumstances. In his opinion, the nature of work is responsible for stress which is changing rapidly maybe now more than ever before.
Priyesha Jain and Akhil Batra (2015) surveyed the employees of Quincy to identify the level of work stress for corporate individuals and to point out the distressing factors that affect the persons. Through the study, they have focused on the areas explored by the workers, managers, and those who were able to change the situation, so that the factors of stress would be reduced. The main aims of the research were to identify the root cause of work-related stress and analyze the factors related to the workplace, to delve into the inadequacy of the managers and employers of the organization in dealing with issues, to study the yardsticks at the workplace and at times the role of HR officials in it. They have observed that repeated heavy workloads, unfair work distribution, work monotony, pressure of deadlines underutilization of skills, and working relationships are some of the major causes of work stress, which have an impact on the mental or emotional well-being of Indian workers. They have further opined that a friendly atmosphere would decrease stress caused due to work overload.
R. G. Ratnawat and P. C. Jha (2014) found improving stress management strategies in the workplace would help employees to be free from stress. Due to the prevention of stress, the work performance of employees would also increase. They identified 35 occupational stress inducers through articles and reports published in various journals for the period of 15 years i.e. from 1990-2014. In their opinion, it is important to recognize various types of occupational stress and their effects on the work performance of employees. They have pointed out that occupational stress among employees would lead to resignation, addiction, depression, anxiety, etc.
Ali M. Mosadeghard (2014) has studied the condition of stress among employees in the Iranian hospital. He has mentioned the negative impacts of occupational stress on employees’ physical and psychological condition. The research found that working conditions along with organizational and individual factors were responsible for occupational stress. He has observed that the majority of workers were working under a high rate of occupational stress. The main causes of work stress were lower income, inequality at work, higher workload, shortage of staff, lack of recognition and promotion, pressure of schedule, insecurity of job, lack of management support, etc. He has also pointed out that due to high levels of occupational stress, employees face physical and psychological problems such as backache, high blood pressure, heart problems, anxiety, and depression as well.
R. Gomathi and R. Deepika (2013) have stated that work stress affects the physical and psychological condition of the workers. They have pointed out that stress among the workers led to poor labor turnover and a high rate of absenteeism and incurred additional expenditure and as a result, organizations had to spend a lot of money every year on the sickness of workers. In this context, they have opined that managers should be aware of the causes and factors of stress and also know how to reduce it. Through the research, they have found out those factors of stress among the workers and also the coping mechanisms for the same. They have recommended that the workers must give importance to time management techniques so that they can complete the work within the specified time. They have also suggested that organizations should even be counseling the workers whenever they face the problem of work stress. Apart from this the organization should introduce employee assistance programs (EAP) and should have stress control workshops as per the level of workers. They have concluded that organizations should try to enhance the psychological well-being and health of the workers so that in the future organizations could make more profit and have a high percentage of employee retention.
Florin Buicu (2010) has opined that Occupational Stress affects the performance and productivity of employees and organizations. The other programs implemented by some organizations to help the physical and mental health of employees. These programs helped to avoid stress in the workplace and trained them to cope with it. According to her, management of stress is very important for good mental makeup a positive mindset, and physical and psychological health. Through the study, she has presented some preventive strategies to reduce stress at the organizational level and the employee level. In the study, she focused on the Romanian stress management programs. She has pointed out that Romanian employers believe that “people are lazy by nature and help to pool the work, and they need to be tightly controlled and promptly punished”. She has concluded that occupational stress still exists in Romania.

2) Review of Literature Related to Stress Management in Information Technology Organizations:
B. Prathusha, S. Durga Prasad, and M. S. Reddy (2016) have stated that occupational stress is an inevitable problem in IT organizations. The IT employees are known for their long working hours, tight working schedule, and higher competitiveness. All these issues are taking their toll which is leading to occupational stress. Prathusha et al. have measured occupational stress among IT professionals for their study. They have observed that work stress or occupational stress exists among IT employees. They have suggested that to overcome the problem of stress, IT organizations must ensure the employees with proper workspace and impart them with training through various stress management programs. In the opinion of the authors, IT organizations should follow management strategies such as yoga, meditation, biofeedback, etc. They have also stated that at organizational as well as individual levels, work stress has an impact on employee’s behavior and the job. They have concluded that considering the colossal importance of assessing occupational stress there is a need for a systematic study of stress in the organizational settings.
Ipseeta Satpathy, C. M. Patnaik, and B. Mitra (2014) have stated that the situation of place of work is not always negative and bad. Sometimes stress increases our motivation. Through a review of literature, they have pointed out that, those employees who were working in IT organizations faced more stress because they needed to update their knowledge frequently. Through the research, they have also observed that various researchers found that stress management was a crucial factor for an employee. In this context, they have suggested that IT employees should try to help themselves to keep themselves fit as well as out of stress.
Kedar Rayamajhi (2014) stress is the incapability to combat stress or pressure in an occupation at the workplace.

Kumar, D. R. R., Ramachandran, M., and Ram, S. S. (2011) have explained the year picture of the stress of work faced by an Indian information technology sector employee. They have stated that stress is a self-developed pain generalized by thoughts. Through the study, they have focused on the various types of stress faced by IT employees. These stresses were Eustress and Distress. To avoid workspace stress authors have suggested that employees first should be aware of their capability and they should analyze their skill level. Apart from this, every employee has to take up a SWOT analysis to know the correct level of capability. In the opinion of the authors, a SWOT analysis test helps to enhance the existing skills in the current situation. Authors have concluded that publishing (taking out) a stress journal can help in identifying the regular stressors in life. In this context, they have suggested certain methods to help management and employees to draft a way out of stress. First of all, they should take note of what caused work stress, how employees felt physically and mentally, and how employees responded to stressors in life.
Devi, U. T. (2011) the writer thinks that occupational stress has become an important problem due to the dynamic social factors and changing requirements of modern lifestyles. In the study, the author has thrown light on the widespread silent problem named “stress” which gave rise to acute dysfunctions and resulted in many diseases, increased family and mental problems as well as other harassments. In the opinion of the author, IT professionals remain under stress because they are highly target-driven and highly pressurized on results. Through this study, the author has also focused on the level of stress among IT employees and suggested some coping strategies. Some of the stress coping strategies identified by the author were stress management programs, job-related physical activities, lifestyle modification programs, maintenance of supportive organization culture, stress counseling, programs, and also spiritual programs. He has concluded that the issue of occupational stress has become contemporary, is an occupational hazard in the fast-paced IT profession, and needs to be addressed immediately.
Alireza Bolhari, J. Bolhari, and S. Bairamzadeh (2012) have concentrated on the measure of stress level among Iranian IT employees. They have also focused on the relationship between occupational stress and stress management strategies. They have recommended that there should be more research on the relationship between participants in stress management and work stress.
N. Ramesh, B. Joseph, P. R. Kiran, and A. T. Babu (2010) have conducted a study to assess the extent of the increased balance of stress levels among information technology employees. They have focused on the factors related to stress among the IT employees in Bangalore. Through their study, they have focused on the study variables like gender, total work experience, working hours, time, and number of dependents. They observed that there was no association between stress and gender, the experience of work, or the number of independents. Insomnia was the most common stress symptom among IT employees. They have suggested that the management of the IT organizations have two devices and they adopt various stress management methods to reduce stress and to prevent unpleasant consequences of work stress on the employees and on the organizations. They have concluded that the prevalence of work stress was neither high warning immediate intervention nor was it extremely low to rule out a consequence of the present trends which continue among IT employees.
Mohan. C. A, Balaji. D. K, and Kuamr. Kishore. T, (2010) they have pointed out that work stress can take several forms such as kitchen stress, marital status, unemployment stress, occupational stress, etc. Through the study, authors have pointed out that, employees engaged in IT organizations also go through a lot of anxiety, depression, and loneliness due to unpleasant working conditions in the organizations. They often exhibit feelings of inadequacy, lowered self-esteem, and dissatisfaction. They have observed that employees in IT organizations face various health hazards such as headaches and server heart problems. Through the study, the authors have attempted to focus on the relationship between stress and self-esteem and the impact of occupational stress on the health of IT employees. The results of the study indicated that employees with high and medium self-esteem experience high levels of stress, longer working hours, demands for work creating pressure, erratic food intervals, and anxiety are some of the major reasons affecting the personal health of the IT employees. The authors have advised that IT employees should adopt approaches and strategies, that confront the issues of occupational stress and increase the capability of employees to deal with this stress. Thus the employees would be able to overcome occupational stress and cope with role stress. They have further suggested that IT organizations should play a charismatic role in envisioning, empowering, and energizing the employees.
P. Nagesh and M. S. Narsinha (2008) in their study have explained that there should be factors that would help to reduce stress in the workplace, such as good conditions of working, safety, avoidance of conflict and arguments, management support, etc. They have concluded that there should be training and programs about how to cope with stress at the workplace.