Stress managementmanaging at workplace

REPORT
Submitted for the partial fulfillment of the
degree of Masters of Business
Administration
Supervised By
By

Submitted

Avina Mathur
Surabhi Agarwal
Mentor,DEI
MBA 3rd Sem

D.E.I

Study Centre, Ellora Branch

Dayalbagh Educational Institute

1

(Deemed University) Dayalbagh

Agra-282110

CONTENTS

Acknowledgement2
A Case Study of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS)...3
Preface..4
Review of literature.6
Major HR challenges faced by the Indian organizations..7
Objectives of the study9
Stress management system10
The problem of stress12
Managing stress at work14
Causes or sources of stress...16
Organizational stressors17
How stress is caused.18
Workplace factors causing stress.20
Consequences of stress21
Stress management techniques22
Indian methods of managing stress.24
Stress management techniques applied in some companies..25
Individual stress management.28
Organizational stress management..30
A risk assessment strategies- six stages..31
A study of stress management in tata group..33
Tips on coping with stress...42
Stress control workshops and Employee assistance programmes.45
Stress management training programs highlights46
Tips for managing stress in the workplace..47
Conclusion48
Bibliography49

Stress is when you wake up

screaming and you realize you
haven't fallen asleep ye

""People are always blaming

their circumstances for what
they are. I don't believe in
circumstances.
The people who get on in this
world are the people who get up
and look for the circumstances
they
want, and, if they can't find
them, make them." - George
Bernard Shaw

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I have had considerable help and support in making this project reality.

First and foremost, gratitude goes to Mrs. Avina Mathur (Facilitator for HRM)
who provided me all the guidance and support in realizing the dissertation.

I am especially indebted to her as she is the Mentor, who gave me an

opportunity to prepare a report on Stress management.

Last but not the least I also convey my regards to my parents and friends,
without their co-operation this project could not have been thought of.

SURABHI AGARWAL

EMPLOYEE STRESS MANAGEMENT

DURING ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE - A
Case Study of Royal Bank of Scotland
(RBS)
In the current global scenario, organizations are being faced with consistent change. These
changes vary in terms of demographics, nature of activity, industry, etc. Changes in an
organization has very strong effects on various stakeholders of an organization, including
employees, customers, competitors, investors, etc Some changes are successful and tend to be
beneficial for the organization while others become unsuccessful. To ensure better performance
and competitiveness of an organization, it is essential for managers to plan changes. But
realistically, most drastic changes are those that are emergent and, managers also need to be well
prepared to deal with emergent factors. To enhance productivity, managers at all levels should
be able to cope with change and help their subordinates in doing the same. Lack of ability to
handle change may result in stress on the employees as well as the managers and that in turn
leads to lower productivity and affects the bottom line of the company. This study examines the
change management process of ABN AMRO to Royal Bank of Scotland and analyzes the impact
of organizational change on employee stress level. For this purpose, quantitative research was
conducted using hypothesis testing and qualitative research was conducted through in-depth
interviews and questionnaire. The findings of the survey revealed that majority of the employees
rated the management ability below average in implementing the change successfully. None of
the employees reported high stress before the change. However, few employees were highly
stressed out after the acquisition by RBS. The hypothesis test proves that employee stress after
change is dependent on employment tenure. This means that employees who worked in bank for
many years faced higher level of stress after the acquisition of ABN AMRO by RBS as
compared to those employees who have served the bank for few years.

PREFACE
In the fast changing world the success of an organization very much depends upon
the quality, capacity and utility of men power. The human beings are the most
important assets in an organization which represents heavy investment, hence their
utilization require very careful handling as well as most efficient and proper
managing (i.e.) planning, organizing, leadership and evaluation.
The role of human resources or personnels is to keep the wheel that is the
organization moving. Human being also put needed objects otherwise useless into
productive use. Here the innovation power, skill and capacity of human resources
are utilized.
In present scenario the importance of HRM is growing very fast in every
organization, since there is a change in social climate, value & norms, the
employees who join now are more educated, competent & informed. While they
are great assets yet can become problem if the organization fails to manage,
motivate & meet their aspiration.
As I have discussed above with the changing trends the idea of personnel
management which was confined to recruitment, salary, administration &
industrial relation has become the thing of past & is replaced with HRD which
besides above involves placement, selection for promotions providing financial
rewards or incentives & other actions as motivation & encouragement, but above
all the human welfare in order to achieve, smooth harmonious comprehensive
progress of organization.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE
1

INTRODUCTION
Human resource management (HRM) is the strategic and
coherent approach to the management of an organizations most valued assets-the
people working there who individually and collectively contributes to the
achievement of the objective of the business. The terms human resource
management and human resource (HR) have largely replaced the term
personnel management as a description of the process involved in managing
people in organizations. Human resource management is evolving rapidly. Human
resource management is both an academic theory and a business practice that
addresses the theoretical and practical techniques of managing a work force.
The basic premise of the academic theory of HRM is that
human are not machines: therefore we need to have an interdisciplinary
examination of people in the workplace. Fields such as psychology, sociology,
industrial engineering, industrial and organizational psychology and industrial
relations and critical theories like post modernism and post structuralism ply a
major role. The key word is fit, i.e. a HRM approach seeks to ensure a fit
between the management of an organizations employees, and the overall strategic
direction of the company.
HRM is concerned with people dimension in management.
Since every organization is made up of people, acquiring their service, developing
their skills, motivating them to higher levels of performance and ensuring that they
continue to maintain their commitment to the organization are essential to
achieving organizational objectives. This is true, regardless of the type of
organization government, business, education, health, recreation or social action.

Major HR challenges faced by

the Indian organization
1

 Managing Knowledge Workers

Essentially, here we are looking at different kind of people who does not obey
the principles of management for the traditional group. This boils down to
higher educational qualifications, taking up responsibilities at a lesser age and
experience, high bargaining power due to the knowledge and skills in hand,
high demand for the knowledge workers, and techno suaveness.

Managing Technological Challenges

In every arena organizations are getting more and more technologically
oriented. Though it is not in the main run after the initial debates, preparing the
work force to accept technological changes is a major challenge. We have seen
sectors like banking undergoing revolutionary changes enabled by technology.

Competence of HR Managers
As it is more and more accepted that lot of success of organizations depend on
the human capital, this boils to recruiting the best, managing the best and
retaining the best. Clearly HR managers have a role in this process. Often it is
discussed about lack of competence of HR managers in understanding the
business imperative. There is now a need to develop competent HR
professionals who are sound in HR management practices with strong business
knowledge.

Developing Leadership

It is quite interesting to note that there is less importance given to developing

leadership at the organizational level. Though leadership is discussed on basis
of traits and certain qualities, at an organizational level it is more based on
knowledge. The challenge is to develop individuals who have performance
potential on basis of past record and knowledge based expertise in to business
leaders by imparting them with the necessary soft skills.

Managing Change
Business environment in India is volatile. There is boom In terms of
opportunities brought forward by globalization. However this is also leading to
many interventions in terms of restructuring, turnaround, mergers, downsizing,
etc. Research has clearly shown that the success of these interventions is
heavily dependent on managing the people issues in the process. HR has a
pivotal role to play here.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

STRESS MANAGEMENT
SYSTEMS
Stress is not just a personal problem its a business problem that can be solved
in four steps.
Experience shows that stressed employees are treated a bit like radioactive
material no one wants to handle them, and the employee is sent on sick leave for
a month (or several) in the belief that time alone will reduce their stress and that
they will return healthy, motivated and more resilient. Nothing could be further
from the truth. Stressed employees need support not isolation; fear of becoming
unemployed or estranged from colleagues are two of the greatest stressors!
Understanding this requires the spotlight to move from the individual and broaden
to illuminate the whole organization and workforce. This widening of focus also
requires a change in perspective from re-action to pro-action.
A reactive stance is not only resource intensive, it fails to provide any meaningful
understanding of the causes and contributing factors of stress peculiar to an
organization. Having a framework of the right policies, procedures, and resources,
which protects your organization and employees from the impacts of stress, is the
only way to effectively take a proactive stance at reducing the financial and
personal impact of work-related stress.
1. Audit To allocate resources cost effectively requires a deep understanding of
workplace stressors peculiar to your organization; this can be achieved through a
preliminary stress audit, and then continued through a monitoring and assessment
programme. It is prudent at this stage to not only expose the stressors, but also
trace the financial and cultural impacts that result.

2. Training Having first made a diagnosis, it is then necessary to put preventive

and reduction measures in place. Such measures are built firmly on a foundation
of education and training, and practiced through the cultivation of positive twoway relationships between line managers and employees. Awareness and selfmanagement training for all can help individuals build an ability to reduce stress.
3. Support Having thus raised the skill levels amongst management and
workforce, the third task is to create procedures to manage an employee who is
unable (or unsafe) to continue working due to their reaction to stress. Even if the
relationship between line-manager and employee is excellent, this is no time for
amateur therapy! A line-manager should act as the essential conduit for support
and information, between employee and colleagues, rather than a faceless HR
manager
4. Culture Workers already have responsibilities for providing feedback on
issues that affect production, safety and welfare. To include stress, and remove the
stigma, direction is required from the top, cooperation from the bottom and
appropriate stress awareness from the boardroom to the shop floor. Helping
working practices match the policies is culture-building! Stress management
systems will not work without widespread belief in the value of managing stress.
Busiest sector on a weekend
Stress has been defined in different ways over the years. Originally, it was
conceived of as pressure from the environment, then as strain within the person.
The generally accepted definition today is one of interaction between the
situation and the individual. It is the psychological and physical state that
results when the resources of the individual are not sufficient to cope with the
demands and pressures of the situation. Thus, stress is more likely in some
situations than others and in some individuals than others.

THE PROBLEM OF STRESS

For the individual

For the workplace/organisation

Threats to:
Health

Increased absenteeism and turnover

Well being/quality of life Reduced quantity and quality of work

Functioning/goal
achievement

Reduced job satisfaction and morale Problems

of recruitment

Self esteem/confidence

Poor communication and increased

Personal development

conflict

Signs of stress can be seen in people's behavior, especially in changes in behavior.

Acute responses to stress may be in the areas of feelings (for example, anxiety,
depression, irritability, fatigue), behavior (for example, being withdrawn,
aggressive, tearful, unmotivated), thinking (for example, difficulties of
concentration and problem solving) or physical symptoms (for example,
palpitations, nausea, headaches).

A MODEL OF STRESS AT WORK

Managing Stress at Work

Managing an over worked and stressed human resource have become a
challenging and ever difficult task for today's managers. With a view to utilize the
available human resource thus minimizing costs and maximizing profits, today
both managers and their subordinates have to coop with work related stress. This
stress if it goes to certain extent without being controlled can affect the person's
family/social life, health, performance etc and changes the employee's whole
attitude towards work- frustrating, demotivating and frightening him/her which in
the long run damages the organization and the employee both.

Key Words: Stringers, Biofeedback,

stressors, Food exchange
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Life is tough and getting tougher by the day! The stress of daily living, especially
as the pressure to excel mounts, impacts everyone, not just on the work front but
in every single area of an individual's life In today's world of doing more with less,
employees find themselves with more work, fewer resources, and less time. With a
tight deadlines and a competitive work environment only the best performers are
guaranteed continued employment.
All of these factors add up to a very stressful work environment. Ultimately
employees take work home and worry about missing deadlines or performing
inadequately and end up working longer hours.
Stress can be caused by many things in life, pressures from work, the family,
social commitments and other everyday events. The word stress is derived from
1

the Latin term 'Stringers' which means "to draw tight". Some define stress as the
non-specific response of the body to any demands made on it. Stress is our
physical, mental, and emotional response to the various demands, changes, and
events in our life. It is an internal phenomenon and a mental attitude.
In some cases, stress motivates and encourages us to complete a task we find
difficult so that we can take pride in ourselves and what we achieve.
Hans Selye was one of the founding fathers of stress research. His view in 1956,
which holds true today also, was that stress is not necessarily something bad it
all depends on how one takes it. In an ideal world, there should be just enough
stress to keep employees working to their full potential, but not enough to cause
overwhelm or excessive anxiety. Too much or too little stress is where we run into
problems.

Stress symptoms begin to manifest themselves when an individual perceive or feel that life
demands are exceeding their ability to deal with them. When stress begins to take its toll, they
may experience both physical and psychological effects.

Causes or Sources of Stress

1

Situations that are likely to cause stress are those that are unpredictable or
uncontrollable, uncertain, ambiguous or unfamiliar, or involving conflict, loss
or performance expectations. Stress may be caused by time limited events, such
as the pressures of examinations or work deadlines, or by ongoing situations,
such as family demands, job insecurity, or long commuting journeys.
Historically, the typical response from employers to stress at work has been to
blame the victim of stress, rather than its cause. Increasingly, it is being
recognized that employers have a duty, in many cases in law, to ensure that
employees do not become ill.

Organizational Stressors
1

1. Roles in the Organization

c) Poor communication

a) Role conflict

d) Restriction on behavior

b) Role ambiguity

f) Lack of

c) Minimum management

opportunity/performance

support

evaluation/pay

d) holding mid-management
position

5. Physical Environment
a) Working conditions like

2. Responsibility

noise, lighting, aesthetic

a) with

appeal of rooms etc.

superiors/subordinates/
colleagues
b) Inability to delegate
3. Job Qualities
a) Time pressures
b) Work over/under load

6. Change
a) Individual life stages
b) Organizational- transfer,
promotion, job expansion
etc.

c) Level of accountability

7. Career Development

4. Organizational Structure

a) Status conflicts

a) Lack of participation
b) No sense of belonging

b) Obsolescence of skill
c) Mid-career stage

HOW STRESS IS
CAUSED
The degree of stress experienced depends on the functioning of
two protective physiological mechanisms:

Alarm reaction. When confronted with a threat to

our safety, our first response is physiological arousal: our
muscles tense and breathing and heart rate become more rapid.
This serves us well when the threat is the proverbial bull in the
field rushing towards us. We either fight or flee. Present day
threats tend to be more

psychologicalfor

example,

unjustified verbal attack by a superior at work. It is usually not

socially acceptable to act by fight or flight, and an alternative
means of expressing the resultant emotional and physical
energy is required. This falls in the arena of assertive
communication.

Adaptation. The second adaptive mechanism

allows us to cease responding when we learn that stimuli in the
environment are no longer a threat to our safety. For example,
when we first spend time in a house near a railway line, our
response to trains hurtling past is to be startled, as described
above. Over time, our response dwindles. If this process did

not function, we would eventually collapse from physical wear

and tear, and mental exhaustion.
Stress is experienced when either of these mechanisms are
not functioning properly or when we find it difficult to switch
appropriately from one to another. This forms the basis of
individual approaches to stress management

It is the perception, or appraisal, of the situation that is key to

whether or not it causes stress. This is the basis of the
transactional model of stress, whereby the ability of a person to
prevent or reduce stress is determined by that person's appraisal
of
(a) The threat within a situation (primary appraisal), and
(b) The appraisal of his/her coping skills to deal with that threat
(secondary appraisal).

WORKPLACE FACTORS
CAUSING STRESS
The workplace is an important source of both demands and
pressures causing stress, and structural and social resources to
counteract stress.
The workplace factors that have been found to be associated
with stress and health risks can be categorized as those to do
with the content of work and those to do with the social and
organizational context of work. Those that are intrinsic to the
job include long hours, work overload, time pressure, difficult
or complex tasks, lack of breaks, lack of variety, and poor
physical work conditions (for example, space, temperature,
light).
Unclear work or conflicting roles and boundaries can cause
stress, as can having responsibility for people. The possibilities
for job development are important buffers against current
stress, with under promotion, lack of training, and job
insecurity being stressful. There are two other sources of stress,
or buffers against stress: relationships at work, and the
organizational culture. Managers who are critical, demanding,
unsupportive or bullying create stress, whereas a positive social
dimension of work and good team working reduces it.

An

organizational

culture

of

unpaid

overtime

or

presenteeism causes stress. On the other hand, a culture of

involving people in decisions, keeping them informed about
what is happening in the organization, and providing good
amenities and recreation facilities reduce stress. Organizational
change, especially when consultation has been inadequate, is a
huge source of stress. Such changes include mergers,
relocation, restructuring or downsizing, individual contracts,
and redundancies within the organization.

Consequences of Stress

Stress Management
Techniques
There are numerous techniques that experts recommend for
relieving the symptoms of stress.
1. Talk about your worries to colleagues, spouses or friends
2. Exercise take up physical activities such as jogging,
walking, and cycling which can relieve the feelings of stress.
Chemicals released in the brain during exercise produce a 'feel
good' mood.
3. Learn biofeedback this is a relaxation method in which a
person learn to consciously control your breathing rate and
heart rate so that stressful situations do not elicit a major
physiological reaction.
4. Take up a new hobby like gardening or join a group so
that you can socially interact with people who have the same
passions.
5. Join a Yoga class yoga is one of the oldest forms of
relaxation known to man.
6. Learn the difference between work and home- By
separating the two main areas of your life you can leave the
stress of work behind when you finish for the day.

7. Help out with a charity- Charities are always looking for

volunteers to help with events and collecting. Find a charity
that you are passionate about and donate a few hours to helping
them in the community.
8. Take time to read- Novels and autobiographies are
particularly good for diverting your thoughts away from the
stresses and worries of the day.
9. Learn to meditate- the art of meditation is easy to learn and
as it allows you to suspend your thoughts for a period of time it
is great for forgetting about the pressures that you are under.
10. Vacation away- helps in avoiding and changing the
stressors or environment for a short time.
It doesn't matter which type of stress relief method you choose
because they will all work to some degree however some
people will prefer physical activities such as dance or exercise
whereas

others

will

prefer

meditation

and

relaxation

techniques. Find what works for you and have fun doing it.

Indian Methods of
managing Stress
Indian philosophy consisting of Upanishadas, Vedanta, etc, is
very helpful in winning stress. Dr. Satish Chandra Pandey (8m
Journal, JIMS April-June 1997) has given some valid points on
managing

stress,

some

of

which

are

as

follows-

1. Develop training programs for executives and other staff

members for their total personality development based on
Indian values, so that they can develop their own strategies for
coping

with

their

organizational

environment/stressors.

2. Each organization must develop its own management

philosophy based on Indian values and educate its employees
about that philosophy to motivate them for achieving
excellence

in

different

areas.

3. Organizations must know that reducing organizational stress

is as important as motivating employees. Both the process is
complementary to each other: they are not replacements.
4. Develop strong philosophical base by combining different
Indian values
5. Create awareness among organization members about these
values
6. There must be compulsory course on Indian philosophy in
professional management courses so that todays management
students can develop their own managerial philosophy based
on Indian values
7. Stress management programmes for employees must be
based on sharing different philosophical values and developing
strategies through group learning.

Stress management
techniques applied in
some organization
1

Dell Inc
Dell was founded in 1984 with $1,000 and an idea by Michael
Dell. The idea was to build relationships directly with
customers. Michael Dell, born in February 1965, is presently
the chairman of the Board of Directors and chief executive
officer of Dell. Mr. Dell became the youngest CEO ever to
earn a ranking on the Fortune 500. Dell Inc. (Dell) is a
technology company, which offers a range of product
categories, including desktop computer systems, storage,
servers and networking products, mobility products, software
and peripherals, and enhanced services. Dell entered AsiaPacific/Japan in select markets and began investing in regional
facilities, management, service and technical personnel in
1993, with its first operations in Japan and Australia.
Dell direct sales operations are currently in 13 markets in the
region: Australia, Brunei, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan,
Korea, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan and
Thailand. In addition, 38 distributors serve another 31 markets.
Dell was the No. 3 vendor in the industry in the region in 2007.
Dell had a market value of $4 billion (20 Oct, 2007).
Industry Type: BPO/Call Center (Dell)
Average age of employee: 21+
Qualification: HS/Graduation
Work profile: Attending customer calls.

Some stress management techniques adopted at Dell are as

follows1. Lighting-Bright light with carefully chosen wall colors
2. In-house cafeteria and Gym
3. Food festivals-on special days/festivals at cafeteria
4. TV's placed in corridors, adequate number of bunks for
taking rest
5. Food exchange-employees are encouraged to bring home
made food. These foods are exchanged-this technique help
bridge cultural differences as employees get to taste may be
Bengali, Marathi, Andhra or Punjabi food. Small rewards are
offered to the best recipe.
6. Quarterly tours are organized. If the place is far or exceeds
budget, Dell pays part expense.
7. Gaming stations, cricket pitch (net practice) and table tennis
playing provisions are also maintained.
8. Dell also undertakes social services like sponsoring
education to some poor children. These children are brought to
Dell office and the employee interacts with them along with a
in-house cafeteria party.
9. For newly joined employees mentoring (buddy) is done
relieving the new appointees stress and helping him/her settle
down.

10. Quarterly good performers are rewarded along with a party

(recently held in Taj Deccan) with theme based programme like
Hollywood night. Best dressed individuals are also rewarded.

Sipera Systems Inc

Founded in 2003, Sipera is headquartered in Richardson, Texas
US, with a development center in Hyderabad, India. Sipera is
backed by three well-established venture capital firms and is
led by a seasoned, experienced management team.
Industry Type: IT/Software
Average age of employee: 27+
Qualification: BE
Work profile: Software development
Some stress management techniques adopted at Sipera Systems
are as follows1. Weekend Salsa class.
2. Gym, Meditation sessions.
3. Saturday morning cricket, TV, Cafeteria.

4. Well lit interiors/ambience/carefully chosen wall colours

5. Share-the Director of India operations encourage individuals
to invest in shares, he himself is also an avid investor-he claims
it to be his de-stressing workout. Recently the Sipera also
invited Networth Stock Broking Ltd an investment firm to give
presentation on "How to invest in shares" to its software
developers.

INDIVIDUAL STRESS
MANAGEMENT
Most interventions to reduce the risk to health associated with stress in the workplace
involve both individual and organisational approaches. Individual approaches include
training and one-to-one psychology servicesclinical, occupational, health or
counselling. They should aim to change individual skills and resources and help the
individual change their situation. The techniques listed in fig mirror the active coping
(fight/flight) and rest phases (habituation) of the stress model presented earlier.

Training helps prevent stress through:

becoming aware of the signs of stress

Using this to interrupt behavior patterns when the stress

reaction is just beginning. Stress usually builds up gradually.
The more stress builds up, the more difficult it is to deal with
analyzing the situation and developing an active plan to

minimize the stressors

learning skills of active coping and relaxation,

developing a lifestyle that creates a buffer against stress

practicing the above in low stress situations first to

maximize chances of early success and boost self confidence

and motivation to continue.
A wide variety of training courses may help in developing
active

coping

techniquesfor

example,

assertiveness,

communications skills, time management, problem solving,

and effective management.

ORGANISATIONAL
STRESS MANAGEMENT
The prevention and management of workplace stress requires
organisational level interventions, because it is the organisation

that creates the stress. An approach that is limited to helping

those already experiencing stress is analogous to administering
sticking plaster on wounds, rather than dealing with the causes
of the damage. An alternative analogy is trying to run up an
escalator that's going down! Organisational interventions can
be of many types, ranging from structural (for example,
staffing levels, work schedules, physical environment) to
psychological (for example, social support, control over work,
participation).

A risk assessment
strategysix stages

Hazard identification:
Reliably identify the stressors which exist in relation to work
and working conditions, for specified groups of employees, and
make an assessment of the degree of exposure

Assessment of harm:
Collect evidence that exposure to such stressors is associated
with impaired health in the group being assessed or of the
wider organisation. This should include a wide range of healthrelated outcomes, including symptoms of general malaise and
specific disorders, and of organisational and health related
behaviours such as smoking and drinking, and sickness
absence

Identification of likely risk factors:

Explore the associations between exposure to stressors and
measures of harm to identify likely risk factors at the group
level, and to make some estimate of their size and/or
significance

Description of underlying mechanisms:

Understand and describe the possible mechanisms by which

exposure to the stressors is associated with damage to the
health of the assessment group or to the organisation

Audit existing management control and employee

support systems:
Identify and assess all existing management systems both in
relation to the control of stressors and the experience of work
stress, and in relation to the provision of support for employees
experiencing problems.

Recommendations on residual risk:

Take existing management control and employee support
systems into proper account, make recommendations on the
residual risk associated with the likely risk factors related to
work stress

A study of stress
management in TATA
Group

Leadership with trust

The Tata Group comprises 98 operating companies in seven

business sectors: information systems and communications;
engineering; materials; services; energy; consumer products;
and chemicals. The Group was founded by Jamsetji Tata in the
mid 19th century, a period when India had just set out on the
road to gaining independence from British rule.
The Tata Group is one of India's largest and most respected
business conglomerates, with revenues in 2006-07 of $28.8
billion (Rs129,994 crore), the equivalent of about 3.2 per cent
of the country's GDP, and a market capitalization of $59.64
billion as on January 24, 2008.

Industry Type: Steel

Average age of employee: 46+
Qualification: HS/Graduates/Engineers

Work profile: Production of steel from natural ores.

Recent Stress management programs organized by TATA

Values and purpose

Purpose
At the Tata group we are committed to improving the quality of life of the
communities we serve. We do this by striving for leadership and global
competitiveness in the business sectors in which we operate.
Our practice of returning to society what we earn evokes trust among consumers,
employees, shareholders and the community. We are committed to protecting this
heritage of leadership with trust through the manner in which we conduct our
business.
Core values
Tata has always been values-driven. These values continue to direct the growth and
business of Tata companies. The five core Tata values underpinning the way we do
business are:

Integrity: We must conduct our business fairly, with honesty and

transparency. Everything we do must stand the test of public scrutiny.

Understanding: We must be caring, show respect, compassion and humanity

for our colleagues and customers around the world, and always work for the
benefit of the communities we serve.

Excellence: We must constantly strive to achieve the highest possible

standards in our day-to-day work and in the quality of the goods and services
we provide.

Unity: We must work cohesively with our colleagues across the group and
with our customers and partners around the world, building strong
relationships based on tolerance, understanding and mutual cooperation.

Responsibility: We must continue to be responsible, sensitive to the

countries, communities and environments in which we work, always
ensuring that what comes from the people goes back to the people many
times over.

1. A spate of cultural activities, including a "Hasya Kavi

Sammelan" (stand-up comedy) and an art exhibition, was
organised by the Jharia Division during the last few months.
2. Held on March 29, 2007 the focus on the Domestic
Management Programme was to encourage spouses of
employees to take better charge of managing their homes and
create a stress free and happy home environment. Mrs Divaker,
wife of General Manager, Jharia, Mr Ch Divaker, took a lead
role in successfully conducting the programme, sharing her

own experiences with the ladies. Over 75 participants

benefitted from the inputs and experiences shared.

Putting people first

A host of skill and talent development programmes along with processes that
encourage and nurture employee involvement is what makes Titan Industries a great
place to work

Titan Industries is not a brick and mortar company. It is built on the passion and emoti

of its proud employees. Titan can be best described as a huge living organism pulsati

with highly motivated and dedicated employees. Every employee is treated with care a

concern and is allowed to grow and blossom. No wonder then that the company has w

the Indias Best Companies to Work For - 2009 award, having bagged the 24th positi
across all industry categories and the first position in the Retail Industry category in
'Great Places to Work' study instituted by The Economic Times.
The company has been recognised for many firsts both in terms of

products as well as employee initiatives. Some of the notewort

contributions are a state-of-the-art Titan township in Hosur, designed

renowned architect Charles Correa. Over 600 families reside in this we

planned township. It also boasts of the Titan School, which is open to
the residents children.

S Ramadoss, vice president, HR and Administration, says, Titan has always believed
the concept of Human Capital. Putting people first comes naturally to us.
The company provides a host of welfare measures such as a crche facility at

manufacturing units, gymnasium, canteen, medical, transport, etc. Loans for marria

house deposit allowances, an interest subsidy on housing loans, vehicle loans, inter

and external accident benefits, death relief fund, etc are offered to unionised and no
unionised employees.

A culture of camaraderie is evident in the enthusiastic celebration of all Indian festiv

and special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, long service awards, cultu

programmes, sports competitions, business meets, etc. The company also exten
1

medical facilities and provides highly subsidised food to workers who are not on its ro
an act of kindness that goes beyond statutory requirements.

Family members are also made to feel welcome at Titan by including them in awarene

programmes, factory visits, family picnics, celebrations such as Fathers Day, Spous

Day, Childrens Day and community initiatives. Mr Ramadoss says, More than 1,0

children participate in the Childrens Day programme each year to display their talent
drawing, painting, music, etc.

These occasions are used by the management to communicate the goals and aspiratio

of the organisation. Company representatives also visit newlyweds at their residence

congratulate them and give them gifts, a practice that has helped cement ties between t
organisation and employees and their families.

But it isnt all play at Titan. The company has established a structure consisting of sm

group activities, suggestion schemes such as SEED and Idea Plus, and cross-functio

teams to enable employees to express their ideas for making things better. This enab

employees to play a more active role in their work lives. Employees are recognised a

rewarded for going the extra mile through a well drawn out three-tiered recogniti

programme, namely, Moment of Fame, Outstanding Titanian, and Dream Team awar

Titan has also instituted a special recognition programme for frontline employe
namely, Face of Titan, Super Stars and Look for Stars.
Apart from this,

the company has formed several committees through which employees can express th

talents. These committees are related to the canteen, safety, sports, cultural activities, e

While the sports committee enables sportspersons to participate in local, regional a

1

national events, the cultural committee hones employees' talent and encourages them
perform at special events within and outside the company. Employees with a flair

writing are encouraged to contribute to in-house newsletters such as NEWS BOX, Glit
Buzz, Retale, Champions.

The company also has a strong culture of volunteering. Over 300 volunteers particip

in blood donation camps, eye camps, AIDS and environmental awareness, and oth
community initiatives. The efforts of volunteers are actively supported by
management too.
Titans HR structure is designed so as to understand and cater to the needs
of employees at every level. At the local level, there are regional HR
executives and Unit Personnel Executives (UPE). The UPEs are entrusted
with the task of taking care of specific units within the company and acting

as a single point of contact for employees. Mr Ramadoss adds, The UPEs communic

with employees, enable deployment of welfare measures and larger HR initiativ

resolve grievances and counsel employees.
The UPE system, which is well entrenched within the organisation, combines with

biannual open house interactions to instill confidence in employees that their opinio

and views are important to the company. The open house interactions are typica
presided over by the MD and heads of key functions.

Employees are free to directly communicate with the MD via email or phone. They c
also approach other managers to discuss official and personal issues.

Mr Ramadoss says, Titan has a formal documented grievance redressal procedure. Of

1

the management forms committees which specifically focus on understanding a

resolving employee grievances. U.speak@titan.co.in is another formal e-channel, wh

encourages employees to express their concerns and complaints in a non-invas

manner. These are centrally monitored by HR. There are other formal structures that d
strongly with issues such as ethical conduct, sexual harassment, etc. In addition,

presence of a formal union, with designated office bearers and executive memb
representing various units, ensures that employee needs are catered to.

The growth and development of its people is very important to Titan. We have a form

structure to impart knowledge and skills through in-house as well as external traini

programmes," says Mr Ramadoss. "All categories of employees go through an average

two to five man days of training each year.
There is a structured Talent Management process in place at Titan, which is meant

grooming future leaders in the organisation. The programme ensures that the organisati

has a continuous supply of high-potential individuals. The focus is to recognise hi

performance, address the aspirations of the talent and provide opportunities for car
growth, which will help them, take leadership roles.

Training is also provided on stress management and yoga, personal

development and grooming, English and Hindi speaking, etc. Additiona

Titan encourages its employees to participate in public events, seminars a

competitions by providing additional training and mentoring. The compa

also encourages employees to take up higher studies.

The Tata philosophy is quite evident in Titans approach towards its employe

Titanians, in turn, have acknowledged the approach by naming it a great workplace

Tips on Coping with

Stress
Coping strategies may be adopted by individuals without
reference to the organization. Individual coping strategies tend
to be more reactive in nature. That is, they tend to be ways of
coping with stress that has already occurred. Some individual
strategies, such as physical exercises, can be both reactive and
proactive, but most are geared towards helping the person who
is already suffering from stress. Following are the major
individual coping strategies.
Physical Exercise: Physical exercises of different
types such as, walking, jogging, swimming, playing etc, are
good methods of overcoming stress. Physical exercise helps
people to better cope with stress generally as a side effect, such
as relaxation, enhanced self-esteem, and simply getting one's
mind off work for a while.
Job Enrichment: Through more rational designing of
jobs, jobs can be enriched. Improving content factors such as
responsibility, recognition, opportunity for achievement and
advancement, or improving core job characteristics such as
skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and
feedback

may

lead

to

motivation,

feeling

sence

of

responsibility, and utilizing maximum capability at the work.

Such a phenomenon helps in reducing stress.

Organisational Role Clarity: People experience stress

when they are not clear about what they are expected to do in
the organization. This may happen because either there is
ambiguity in the role or there is role conflict. Such a situation
can be overcome by defining role more clearly. Role analysis
technique helps both managers and employees to analyse what
the job entails and what the expectations are.
Career Planning and Counseling: Career planning
and counseling helps the employees to obtain professional
advice regarding career paths that would help them to achieve
personal goals. It also make them aware of what additional
qualifications, training, and skills they should acquire for
career

advancement.

A variety

of

career

counseling

programmes can be adopted:

(i)

devices designed to aid the individuals in self-assessment

and increased self-understanding;

(ii)

devices designed to communicate opportunities available

to individuals;
(iii)

career counseling through interviews by managers,

counseling professionals and personnel and educational

specialists;

(iv)

Workshops and educational activities designed to assist

the individuals in goal setting and establishing action plan for

change;
(v)

Educational and experimental programmes to prepare

individual with skills and knowledge for new activities and

new career;
(vi)

programmes

for

enhancing

the

individuals'

opportunities to make job and career changes. Various career

planning and counseling programmes for individuals go a long
way in providing them satisfaction and reducing the stress.

Stress Control Workshops

and Employee Assistance
Programmes
The organization can hold periodical workshops for control and reduction
of stress. Such workshops may help individuals to learn the dynamics of
stress and methods of overcoming their ill effects. Similarly, the
organization can make arrangement for assisting individuals in
overcoming their personal and family problems. This arrangement may
include managing personal finance, dealing with family problems, dealing

with health problems, and dealing with other kind of personal and family
stresses.
Stress management based on Indian philosophy:
Indian philosophy approach is catching the attention of Western
industrially-developed countries to cope with stress. Meditation and Yoga
are being practiced by more and more countries. Satish Chandra Pandey
has developed a model for stress management based on Indian Philosophy
consisting of Upanishads, Vedanta etc. The model is presented in the
following diagram:

Identify organizational goals and needs of people and core areas

where development is needed.

Develop a philosophical base by combining different Indian

philosophies and values compatible with organizational mission
and goals

Create awareness among organizational members about these

values for building new organizational culture.

Develop training programmes, stress management programmes,

motivational development programmes based on Indian
philosophies and values.

Organise follow-up programmes to evaluate stress management

outcomes and other OD programmes

Make it an integral organizational philosophy and set new goals

for achieving excellence in different areas.

If positive outcomes

Rebuild new philosophical base and make it compatible with

organizational goals

Stress Management
Training Program
Highlights

Controlling information overload

The tool for staying calm and in focus despite

uncertainty

Mastering the choice and change challenge

Reduced stress through improved organization

Saving time and reducing stress with improved listening

How to reduce stress in others

How to create important time just for you

More stability & happiness from areas you can control

Avoiding the "As Soon As Trap"

Stress management training

Stress management training

benefits to the organization

Reduced negative

benefits to the individual

Reduced personal stress

organizational stress

Increased individual
productivity and responsibility

Better team communications

and morale

Improved decision making

Increased productivity

Connecting better to family &

friends

Retention of valued employees

Improved customer satisfaction

More value, balance &

happiness every day

Tips for managing

stress in the workplace
Stress affects everyone and everyone reacts differently to it. A
persons reaction to stress depends on their physical or mental
make-up, their level of vulnerability, and what is happening in
their life.
Management can proactively manage the risks of stress by
telling staff about the personal costs effects and risks that result
from stress in the workplace.
Larger organisations might invest in stress reduction strategies,
such as:

Employee assistance programs: confidential services for

all employees and their families to deal with problems
that may be causing difficulties in their work or personal
lives.

Mental wellness forums or activities that promote

healthy practices such as home and life balance, physical
exercise, diet, and stress reduction practices.

All organizations can:

Promote stress reduction plans in staff recruitment,

induction

and

training

processes

put reminders and tips for stress management in staff

bulletins

or

on

notice

boards

print this fact sheet and make available to all staff.

Conclusion
Stress in the work place has
become the black plague of
the present century. Much of
the stress at work is caused
not only by work overload
and time pressure but also by
lack of rewards and praise,
and more importantly, by not
providing individuals with
the autonomy to do their
work as they would like.
Most of the employees were
not

satisfied

grievance

with

the

handling

procedure of the organization which was found by the

unstructured interview. Organization must begin to manage
people at work differently, treating them with respect and
valuing their contribution. If we enhance the psychological
well being and health of the employees, in the coming future
the organization would make more revenue as well as
employee retention. Because it is said that, A Healthy
Employee is a Productive Employee

Although most work-related worries may seem too huge to

shake off, once you master the art of coping with stress, and are
able to get rid of any negative thoughts, you would find that
peace would come to you naturally.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ashwathappa K, Human Resource
Management, Tata Mc Graw Hill, New Delhi,
Fifth edition, 2009.

 Dr. Sanjeev Bhatnagar, Personnel management,

2009
www.humanresources.about.com
www.hremguide.com- HRM related articles,
features and link
www.hr-topics.com- Human resources news and
releases
Source:
http://www.tatasteel.com/webzine/tatasteel_new
s/page_22.htm
Source: TATA steel news Issue 1 2007-08
Robbins.P.Stephen, Organizational Behaviour,
10th Ed, Prentice Hall.
Kreitner, Kinicki, Organizational Behaviour,
8Ed McGraw Hill