Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Job StressinSoftwareCompaniesACaseStudyofHCLBangaloreIndia
Strictly as per the compliance and regulations of:
© 2014. Geeta Kumari, Dr. Gaurav Joshi & Dr. K. M. Pandey. This is a research/review paper, distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), permitting all
non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction inany medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Job Stress in Software Companies: A Case
Study of HCL Bangalore, India
Geeta Kumari α, Dr. Gaurav Joshi σ & Dr. K. M. Pandey ρ
Abstract- In India software industry has become one of the stresses are destructive in nature. Appropriate amount
fastest growing industries. The reason for choosing a of stress can actually trigger your passion for work, tap
particular software industry and its employees is that the level
Year 2014
your latent abilities and even ignite inspirations. Stress is
of stress these employees face is comparatively higher than
the emotional and physical strain caused by our
employees in other private companies. Any kind of a job has
response to pressure from the outside world. Common
targets and an employee becomes stressed when he or she is
allotted with unachievable targets and are unable to manage stress reactions include tension, irritability, inability to
the given situation. Thus the main aim of this article is to bring concentrate, and a variety of physical symptoms that 23
to lime light the level of stress with software employees in HCL include headache and a fast heartbeat. Stress is a
I
n the 1990s India emerged as a major player in the explain its extraordinary cost to both business and
field of software engineering, information technology government? The suffering induced by stress is no
services and Web-based services. Presently the figment of the imagination but can we accurately
Indian information technology industry employs a little examine the relationship between stress and ill-health?
more than half million people and provides indirect Whatever stress is, it has grown immensely in recent
employment to over a quarter of a million people years, which brings us to question – what is happening
(NASSCOM). In today’s world, the degree of stress in society that is causing stress? The report shows that
increased owing to urbanization, globalization that stress has its greatest effects on those at the very top
results into cut-throat competition. Stress is inescapable and those at the very bottom of the socio-economic
part of modern life, work place is becoming a volatile ladder. The Indian Software industry has grown at a
stress factory for most employees and it is rightly called compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28 % during
as the Age of anxiety. Stress has becoming significantly the last 5 years. The key segments that have contributed
with the result of dynamic social factors and changing significantly to the industry’s exports include – software
needs of life styles. Stress is man’s adaptive reaction to services - BPO sector is playing vital role in the growth
an outward situation which would lead to physical of our country’s economy. Due to liberalization of Indian
mental and behavioural changes. Brain cells create economic policy, the growth of software industry is in
ideas, Stress may kill brain cells. The truth is that not all commendable position. Due to cost advantage,
availability of skilled manpower, quality services are the
Author α: Research Scholar, Department of Management, Jharkhand main reasons for the growth of IT industry in India. The
Rai University, Ranchi, India. e-mail- geekumari@gmail.com perception of the effects of stress on an individual has
Author σ: Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, New Delhi, India. changed. Stress is not always dysfunctional in nature,
e-mail- gauravjoshi91983@gmail.com
and, if positive, can prove one of the most important
Author ρ: Department of Mechanical Engineering National Institute of
Technology, Silchar, Assam, India. factors in improving productivity within an organization
e-mail- kmpandey2001@yahoo.com (Spielberger, 1980). If not positive, stress can create a
number of physical and psychological disorders among 4. Role erosion (RE): The feeling that functions that
employees, and can be responsible for frustration, should belong to the respondent’s role are being
haste, and job dissatisfaction. As a result, the lack of transformed/performed or shared by others.
work may cause complacency within the organization. 5. Role overload (RO): The feeling that more is
Stress is, therefore, multidimensional, and its results expected from the role than the respondent can
depend on whether employees perceive it as a problem cope with.
or a solution. 6. Role isolation (RI): Lack of linkages between the
Different studies have classified occupational respondent’s role and that of other roles in the
stress in terms of physical environment; role stressors, organization.
organizational structure, job characteristics, professional 7. Personal inadequacy (PI): Inadequate knowledge,
relationships, career development, and work-versus- skills, or preparation for a respondent to be effective
Year 2014
family conflict (see Burke, 1993). Cooper and Marshall in a particular role.
(1976) add to this list factors intrinsic to a job, the 8. Self-role distance (SRD): Conflict between the
management’s role, and professional achievements. respondent’s values/self-concepts and the
24 Based on these complexities, stressors can be grouped requirements of his or her organizational role.
into two main categories: (i) job-related stressors, and 9. Role ambiguity (RA): Lack of clarity about others’
(ii) individual-related stressors. Stress is a slow and expectations of the respondent’s role, or lack of
c ) Volume XIV Issue VII Version I
insidious malady which is an unavoidable one and a feedback on how others perceive the respondent’s
common problem in the workplace. The level of stress performance.
and its amount of consequences vary between 10. Resource inadequacy (RIn): No availability of
organizations based on the nature and type of work resources needed for effective role performance.
practices. Organization must begin to manage people at
work differently, treating them with respect and valuing II. Review of Literature
their contribution. Recognition, participation and Darshan et al (2009)1 in their article, A study on
continuous training of employees are required to retain professional stress, depression and alcohol use among
the skilled employees. Stress issue has become Indian software professionals, observed that the
contemporary, being an occupational hazard in fast software employees are professionally stressed and are
pacing IT profession, needs to be addressed without at 10 times higher risk for developing depression and
delay. Hence the importance of the study of stress at also significantly increase the incidence of psychiatric
Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology ( D
various levels, among IT employee is growing. At disorders. Preventive strategies like training in stress
organizational level, well designed coping strategies management, frequent screening to identify professional
have become the attention of companies like Tata stress and depression at the initial stages and
Consultancy Services, Infosys, Wipro, Microsoft, and addressing these issues adequately might help the
Cognizant etc., Stress can make an individual software professionals cope with their profession better
productive and constructive when it is identified and well without affecting their lifestyle and health. Saurabh
managed. In times of great stress or adversity, it‘s Shrivastava and Prateek Bobhate (2010)2 in their study,
always best to keep busy, to plough anger and energy Computer related health problems among software
into something positive. Positive attitude and meditation professionals in Mumbai: A cross-sectional study,
will be helpful for coping the stress. Having broader investigated that Ocular discomfort, musculo-skeletal
perspective of life will definitely change the perception of disorders and psycho-social problems form key
stress. Let us hope that we will be successful eliminating category of health problems found among constant
stress for our healthy lifestyle as well as organizational computer users. This study has also brought into focus
well-being. Stress is measured using a number of factors contributing to the occurrence of these
instruments. Our focus, however, is organizational role problems. Thus, the problem requires a multidisciplinary
stress (ORS), which measures total role stress. We use action and hence there is an immediate need for the
Pareek’s (1983) scale, which evaluates respondents’ concerned authorities to collaborate and enforce
quantum of stress in terms of total ORS scores. It also suitable preventive measures.
measures the intensity of the following ten role stressors Jakkula Rao and Chandraiah (2011)3 in their
that contribute to the total ORS score: article, Occupational stress, mental health and coping
1. Inter-role distance (IRD): Conflict between among information technology professionals, found that
organizational and non-organizational roles. job satisfaction and mental health are correlated but not
2. Role stagnation (RS): The feeling of being “stuck” in significant. However, job satisfaction was positively and
the same role. significantly correlated with coping behaviour. The
3. Role expectation conflict (REC): Conflicting mental health is negatively and significantly correlated
expectations and demands between different role with occupational stress. It can be explained that as job
senders. satisfaction and mental health increases coping
behaviour increases. And as stress increases mental • 40% of job turnover is due to stress; Up to 80% of
health decreases. Kesavachandran et al (2012)4 in their on-the-job accidents are stress-related.
study, Working conditions and health among employees -American Institute of Stress
at information technology - enabled services: A review of • The annual cost to Canadian companies due to
current evidence, identified that muscular-skeletal stress-related disorders is $12 billion Absenteeism
disorders, ocular disorders and psycho-social problems due to stress has increased by over 300% since
were some of the key health problems observed among 1995
software professionals. There is a need for -Statistics Canada
implementation of the programs that include the • Employees in extreme workplace stress conditions
concepts of ergonomics, health education, training of suffer from: more than triple the rate of
personnel to prevent and overcome the morbidity, as cardiovascular problems; over five times the rate of
Year 2014
well as psycho-social problems among workers in colorectal cancer; up to three times the rate of back
software industry. pain
Michael R. Frone (2008), the relationship of -Health Canada
work stressors, those work over load and job insecurity, • Problems at work are more strongly associated with
25
to employees alcohol use illicit drug use resulted, health complaints than are any other life stressor;
support the relation of work stressors to alcohol and more so than even financial problems or family
task-induced changes in stress state. in writing for even greater impact. Corporate wellness is
a good investment, with a strong return on investment.
III. Objective of Study d) No Feedback, good or bad
26 1. To study on job stress among employees of Don’t wait until the annual review to let
software industries. employees know how they’re doing. They wonder every
) Volume XIV Issue VII Version I
This qualitative study takes the lead from a f) Mistrust, Unfairness and Office Politics
recent survey (2010), published in the Journal of It’s important to treat everyone the same and
Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology ( c D
Occupational and Environmental Medicine, and noted perfectly appropriate to reprimand someone who is
that for those working 12 hours a day, there was a 37% negative about other employees. Backbiting keeps
increase in risk of illness and injury in comparison to everyone on edge.
those who work fewer hours. And another study done by g) Pervasive Uncertainty
North-western National Life, reports that one-fourth of This results from inadequately explained or
employees view their jobs as the number one stressor in unannounced changes. Meet with people individually to
their lives. A St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Co. review changes. Follow those meetings with a written
study concluded that problems at work are more memo so everyone can review the facts after emotions
strongly associated with health complaints than any have died down.
other life stressor, even financial or family problems.
h) Random Interruptions
Sethy and Schulter (1996) outlined four major
Telephone calls, e-mails, walk-ins and
reasons why job stress and coping have become
supervisor demands can keep employees from
important issues:
completing the work at hand. Consider time
1. Concern for individual employee health and well- management training to help people prioritize and
being: (E.g. coronary heart disease, high blood delegate.
pressure, job related accidents).
i) The Treadmill syndrome
2. The financial impact on organization: (Including days Having too much or too little to do results in
lost due to stress related illness and injury). self-defeating behaviour that can lead to high stress.
3. Organizational effectiveness: for organizational Make sure work is evenly divided, and hire additional
health and wellbeing. help where needed.
4. Legal obligations: on employers to provide safe and The research problem is formulated on the
healthy working environment. basis of vast study of related literature survey which
According to Global business and Economic provides theoretical background and conceptual frame
Roundtable of Addiction and Mental Health, the top 9 work to this study which broaden knowledge base in this
stressors are: area of research. The research takes the lead from the
following dimensions; those are the impact of stress on
body, mind, behaviour and emotions on the basis of Table 1 : Sample description
review of literature.
Sample size=100
Impact of stress in various dimensions
Analysis of the Table 1 statistics
• Impact on Body
The chart below shows the different causes of
1. Headaches, taut muscles, breathlessness stress faced by different groups of people along with
2. Worrying, muddled thinking, night mares their percentage.
3. Accident prone, loss of appetite
AGE GROUP SAMPLE SIZE
• Impact on Mind
1. Loss of confidence, more fussy 20-29 18
Year 2014
2. Frequent infections, skin irritations 30-34 24
50
40
percentage
30
Year 2014
20 >40
10 35-…
age group
28 0 30-…
supervision
c ) Volume XIV Issue VII Version I
workload
20-…
social injustice
organisational
culture
causes of stress
• Impact on Body
IMPACT ON BODY
Global Journal of Computer Science and Technology ( D
100
80
60
40
20
0
24-29 30-34 35-39 >40
Series 3
In a sample space of 100 employees, 16% of 3. Selye H (1956). The stress of life, Mc Graw Hill,
employees work for 4-6 hours a day, 32% works for 6-8 New York.
hours, 30% works for 8-10 hours while 22% works for 4. Pestonjee D.M and Singh G.P (1987).
10-12 hours daily. When asked about the overtime they Organizational Behaviour issues for managers and
have to do, 28% said employees saying always were systems analysts. Working paper No. 660, Indian
mainly from age group 20-29. 54% of employees said Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
often while 18% of employees said they worked 5. Palnitkar A and Helode R.D (1987). Stress and
overtimes rarely. Coping, the Indian Experience, (II ED.).
• Impact on Mind D.M.Pestonjee, Sage Publications, New Delhi, 2002,
p 133.
6. Pareek A. (1999). Managing stress and coping. In
Year 2014
STRESS ON MIND D.M.Pestonjee, U.Pareek and A.Agarwal (Eds),
Studies in Stress and its Management, New Delhi,
100 Oxford and IBH.
7. Singh AP and Singh B (1997). Correlates of 29
psychological strain and coping behaviour. In D.M
0 Pestonjee and U.Pareek (Eds), Studies in
30
c ) Volume XIV Issue VII Version I