Page 1 of 10
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at
http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/
ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 03 Issue 11
October 2017
Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 156
Analysis of Stress Management and Coping Strategies With
Reference To It Companies
1M.REVATHI, 2Dr.V.B.NARASIMHA
1Assistant Professor, 2Professor
1Department of MBA, Avanthi's Scientific Technological & Research Academy, Hyderabad, Telangana, INDIA.
2Department of CSE, University College of Engineering, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Telangana, INDIA.
ABSTRACT: -Stress has become significant due to dynamic social factor and changing needs of life
styles. Stress is man‘s adaptive reaction to an outward situation which would lead to physical, mental
and behavioral changes. Even though stress kills brain cells, not all stresses are destructive in nature.
Appropriate amount of stress can actually trigger passion for work, tap latent abilities and even ignite
inspirations. The study throws light on the wide spread silent problem by name ̳Stress‘, which gave
raise to acute dysfunctions and are called many diseases, increase divorce rates, and other
harassments. The work stress is found in all professions. IT professionals are very streed because they
are highly target driven and highly pressured on results. Athletes experience the strength that comes
from eu-stress right before they play a big game or enter a big competition. Because of eustress, they
suddenly receive the strength that is required to perform to the best of the ability. Stress can make a
person productive and constructive, when it is identified and well managed. The focus of the paper is to
study the stress level among IT employees and to suggest the coping strategies. A survey of 200 IT
employees in the IT companies situated in and around Hyderabad is done. Some of the stress coping
strategies identified by this study includes stress management programs, physical activities planned in
job design, life style modification programs, finding triggers and stressors, supportive organization
culture, stress counseling programs, and spiritual programs.
KEYWORDS: Stress, adaptive reaction, behavioral change, eu-stress, IT employees; and coping
strategies.
1. INTRODUCTION
In the 1990s India emerged as a major player in
the field of software engineering, information
technology services and Web-based services.
Presently the Indian information technology
industry employs a little more than half million
people and provides indirect employment to
over a quarter of a million people (NASSCOM).
In today‘s world, the degree of stress increased
owing to urbanization, globalization that results
into cut-throat competition. Stress is inescapable
part of modern life, work place is becoming a
volatile stress factory for most employees and it
is rightly called as the Age of anxiety. Stress
has becoming significantly with the result of
dynamic social factors and changing needs of
life styles. Stress is man‘s adaptive reaction to
an outward situation which would lead to
physical mental and behavioral changes. Brain
cells create ideas, Stress may kills brain cells.
The truth is that not all stresses are destructive in
nature. Appropriate amount of stress can
actually trigger your passion for work, tap your
latent abilities and even ignite inspirations.
Stress is the emotional and physical strain
caused by our response to pressure from the
outside world. Common stress reactions include
tension, irritability, inability to concentrate, and
a variety of physical symptoms that include
headache and a fast heartbeat. Stress is a
condition or feeling experienced when a person
Page 2 of 10
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at
http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/
ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 03 Issue 11
October 2017
Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 157
perceives that- demands exceed the personal and
social resources the individual is able to
mobilize. S= P>R i.e., stress occurs when the
pressure is greater than the resources. Stress is
our body's way of responding to any kind of
demand. It can be caused by both good and bad
experiences. When people feel stressed by
something going on around them, their bodies
react by releasing chemicals into the blood.
These chemicals give people more energy and
strength, which can be a good thing if their
stress is caused by physical danger. But this can
also be a bad thing, if their stress is in response
to something emotional and there is no outlet for
this extra energy and strength.
What is stress?
‘‘Stress is the body‘s nonspecific response to a
demand placed on it. ’’
Hans Selye
Stress as a condition or feeling experienced
when a person perceives that ‘‘demands exceed
the personal and social resources the individual
is able to mobilize.”
Richard S. Lazarus
‘‘Nervous tension that results from internal
conflicts from a wide range of external
situations.”
D‘ Souza
The study throws light on the wide spread silent
problem by name ̳Stress‘, which gave raise to
acute dysfunctions and are called many diseases,
increase divorce rates, and other harassments. If
left uncared the extremity of stress may turn a
person vulnerable and even lead to the suicide of
the person. The work stress is found in all
professions, the very affected are the IT
professionals who are highly target driven,
highly pressured on results, and are squeezed
both physically and mentally to the maximum on
their roles and loads. The stress is manifested in
various ways and means, and the much prone
sector is the IT sector, which has turned upside
down only their working hours, but also their
biological system, which affects at three
different levels viz., individual, interpersonal
and organizational level. It becomes the vital
role of the management to take care of the
employees health rather providing only the
monetary benefits, which is not so in practice of
the fullest.
2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Vasudha Venugopal, (2010), an increasing
number of IT professionals have been finding it
difficult to handle emotional stress, according to
experts. An ̳occupational hazard,' the stress
related to work needs to be addressed without
delay, they emphasize. Coping with stress and
striving for mental health welfare should be a
matter of concern for all and not treated simply
as a lifestyle problem of the ̳IT phenomenon',
says Nithya Chandrasekaran, a consultant
physician for many IT companies in the city.
Post-recession, employees feel pressured to
perform well. Regular occupational problems
such as wrist problems due to constant handling
of the mouse, slip disc and eye fatigue are
common now, but handling stress that arises
owing to fear of losing job or to cope with the
increasing competition, affects the employee's
performance, eventually, taking a major toll on
his health, doctors explain. As if to acknowledge
the prevalence of high levels of stress among
employees, many IT companies have ―help
hotlines‖ that provide counseling intervention to
their employees who face stress or psychological
fatigue. Companies are also trying to help
employees combat stress better. Companies such
as Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services,
Cognizant and Wipro have regular ―stress
breaks‖ intended to help the employees strike a
healthy balance between work and fun.
Deshmukh N.H. (2009), Stress and life
satisfaction among working and non working
women from similar levels of socio economic
status of the society, resulted that there was no
significant difference in physical and family
stress among working and non working women.
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Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at
http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/
ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 03 Issue 11
October 2017
Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 158
Role stress was significantly higher among
working than non working women. Life
satisfaction was better in working women than
non working women. Gillian E. Hardy, David
Woods and Toby D. Wall (2003), Psychological
distress particularly depression was found to
predict absence, with higher levels of distress
predicting a greater number of days and number
of times absent. Job satisfaction and
psychological distress independently predicted
levels of absence. The psychological distress –
absence relationship was not moderated by
demographic variables. Michael R. Frone
(2008), the relationship of work stressors, those
work over load and job insecurity, to employees
alcohol use illicit drug use resulted, support the
relation of work stressors to alcohol and illicit
drug use before work, during the workday, and
after work.
Shane Schick, (2007), stressed IT professionals
who use a balance of problem-focused coping
strategies and emotion-focused coping strategies
are most successful in dealing with the stress of
staying perpetually up-to-date. The study
highlights the importance of monitoring the
stress that results from the constant demand on
IT professionals to update their technical skills
because the threat of technical obsolescence may
result in a higher rate of absenteeism, work
burnout and a desire to change careers.
Managers can help by providing IT
professionals with concrete resources such as
research time, opportunities to attend courses,
and physical facilities that facilitate trial and
error. IT professionals who deploy different
combinations of coping strategies end up with
different levels of distress. They fared best by
using a combination of problem-focused coping
and emotion-focused coping.
Vijay V. Raghavan, (2010), the effect of flexible
work schedule, employee support and training,
and telecommuting as potential coping resources
to relieve stress. Perceived workload, role
ambiguity, work facilitation, and decision
latitude are potential stressors of IT
professionals. Removing role ambiguity and
improving work facilitation reduce work-related
stress and allowing employees to have flexible
work schedules ease their perceptions of
workload. Sahana Charan, (2007), High work
pressure, long hours in front of the computer and
a fast-paced lifestyle, if these factors team up to
weaken your physical health, here is one more
strong reason why they are simply unhealthy:
mental health professionals are now convinced
that an increasing number of persons working in
the IT and IT-enabled services sector fall prey to
depression, because of the high stress they
undergo.
Murali Raj, (2009), Depression is usually related
to work and stress these people undergo because
of the pressure to perform better, compete with
other colleagues and meet tight deadlines. Most
of their work is target-oriented and if targets are
not met, it can lead to anxiety. Peers are not very
supportive as they also competing in the same
field. Moreover, insecurity about the job may
lead to feelings of expression. Kamala Balu,
(2002), most stress management programmes
focus attention on the individual either assisting
employees or help them to cope with job-related
stressors. There is more concern in organizations
with coping with the consequences of stress
rather than eliminating or reducing the actual
stressors themselves. Wide range of stress
reducing programmes for employees rather then
interventions to change the nature of work which
would bring a more effective solution for the
problem. Employee assistance programmes such
as counseling and support services for
employees have shown a promising approach of
dealing with stress, however their effectiveness
is limited. Training or counseling employees to
cope with stress are just short-term solutions but
have long-term benefits for mental health and
well-being. Elkin and Rosch (1990) have
summarized a wide range of other strategies
which are directed towards increasing worker
autonomy, participation and control. These
strategies include: redesigning tasks, redesigning
