C/HR/296. Dissertation. Work-related Stress and Flexible Working NHS Trusts

The dissertation examines the relationship between flexible working practices in the NHS and the levels of work-related stress amongst nurses and doctors. The review of literature touches on work-related stress, flexible working, etc. Research approach and methodology are identified conducting a case study of the levels of work-related stress and employee attitudes towards flexible working. Conclusions are made about the potential links between flexible working and work-related stress.

E/HR/42. Absenteeism: problems and solutions

The paper examines the causes and consequences of absenteeism in UK businesses reviewing surveys related to the impacts of work stress, the role of organisationÌs size, the issue of female absenteeism, etc. The ways of reducing absenteeism are discussed.

P/HR/294. Programmes of work stress reduction

The paper examines the consequences of work related stress and the effects of the stress management (SM) programmes to minimize stress levels. The forms of SM interventions are described reviewing related studies and discussing the effectiveness of organisational and individual interventions in stress reduction. The directions of the future research in the area are identified.

E/HR/40. Occupational stress: theory and case study of automotive manufacturers

The paper addresses the issues of occupational stress in the automotive manufacturing industry providing a review of literature on stress in the workplace and conducting a case study of Hicom-Teck See Manufacturing Malaysia Sdn Bhd using primary data collected through questionnaires.

P/HR/279. Motivation and stress: theories and practices

The paper examines the concepts of motivation and stress discussing the reasons that motivate staff performance and reviewing the theories of Frederic Hertz berg, Abraham Maslow, John Garnet, etc. Motivation practices in various companies are described including Cadbury’s, John Lewis, Ford, etc. Causes and effects of stress in individuals are outlined; the role of group work is highlighted; legislation on employment protection is reviewed.

P/HR/278. How does stress relate to work, sleep, exercise and self-esteem?

The paper examines the effects of work and sleep conditions, self-esteem, and the amount of exercise on a person’s stress levels. Academic approaches to stress and stressors are reviewed; primary research is conducted using a questionnaire to identify the correlation between the mentioned variables and perceived stress.

P/HR/268. Prevention of work-place stress

The paper examines the ways of reducing job-generated stress reviewing academic studies related to work-place stress and ergonomics. Macroergonomic approach to stress prevention is described discussing the features of a fully harmonised work system.

S/HR/74. Stress at work

This paper covers perspectives on the causes of stress for individuals in relation to work & Organisations and with regards to changes in society. At the beginning their are definitions of stress as well as explanations of the difference between stress and pressure inc the pressure curve. The report discusses the evolutionary perspective, type a and b personalities and stressful occupations. Role ambiguity and overload are looked at as well as the dual career phenomenon. It covers effects on the individual as well as the organisation. There is information on the role of the government in stress management as well as the Health and Safety executive. It then discusses the consequences for organisations who are not currently following a stress management programme of some kind as well as a case study. The report then looks at ways of relieving stress and what organisations can do. There are case examples of BT and IBM's stress management practices.

P/HR/207. Organisational interventions in work stress management

The paper examines the forms of organisational interventions in the area of work stress management reviewing and evaluating the methods of integration workshops, role clarification and negotiation, ‘developer consultants’ (DC) skills training, communication initiative and stress management training (SMT).

P/HR/202. Worksite stress management intervention

The paper reviews theories on stress management intervention (SMI) at worksite evaluating the effectiveness of individual-focused interventions in handling job stress, and highlighting the problem areas in this strategy.

C/HR/83. Does Human Resource Management increase or decrease the level of occupational stress?

The paper defines Human Resource Management and its roles and functions in the organisation. It is argued that HRM plays an enormous role in alleviating stress by addressing its causes in a number of ways. The author also looks at the notion of stress and its types (short or long term, brief or continuous, functional or dysfunctional) as well as highlights the Inverted U Stress-Job Performance Relationship and the role of uncertainty in the occurrence of stress. Finally, argumentative evidence on how HRM can reduce stress levels in the organisation is provided, based on five major HRM functions: staffing, retention, development, adjustment, and change management.

P/PS/57. Is stress a social construct?

The paper examines the issues of stress within the workplace seeking to understand where pressures come from and what benefits can be provided by stress management. The notion of stress is investigated on the basis of discourse theory, work physiology and social constructionism.

P/HR/137.Dealing with job stress: work control and employee well-being

The paper examines the implications of job stress reviewing literature on the problems of work control, demands-control interaction, employee well being, stressful environmental factors, job decision latitude, etc.

S/HR/65. Planning Behavior and perceived control of time at work. Critical analysis of a paper from Academic peer-reviewed journal

This paper critically analyses the following article: ‘Claessens, B.J.C., Eerde, W.V., Rutte, C.G. and Roe, R.A. (2004), “Planning behavior and perceived control of time at work”, Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25, pp. 937-950. A complete reference of the article is given in the paper. The summary of the article is provided to set the background. Assessment of methods used and their appropriateness are then discussed. There is also a critical discussion on the articles results and the key findings. At the end, strengths and weaknesses of the article are discussed accompanied by the conclusion.

C/HR/51. Dissertation. Studying stress in NHS an organisation

The current study explores the issue of occupational stress within NHS setting. The literature review describes the complexity of occupational stress issue. The discussion shows that various organisational and social aspects might determine the level of perceived occupational stress and individual coping abilities. The separate attention is given to stress measuring tools and stress management initiatives that can be used by management team to manage the issue. The discussion shows that if not managed, the high level of occupational stress might incur significant costs to an organisation. The study uses phenomenological stance with the use of OSI-R stress measuring inventory developed by Osipow. The inventory measures three occupational stress dimensions with various corresponding sub dimensions. On the basis of comparative analysis of primary findings against secondary ones the paper suggests improvement strategy.

C/M/211. Research proposal for stress management in an NHS organisation

The research proposal suggests the framework for the investigation of stress management in an NHS organisation. The literature review reviews the impact of stress on individuals lob performance and motivation its overall cost for organisations. The other issues of concern are the recent increasing tendency of occupational stress, stress management tools and the methodologies used to measure stress. The methodological part proposes the use of phenomenological approach as research philosophy with the use of focus groups and questionnaires as primary data collection tools. The paper discusses ethical issues and observes limitations of the chosen research methods.

C/HR/36. Stress Management: Whos Fault?

This paper highlights the main causes of stress, based on work-related issue and individual reasons behind. Nowadays, stress is almost impossible to escape from. Employees may try to run from its effects, but can rarely hide. The author considers best possible solutions for the management and for individuals themselves to tackle the significantly growing concerns of stress matters.

P/HR/17. Solutions to work-related stress

P/HR/18. Stress at the workplace

Work stress places a very high toll on both employees and employers. An employee subjected to high levels of stress could experience both physical and mental side-effects. Physical side effects such as hypertension, coronary disease, infections, ulcers could greatly decrease the lifespan of the person. The psychological effects such as repressed emotions, anger, and isolation have a direct negative impact on organizational productivity. Thus, organizations have a great responsibility in reducing the stress of their employees, and in general be concerned about their well-being. There are numerous methods to counter the stress problem. The report has cited only the basics which are applicable to most organizations. The first step for management is to set out the intention to reduce employee stress in as an organizational goal. Provisions detailing the organizations planned approach should be drafted. Informing employees of managements expectations is one method to reduce a large portion of the anxiety employees may have about their jobs. Secondly, management must provide subordinates feedback on their performance. Management should also provide job training for all employees to enable them to better perform their jobs and reduce the stress associated with the feeling of inadequacy to perform ones duties.

P/HR/23. Within the service sector, focusing on the hotel industry how can work related stress and attitudes affect performance and commitment?

It has been demonstrated that work related stress and attitudes can affect performance and commitment in a number of ways. Firstly through absenteeism, which relates to the (P-E) fit, as the individual is using hiding away from work as a coping mechanism due to not being a suitable candidate for the position in hand. Secondly through lack of definition of roles within hospitality leading to role ambiguity or role over load (Michigan Model), and this can have drastic effects in a restaurant environment, related to efficiency of productivity. In order to begin to reduce the high levels of stress in these types of workplace, individual members of staff have to be addressed on their views of what they think their role in the organization consists of . Within large scale hotels the hierarchal structure of management should be re examined, in order to examine levels of effectiveness, and áin house help should be available to members of staff who feel they are under a great deal of pressure.

P/HR/27. Discuss the range of factors that may influence the stress levels of individuals in modern organisations. How can an understanding of these factors help the practising manager?

Conclusion: The examples of stress factors covered in this discussion are only a few of the many factors that can cause stress in everyday life both in and outside of work. This discussion has focussed in on ways that a manager and the individual concerned can turn these stress factors into manageable pressure factors, thus alleviating the symptoms of stress. As discussed it is important for companies to ensure stress levels are kept as low as possible. The symptoms experienced by individuals under stress, such as raised blood pressure, depressed mood and so on are magnified and felt by the company when productivity falls, absence increases and ultimately financial costs are incurred. It can be seen from this discussion that stress can be seen from two angles: the causes of stress and how an individual responds to it. What is excessive stress for one individual is no more than an exciting and stimulating challenge to another. Simply being aware of this difference does not help a manager decide how best to manage the individuals concerned. However, understanding the factors involved and understanding the individuals can help a manager alleviate the symptoms of these stress factors. Using these approaches there should be no such thing as stress factors. Pressure factors will always exist, but can be managed.

P/PS/11. Evaluate different models of stress at work (work-related stress) and outline implications for stress management interventions

This paper bases the argument of the previous studies in the field of work-related stress and critically analyses the opinions of other writers on this subject matter.

S/HR/12. Why should stress be a concern to organisations and what can be done about it?

This essay explores the issue of stress in the workplace. In recent years stress has become a topic that companies have needed to become far more aware of as the total working days lost per year total to a staggering 40 million. This assignment explores stress as both a stimulant to workers as well as a hindrance and discusses how stress can be targeted and then eradicated from an organisation. It explores recent studies and finishes with a concise conclusion that provides an overall and balanced argument on the issue of stress.

P/PS/10. Select any two approaches to personality. Imagine two managers. One believes one approach is correct; the other supports the other approach. Examine the probable impact of their beliefs on the way they deal with other people at work.