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IMPACT OF STRESS ON IT PROFESSIONALS: IDENTIFIED STRESS COPING

STRATEGIES WITH REFERENCE TO IT COMPANIES

Article · July 2023

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JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
ISSN : 2229-5348
UGC Care Group 1 Journal
IMPACT OF STRESS ON IT PROFESSIONALS: IDENTIFIED STRESS COPING
STRATEGIES WITH REFERENCE TO IT COMPANIES

Dr. SURESH TALAMALA Assistant Professor Department of MBA Andhra Loyola College,
Vijayawada : [Link]@[Link]

ABSTRACT:
The dynamic social dynamics and changing demands of various life styles have increased the
significance of stress. Humans have evolved a coping mechanism called stress in reaction to
environmental factors that may alter their emotional, cognitive, and behavioural states. Not all types
of stress are intrinsically damaging, despite the fact that it is known to result in brain cell death. In fact,
the correct amount of stress may encourage passion for one's job, awaken talents that had been
dormant, and even inspire creativity. The study provides light on the pervasive but under-researched
problem of "Stress," which gives rise to acute dysfunctions presently labelled as different diseases,
higher divorce rates, and other types of harassment. Everyone is impacted by the stress associated with
their professional lives. Because they are under strong pressure to produce results and are extremely
goal-oriented, IT employees face considerable levels of stress. A period of time called as eustress
occurs just before athletes play in a large game or event, giving them a rise in strength. The eu-stress
causes them to suddenly have the strength needed to perform to the best of their abilities. Stress may
actually help a person become more productive and constructive if it is properly identified and
managed. The article's goals are to assess the levels of stress that IT professionals encounter and to
provide suggestions for coping mechanisms. With the involvement of 200 IT professionals from IT
companies based in and around Hyderabad, a survey is being undertaken. The results of this study
indicate that participating in stress counselling and management programmes, stress counselling and
management programmes, stress counselling and management programmes, and participating in stress
management and management programmes are some of the best ways to deal with the negative effects
of stress.

INTRODUCTION
In the 1990s, India grew to be a key player in the fields of software engineering, information
technology services, and web-based services. Currently, less than half a million people are directly
employed by the Indian IT industry, and more than a quarter of a million more are supported by it
(NASSCOM). Due to intense rivalry brought on by urbanisation and globalisation, stress levels have
increased in the contemporary world. Given that stress is an inevitable part of modern life, the phrase
"Age of Anxiety" seems apt. The bulk of employees' places of employment are evolving into unstable
stress factories.
Stress has significantly grown as a result of changing societal expectations and social dynamics. Stress
is a normal human reaction to an outside factor that may change a person's physical, mental, and
behavioural traits. Brain cells, which may also perish under stress, are the source of ideas. Truth be
said, not all pressures are bad. The appropriate amount of stress may actually increase your passion for
your work, reveal hidden abilities, and even inspire original ideas.
When our body and mind are under strain from the world outside, stress results. Typical stress reactions
include tension, irritability, trouble focusing, and a range of physical symptoms including headache
and a quick heartbeat. Stress is a condition or emotion that a person feels when they perceive that
demands exceed the amount of personal and social resources they are able to mobilise. When S=P>R,
or when there is a greater demand than there are resources to meet it, stress arises. Stress is the body's
response to demands of any kind. It might be the outcome of both good and bad things. When a person
is alarmed by anything close, their bodies react by releasing hormones into the blood. These drugs
could give people a stronger, more invigorated feeling when they are under physical threat, which
causes stress. However, this may also be detrimental if their stress is the consequence of an emotional
problem and they have nowhere to direct their enhanced strength and energy.

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JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
ISSN : 2229-5348
UGC Care Group 1 Journal
What is Stress?
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 brought on by internal conflicts resulting from a variety of external circumstances,
according to D' Souza The research sheds insight on the widespread, unrecognised issue known as
"Stress," which led to acute
Increased divorce rates and other forms of harassment are dysfunctions that are labelled as diseases
under a variety of headings. If ignored, the
Extreme stress may make someone vulnerable and perhaps give them the idea to kill themselves. Since
their occupations and responsibilities are so intensely target-driven, results-driven, and emotionally
and physically exhausting, IT employees are disproportionately affected by work-related stress, which
affects all professions to some extent. Given that stress has an influence on people, interpersonal
relationships, and organisations on three different levels—individuals, interpersonal relationships, and
organizations—the IT sector is especially susceptible to its impacts. Instead of only providing cash
benefits, which are seldom completely implemented, management must take a vital interest in the
wellbeing of the workers.

2. LITERATURE REVIEW
Experts, like Vasudha Venugopal (2010), claim that a growing number of IT professionals are
struggling to control their mental stress. They emphasise the need of treating work-related stress as
an occupational hazard right now. Nithya Chandrasekaran, a consultant physician for many local IT
companies, believes that promoting mental health wellness and stress management should be top
priorities for everyone, not just those who work in the IT industry. After the recession, workers feel
under pressure to perform well. According to doctors, handling stress that arises from job loss
anxiety or from dealing with the growing competition affects the employee's performance and
eventually has a significant negative impact on his health. Regular workplace issues like wrist pain
from repetitive mouse use, slip discs, and eye fatigue are now common. Due to the increasing rates
of stress among employees, several IT companies have support hotlines that provide counselling to
their employees who are experiencing stress or psychological tiredness. Businesses are also
attempting to provide employees with improved stress management tools. Businesses like Infosys,
Tata Consultancy Services, Cognizant, and Wipro often provide stress breaks in an attempt to help
employees strike a decent balance between work and leisure.
There was no appreciable difference between working and nonworking women in terms of their
levels of physical and family stress, according to Deshmukh N.H.'s 2009 research, "Stress and Life
Satisfaction Among Working and Nonworking Women from Similar Levels of Socio Economic
Status of the Society." Role stress was much higher for working women than for unemployed
women. Compared to non-working women, employed women reported greater levels of life
satisfaction. According to a 2003 research by Gillian E. Hardy, David Woods, and Toby D. Wall,
psychological distress, particularly depression, has been proven to predict absenteeism, with higher
levels of distress predicting a greater number of days and absences. Separately, both psychological
distress and occupational satisfaction predicted the frequency of absences. The link between
psychological distress and absenteeism was unaffected by demographic characteristics. According
to a 2008 research by Michael R. Frone, there is a link between employees' use of alcohol and illicit
substances in the morning, throughout the workday, and after work, and workplace pressures such
work overload and job insecurity.

The burden of maintaining a continual state of up-to-dateness is best managed by stressed IT

employees who combine problem- and emotion-focused coping techniques, claims Shane Schick
(2007). The risk of technical obsolescence may increase absenteeism rates, lead to workplace
burnout, or inspire a desire to change careers, according to the study, which highlights the
importance of monitoring the stress brought on by the constant pressure placed on IT professionals

Vol. 16, No.3 (II), July - September 2022 34

JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
ISSN : 2229-5348
UGC Care Group 1 Journal
to update their technical skills. Managers may help by providing IT staff with useful tools including
research time, opportunities to attend classes, and physical venues that promote trial and error. IT
professionals that combine different coping mechanisms feel anxiety to differing degrees. They
found that combining problem-focused coping with emotion-focused coping produced the best
outcomes.
Telecommuting, staff help, and training are all efficient stress-relieving techniques, according to
Vijay V. Raghavan (2010). Due to perceived workload, job uncertainty, work facilitation, and
choice freedom, IT personnel may get stressed. People feel less overworked and experience less
stress at work when position ambiguity is eliminated, work facilitation is improved, and flexible
work schedules are allowed. Sahana Charan here (2007), The growing prevalence of depression
among those working in the IT and IT-enabled services industry is increasingly believed by mental
health specialists to be caused by the high levels of stress these individuals endure. Here is another
more compelling argument for why these bad lifestyle choices are harmful: they impair your
physical health. High job demands, prolonged computer use, and a fast-paced lifestyle all contribute
to this.
Murali Raj (2009), The stress that people experience at work, where there is continual pressure to
perform better, compete with colleagues, and meet deadlines, is often linked to depression. The bulk
of their work is goal-oriented, and anxiety may develop if objectives are not reached. Peers are not
very encouraging since they are in the same field as you. Additionally, job insecurity may contribute
to expressive feelings. The bulk of stress management programmes, according to Kamala Balu
(2002), focus on the individual, either by providing support to employees or by assisting them in
dealing with workplace difficulties. In businesses, managing the impacts of stress is more crucial
than eliminating or reducing the stress itself. Offer employees a variety of stress-reduction
programmes rather than interventions to change the nature of employment, which would provide a
more effective solution for the problem. Employee assistance programmes, including as counselling
and support services, have shown potential in lowering stress, although their effectiveness is still
limited. Teaching or counselling staff members stress management techniques provides long-term
benefits for their mental health and overall welfare, despite the fact that they are just short-term
solutions. Elkin and Rosch have assembled a wide range of strategies that seek to improve worker
autonomy, engagement, and control (1990). These strategies include restructuring tasks and the
physical work environment, defining roles more clearly, defining more flexible work schedules,
participative management, employee-centered career development programmes, providing
feedback and social support to employees, and developing a more equitable reward system. These
techniques could aid in preventing work-related stress rather than managing it after it has already
manifested. Between 75% and 90% of all appointments with primary care physicians are for stress-
related issues. Up to 80% of workplace accidents and 40% of job turnover are attributed to stress.
Canadian firms lose $12 billion annually due to illnesses brought on by stress. Stress-related
absenteeism have increased by more than 300% since 1995. by the American Institute of Stress
According to Statistics Canada, those who work in stressful environments have up to a three-fold
increase in back pain, a five-fold increase in the risk of colon cancer, and a four-fold increase in
cardiovascular problems.
The pressures in life that are most closely associated with health concerns are workplace problems,
more so than financial problems or family problems. Medical Canada
Each year, Karoshi kills about 30,000 people in Japan (over work). A study by the Delhi-based NGO
Saarthak found that 50% of the employees in 30 Indian companies experienced problems related to
stress. More than 60% of employees report feeling worried at work, according to US and UK studies.
St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Co.

This qualitative study expands on a previous survey from 2010 that was reported in the Journal of
Occupational and Environmental Medicine and indicated that individuals who worked 12 hours per
day had a 37% greater risk of illness and injury than those who worked less hours. According to a

Vol. 16, No.3 (II), July - September 2022 35

JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
ISSN : 2229-5348
UGC Care Group 1 Journal
Northwestern National Life study, one-fourth of employees say that jobs are the largest sources of
stress in their lives. A study by St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Co. found that stress at work had
a stronger connection to health issues than any other kind of stress, including family or financial
stress.

Conceptual Basis for the Study

Sethy and Schulter (1996) outlined four major reasons why job stress and coping have become
important issues:
Concern for individual employee health and well-being: (E.g. coronary heart disease, high Blood
pressure,job related accidents)
The financial impact on organization: (Including days lost due to stress related illness and injury)
Organizational effectiveness: for organizational health and well being
Legal obligations: on employers to provide safe and healthy working environment.
According to Global business and Economic Roundtable of Addiction and Mental
Health, the top 10 stressors are
Lack of Control
When workers have less control over their circumstances, stress levels increase. Request and consider
the workforce's thoughts and opinions.
Lack of Communication
Aim to communicate early and frequently, and remember to listen just as frequently as you speak.
No Recognition
When was the last time you thanked a worker for their efforts? Give more thanks. Put it in writing to
emphasise it even more. Corporate wellness is an intelligent investment that pays off well.
No Feedback, Good or Bad
Don't wait until the annual assessment to provide personnel feedback. They think every day.
Career and Job Ambiguity
Uncertainty surrounding job security or career chances inside the organisation may provide a feeling
of being out of control. Inform employees about your company's status, performance criteria, and
possibilities for advancement.
policies with a lack of direction and clarity
Make sure employees understand the regulations and the company's goals, and let top management
know if they have any questions.
Office squabbling, injustice, and distrust
Everyone should be treated equally, and criticising anybody who makes negative comments about
other employees is allowed. Everyone finds backbiting unpleasant.
Pervasive Uncertainty
This results from sudden or inadequately explained changes. Throughout a meeting, go through
modifications with each participant. After such meetings, everyone should assess the specifics in a
written note to allow emotions to pass.

Unexpected Interruptions
Phone calls, emails, walk-ins, and demands from supervisors might prevent employees from
completing the work at hand. Consider time management training to help people with prioritising and
delegation.
The Treadmill syndrome
Self-defeating behaviours result from having too much or not enough to achieve, which may lead to
high levels of stress. Ensure that the work is allocated evenly, and enlist additional help as needed.
The study's subject is founded on a careful examination of the relevant literature, which also provides
the study's theoretical framework and conceptual framework, adding to the body of knowledge in this
area of study. The research is focused on the following aspects based on a review of the literature: the
effects of stress on the body, cognition, behaviour, and emotions.

Vol. 16, No.3 (II), July - September 2022 36

JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
ISSN : 2229-5348
UGC Care Group 1 Journal
Impact on Body Impact on Mind Impact on Behavior Impact on Emotions
Head aches, Loss of confidence,
taut muscles, Worrying, muddled Accident prone, loss of morefussy
breathlessness thinking, night mares appetite
Frequent drinking and irritability,
infections, skin Impaired judgment, smokingmore depression, apathy
irritations indecisions
Loss of sex
Fatigue, muscular Negativity, hasty drive, insomnia Alienation, apprehension
twitches decisions

IDENTIFIED STRESS COPING STRATEGIES AT ORGANIZATIONAL LEVEL

The research went on to discover organisational level stress coping mechanisms. The findings of this
investigation are as follows.
Programs for Stress Management
conducting programmes for stress management at the corporate level with the goal of raising
awareness of stress and forcing staff to acquire coping mechanisms
Planned Physical Activities for the Job
As doctors have advised, engaging in any physical activity is advised while working since the body
can release tension better via physical exercise.
Stress-Audit
conducting a stress audit at the corporate level with the goal of educating people about what generates
stress and how it affects them. This influences the creation of the most effective stress management
plans.
Programs for modifying one's lifestyle
After consulting with specialists, life style adjustment programmes at the individual and
organisational levels are advised to fight the negative impacts of stress. Individuals should ultimately
be in charge of continuing these activities.
Identifying Stressors and Triggers
The identification of stressors and triggers via ongoing employee health monitoring and proactive
organisational style will be a coping mechanism for stress management.
Friendly organisational culture
Stress management is one of the many organisational outcomes that are impacted by organisational
culture. A helpful organisational structure will include a personal system to comprehend stress and
create effective coping mechanisms.
Designing for Environment and Ergonomics
In the current tech-savvy world, there is a great need for development in the tools used at work and
the actual working environment, and this will surely become one of the finest stress coping
mechanisms at the organisational level.

Programs for Stress Counseling

Introducing stress counselling programmes can help regulate workers' behavioural and emotional
results by helping to recognise and resolve issues connected to stress.
Religious Programs
Conducting spiritual programmes at the organisational level will encourage workers to reflect on their
own behaviour and decrease stress, resulting in a more vibrant and richer environment that may
improve organisational performance.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Following conversations, the following actions may be taken to lessen stress' negative effects on IT
professionals and turn stress into an asset.
Vol. 16, No.3 (II), July - September 2022 37
 JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
ISSN : 2229-5348
UGC Care Group 1 Journal
Self Exploration
Self-examination is the first step in learning who you are. You may learn more about your outlook on
life and what matters to you and what doesn't. Finding a strong foundation will help you grow your
character and leadership style over time, giving you the assurance and composure you need to deal
with everyday life effectively and stress-free.
Character Strength
Character defines who you are by doing the right thing when no one is [Link] genuine measure
of a person's character is not how much they can accomplish, but rather how they respond when they
are unsure of what to do. Your ideas, deeds, routines, conduct, and destiny are all manifestations of
your character. You succeed and are really unique in the world because of it.
Leadership
Leaders are created, not born. And they are created by laborious labour, just like everything else. And
that is the cost we will incur in order to reach the objective. Your future is something you design. To
make your life worthwhile, you should inspire, drive, and take charge of it.
Practice 3 c's
You may lead yourself appropriately to develop a perfect route for a stress-free and easy existence by
removing Conflicts and exercising the suitable Controls to make the correct Choices.

CONCLUSIONS
The stress problem has become modern, and because it is an occupational danger in the quick-paced
IT industry, it has to be treated right now. As a result, it is becoming more important to research
different degrees of stress among IT employees. At the organisational level, firms like Tata
Consultancy Services, Infosys, Wipro, Microsoft, and Cognizant, among others, have started to pay
attention to well-designed coping techniques. When it is recognised and well handled, stress may make
a person productive and beneficial. It is always important to remain active and channel your emotions
and energy into something constructive during times of extreme stress or misfortune. Meditation and
a positive outlook will be beneficial for managing stress. A wider perspective on life will undoubtedly
alter how stress is perceived. We can only hope that we are effective in turning stress into eu-stress for
the sake of both our personal and professional well-being.

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