Job stress at work place - an insight

Today life is full of stress- both on the personal & the professional fronts. Hans Seyle, the father of stress research, points out that all noxious stimuli damage body tissues. Even high levels of stress experienced by individuals could result in high blood pressure, accident proneness, irritability & difficulty in making decisions. In today's context," stress is a costly business expense that affects both employee health & company profits." This is so because, if the health does not allow the body to function normally, it will lead to increased absenteeism, late comings & short leaves in the organization. Evidence also suggests that stress is the major cause of turnover in organizations. The ICRIER study, which surveyed 81 companies, said they lose approximately 14% of their annual working days due to employee sickness. Less than a third of them provide their staff with preventive health risk increases an employee's on the job productivity by 9% & cuts absenteeism by 2%, the study said. India's per capita health spending of $7 is one of the lowest in the world & is a fraction of what the United States spends-$ 2,548, according to a 2006 WHO report. This paper is an effort to make an insight to understand stress, its causes & impact, & adopting strategies for minimizing its impact.