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Stress not ALWAYS unhealthy: TeamLease study

TeamLease releases 7th survey in "India's New World of Work" series on 'Stress at Workplace'; Around 27% respondents admitted tohave hit somebody when stressed - a low response reflecting unacceptability ofsuch means to alleviate stress levels.

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Bangalore, Karnataka, September 16, 2009 /India PRwire/ -- TeamLease Services, India’s largest staffing company, todayreleased the findings of its latest survey “Stress at Workplace”. This is the 7thsurvey commissioned by TeamLease in a series to understand India’s new “World of Work”.

Key Findings of the Survey

• Overall 61% respondents feel that ‘stressat work is healthy’. Around ¾ respondents in Pune and Bangalore feel the same way. In Mumbai and Ahmedabad there is an equalmix of responses who feel that stress at work is healthy or not.
• Over 65% of respondents fromOperations, Marketing and Sales feel that stress is healthy probably because ofthe nature of work involved with their job function. HR/Admin reported thelowest response with a 52% response.
• ‘Amount of work to be performed’ and ‘Managingothers’ work’ are the biggest stressors causing dissatisfaction. ‘Keeping upwith technology’, closely followed by the ‘attitude of spouse/partner’ are alsostressors that create negative emotions.
• Over 2/3rd respondents didnot feel that carrying work home causes any kind of stress.
• To cope up with stress, over 2/3rd ofrespondents try to recognize their limitations/fault at work and takecorrective action. Least of the options considered are “taking a few days off (48%)”and “Looking out for a new job (45%)”.
• 60% respondents said that theircompany conducted ‘Employee Satisfaction Survey’ periodically to understand andto come up with solutions to combat workplace stress. ‘Confidentialcounselling’ is the next best solution offered by the companies to combatworkplace stress. Offering ‘health club membership’ to the employees (31%) is notan offering popular with organizations.
• Among the cities surveyed, Amdavadis came across as most satisfied with various facets of their worklife, like relationship with colleagues, conflict resolution, amount of work,level of salary, amount of flexibility and work environment. Puneites were theleast satisfied.
• Office politics and lack of power / influenceseem to stress Delhiites more than their counterparts in other cities.
• Overall, 68% respondents feel thatcompanies should ‘formulate policies’ to identify and help employees deal withstress. Over 90% respondents from Mumbai and Kolkata share this opinion. 31%respondents from Delhi feel that formulating a formal policy will not help employeesin dealing with stress.
• ‘Headache’ and ‘inability to get sleep’are the two main symptoms that respondents face when stressed. Against thepopular belief, only 30% respondents felt like smoking under stress.
• Around 27% respondents admitted tohave hit somebody when stressed – a low response reflecting unacceptability ofsuch means to alleviate stress levels.
• Camaraderie – Around 60% employees triedto help their stressed out colleagues through various means like renderingadvices, moral support, financial support, counseling or working with them tofind areas of improvement.
  

The study undertaken across keycities in India revealed that stress has becomesuch a normal part of work life that majority (61%) of the respondents found ithealthy. This further went up to 65% for employees from sales, marketing andoperations functions. The survey points out that exposure to constant stress inmany functions might well be the cause of such an altered belief.

However, recognizing their own limitations/ fault at work and taking corrective action is the most sought out option tocope up with stress. Taking a break from work (few days off) or looking foranother job were considered as the least preferred solutions to workplacestress.

Accordingto Surabhi Mathur-Gandhi, General Manager, Permanent Staffing, TeamLeaseServices, “The popular notion ofstress as a negative force that causes discontentment and discord may be dated.Our survey captures the bittersweet - but mostly sweet – feelings aroundworkplace stress and coping mechanisms that probably represent the youthificationof India’s workforce. This generation and cohort viewsstress as feedback for change but obviously human resource groups in companieshave to be vigilant about striking the right balance.”

CITY HIGHLIGHTS

Ahmedabad

Bangalore

• 51% respondents believe stress is healthy.
• Around 90% are comfortable with relationship, conflict resolution, amount of work, level of salary, amount of flexibility and environment at their workplace. Only 6% feel stressed while taking work home.
• Looking out for another job is not in vogue in Ahmedabad, only 6% opt for it, lowest among the cities.

• 72% respondents believe stress is healthy. Highest among the cities.
• 52% feel their company is stable and has taken good care of them.
• 74% feel pressurized keeping up with advancements in technology.
• Only 50% of the respondents in Bangalore try to identify their faults in order to cope up with stress.

Chennai

New Delhi

• Only 40% are satisfied with their level of salary.
• 3/4th of respondents don’t feel any stress due to long working hours.
• 36% look out for another job in order to do away with stress; highest among the cities.

• Apart from the ‘amount of work’ (73%), other major cause of stress for Delhi employees is the ‘lack of influence’ (71%).
• Majority of Delhiites feels pressurized by inadequate guidance, keeping up with advances in technology, ambiguity in nature of job, inadequate/poor training and spouse’s/partner’s attitude
• 75% feel stressed, when working with the opposite sex.
• 69% believe formulating formal policy will not help in dealing with stress.

Hyderabad

Kolkata

• 64% feel stressed, while making decisions.
• 18% suppress emotions when stressed; seeking support is the mantra to cope up with stress (69%).

• 78% get most stressed when asked to manage other people’s work.
• Only 8% feel stress due to personality clash at workplace.
• Only 8% feel like taking few days off in order to cope up with stress, or taking to any physical activity (30%); least among the cities.
• 90% believe formulating formal policy will help in dealing with stress.

Mumbai

Pune

• 77% respondents feel stressed due to relationship with other people.
• 91% believe formulating formal policy will help in dealing with stress.

• Pune is the least satisfied when it comes to relationship with colleagues, conflict resolution, amount of work, level of salary, amount of flexibility and environment at their workplace.
• 74% believe they are over-worked.

The survey respondents includedemployees across the cities of Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune. Therespondents’ profile ranged between the age group of 30-45 years across industries;and functions of sales, marketing, business development, operations, finance, admin/HRand systems (IT).

Structured telephonic interviews wereconducted by global research firm Synovate for TeamLeasewith working adults across eight major cities during the period of August 2009for a total sample size of 400.

Notes to Editor

About Teamlease’s “World of Work” survey series

Teamlease Services, as a market leader, has playeda pivotal role in understanding India Inc from an employee and employerstandpoint to bridge the demand-supply gap. The current survey series aims to understandthe pulse of young Indian workforce in urban centres. The first of the serieslooked at ‘Romance at the workplace’ while the second one covered the issues of‘Two career couples’, followed by ‘Why youth pick and chuck jobs’ and thefourth one being ‘Nothing ethical about ethics’. ‘Gender Differences in Bosses” was the fifthsurvey in the series. The sixth such study focused on youth’s “ChangingExpectations at Workplace”.

About TeamLease Services Pvt. Ltd

TeamLeaseServices (TeamLease™), India's largest Staffing Solutions company, has beenspearheading the Temporary Staffing revolution in India for more than 6 years now. In this short span oftime, TeamLease has deployed more than half a million candidates, and in doingso, it has emerged as one of India's largest private sector employers. The companycurrently has over 75,000 employees on its rolls, in over 800 locations acrossthe country, working for more than 1000 clients. TeamLease serves its clients,associates and candidates through a network of 24 offices, a nationwidetoll-free helpline [600 12345], online employment exchanges in partnership withstate governments, the web (www.teamlease.com), and a host of employabilityinitiatives such as assessments, training and counseling.