Introduction
Every organization creates an effective internal business environment to drive a particular behavior of employees. The management assigns different tasks to different employees according to their skills, job positions, and related responsibilities. However, in the contemporary work era, employees seem frustrated at the workplace. This frustration turns into stress or occupational stress. Work stress occurs when employees face unexpected responsibilities and pressure. The pressure and responsibility usually contradict with employee’s skills, knowledge, and expectations. On the other hand, it creates a negative impact on work productivity. The output of an employee according to expectation is called work or employee productivity. It can be reduced due to work stress. The research indicates the relationship between work stress and productivity, and its impact on both employees and the organization.
The topic has been narrowed by observing the causes and impact of work stress in different organizations. Increasing employee turnover, lack of efficiency, and job dissatisfaction are triggered by work stress (Banerjee & Mehta, 2016). Thus, these factors have helped to narrow the topic and come up with several theories and implications.
Work stress and productivity can be elaborated in the context of the internal business environment, especially at the workplace. It has been revealed that work stress occurs at the bottom-line of the company. Thus, the research has been conducted in the context of the workplace.
This topic is important because it is related to the overall business performance in the internal business environment. Human resource management is a prominent business function, and the administration usually intends to make several work and employee policies to reduce stress and enhance productivity. The purpose of an organization is to build a strong workforce and enable sustainability in the long run. The exploration of the topic can help to make better employee strategies to reduce the stress and eliminate the productivity barriers
Theoretical Base
Work stress can be perceived differently. In different organizations, both employees and the management have perceived the stress differently. For Instance, traditionally, the administration usually sees the pressure as a lack of ability or employee inefficiency. On the other hand, with the perspective of employees, stress occurs when things emerge beyond expectations (Vijayan, 2017).
The transactional model of stress is a prominent model that conceptualizes pressure as an interactive process, which relies on the person and the environment. It causes tension in the workplace. This theory or model indicates primary and secondary appraisals. In the primary appraisal, it is to be observed what is at stake for an individual. Conversely, secondary appraisal states the evaluation of different coping options to change the condition. More significantly, the level of work stress can be perceived by navigating the control of an individual on the stressful event. Thus, according to this model or theory, work stress is an outcome of an individual evaluation of the stressful event. The impact on individual well-being and selected coping method are two main elements of this theory (Willis & Burnett, 2016).
Person-environment fit is another appropriate theory that can help to elaborate the work stress and productivity in both modern and traditional organizations. This theory states that an individual or person has particular personality traits or characteristics, which may match or contradict with the work environment. If these characteristics are matched, the work stress will be lower. On the other hand, if a person fails to match these characteristics, he may contain a high job or work stress (Chen, Sparrow, & Cooper, 2016).
Regarding employee productivity, Elton Mayo’s human relations management is an appropriate theory that can support the research topic. This theory states that a happy worker is always a productive worker. Conversely, unhappy workers will lead to poor production (Muldoon, 2017). The research needs to support this theoretical concept by stating some critical traits of the management to make an employee happy. The happier employee does not contain stress. Instead of just focusing on rewards and motivation, the organization or administration can examine the big picture to facilitate employees (Naude, Kruger, de Beer, Saayman, & Jonker, 2016).
Research Question
How management and work environment create an impact on work stress and productivity?
Hypothesis
“The work stress and productivity can be improved by improving the work environment and building a better relationship with employees.”
Relationships between the main characteristics or values are explicit and reasonable. It is a fact that all elements, which have been depicted in the theories, are observed in the workplace. These values and characteristics are reasonable, as these can help to derive several perspectives in the research process.
The research hypothesis is related to the research question. It indicates that the research is conducted on a particular topic and associated dimensions. The hypothesis is testable because several elements or factors of the statement can be observed in both small and large organizations. Thus, the hypothesis can be tested through different methods. Similarly, the result of the study can be interpreted.
Differing results in a new and insightful set of categories can be justified by stating work stress and productivity separately. However, these terms can be combined in the research proofs when interpreting results. Ultimately, work stress and productivity are interrelated.
Research
Within the broader theoretical base, the investigation falls according to expectations. For Instance, by keeping the transactional model in mind, it is observed that modern organizations have perceived stress differently. Concerning the primary and secondary appraisal, the management of the company intends to reduce the stress and increase productivity by increasing the resilience of employees. The most important thing is to improve a person’s ability to face pressure. Multitasking and job versatility have become modern workplace trends, and shaping the employee’s behavior to combat stress is the best approach to get results in the form of productivity (Ackfeldt & Malhotra, 2013).
Regarding the person-environment fit, the management of the company always intends to provide support to employees to understand the working environment. The supervisor support mediating effect is in the limelight in different organizations, which can change the behavior and reduce stress. For instance, the supervisor assists an employee in understanding the work environment, increasing workability, and developing a new skill set to get the work done (Karimi, Gilbreath, Kim, & Grawitch, 2014). With an increase in the person’s ability, stress levels can be reduced along with an increase in productivity (Schmidt, Chapman, & Jones, 2015).
Also, the research has been conducted according to the theoretical base. The management of the company, especially human resource management, usually makes several employee strategies to improve performance. Motivation is one of the most appropriate tools to make employees happy and assertive at work. Promotions, incentives, work-life balance initiative, and other rewards create a positive impact on the employee; behavior and increase their ability to face complicated things adequately. It is related to Elton Mayo’s human relations management theory, and the research elaborated all detailed insights.
Results have been derived by conducting surveys in different organizations. Employees at the bottom-line and managerial level of the company participated in this research process. Over 100 people were involved in the research process. The research team asked several questions related to work stress and productivity. This research style was chosen to save time and contain an open discussion with participants.
It is qualitative research, as the analysis contains observations, ideas, opinions, thoughts, and insights from different previous inquiries. The research study stated insights, which are obtained from the working class of various organizations. Employees at different positions provided valuable feedback.
Proper controls for the characteristics or values tested are quite visible. The impact of variables due to the shift in the management strategy or working environment is highlighted effectively along with proper control and interpretation.
The design can be improved, as the research is well structured and organized. Results and implication are related to research questions and hypothesis. The choice of measures is appropriate. The study emphasized the validity measures to make the whole research valid.
Due to time limitations and the narrowed topic, the population of the research is pertinent. Using 100 participants to obtain data is a right option to interpret results. When using 100 participants, the research always has an opportunity to enhance the validity measures. It can be said the research has a space to obtain and absorb insights. The sample of the research is not specified. It is appropriate, as employees from different levels of organizations are selected to tell different perceptions about stress and its impact on productivity. All these results can be generalized by the sample, as the interpretation is just according to what participants revealed during the data collection process.
Hence, the research illustrated the results and discussed several insights, which justify the rationality of the question and hypothesis.
Results & discussions
The research completely supports the theoretical base. Three theories such as the transactional model of stress, person-environment fit, and Elton Mayo’s human relations management are triggered by the several management initiatives to reduce stress and augment productivity. The data are appropriate for the study because it is related to the workplace context. The evidence is that the data portrays the main causes of work stress, such as lack of motivation, lack of skills, lack of abilities and poor working environment. As a consequence, data tells several possible management strategies to get rid of this problem and get the expected productivity from employees. (Lockwood, Henderson, & Stansfeld, 2017)
Control variables adequately were handled in the data analysis. For Instance, the work environment is the control variable in the whole investigation. The theoretical base or several theories can be applied in the workplace to change the behavior and reduce the stress. The relevant variable in the research process is the workplace. However, the work environment could be considered in the research process. Due to some possible changes from the management, it seems tough to include this variable.
The result of the statistical analysis is consistent with the conclusion of the study. Both indicate the better work environment and employee supervising as the best options to reduce the stress and accelerate the productivity. The research also states an alternative conclusion, which suggests the training and development process for employees to eliminate occupational stress. The training and development in the current working environment can alter the things for both employees and the management in this contemporary business era (Chen, Sparrow, & Cooper, 2016). An alternative conclusion is always an option for the administration to make some changes and meet goals and objectives. Depending on the work nature and type of the workplace, alternative conclusion or solutions must be adopted.
Limitations & implications
Both theoretical and practical implications have been discussed in the research. For Instance, in the theoretical base three theories, which are associated with occupational or work stress and productivity, are elaborated. However, in the research section, practical strategies, which have been executed in organizations, are examined. The research streamlines the journey from a theoretical base to practical approaches. The hypothesis of the study suggests the practical implication of an organization to protect employees from stress and augment their ability to contribute effectively.
The study also depicts some limitation. The significant limitation was the time, as the research was to be conducted and concluded within the given time. Due to limited financial capacity, the study shows results from a few industries.
Conclusion
In the end, it is to conclude that work or occupational stress is a real problem in today’s organizations. Employee turnover has been increased in different industries due to the rising stress level. This fact made the whole research adequate. Theories in the research process are advanced, which provided the support to both causes and solutions. In the contemporary business, the management usually experiences the sophisticated behavior of employees. Thus, results and interpretation showed some advanced techniques to get expected results. The chosen topic area needs a practical application of advanced theories. Theoretical models, evidence some possible practical approaches that the management of the company can use to decrease stress. In this limited research study, no research gap occurred. It was detailed research with some considerable results.
References
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Banerjee, S., & Mehta, P. (2016). Determining the Antecedents of Job Stress and Their Impact on Job Performance: A Study Among Faculty Members. IUP Journal of Organizational Behavior , 15 (2), 7-24.
Chen, P., Sparrow, P., & Cooper, C. (2016). The relationship between person-organization fit and job satisfaction. Journal of Managerial Psychology , 31 (5), 946-959.
Karimi, L., Gilbreath, B., Kim, T.-Y., & Grawitch, M. J. (2014). Come rain or come shine: supervisor behavior and employee job neglect. Leadership & Organization Development Journal , 35 (3), 210-225.
Lockwood, G., Henderson, C., & Stansfeld, S. (2017). An assessment of employer liability for workplace stress. International Journal of Law and Management , 59 (2), 202-216.
Muldoon, J. (2017). The Hawthorne studies: an analysis of critical perspectives, 1936-1958. Journal of Management History , 23 (1), 74-94.
Naude, R., Kruger, S., de Beer, L. T., Saayman, M., & Jonker, C. (2016). The relationship between personality types and leisure time activities amongst Casino employees’ workplace expectations. SA Journal of Human Resource Management , 14 (1), 1-11.
Schmidt, J. A., Chapman, D. S., & Jones, D. A. (2015). Does Emphasizing Different Types of Person-Environment Fit in Online Job Ads Influence Application Behavior and Applicant Quality? Evidence from a Field Experiment. Journal of Business and Psychology , 30 (2), 267-282.
Vijayan, M. (2017). Impact of Job Stress on Employees Job Performance in Aavin, Coimbatore. Journal of Organisation and Human Behaviour , 6 (3), 21-29.
Willis, K. D., & Burnett, H. J. (2016). The Power of Stress: Perceived Stress and Its Relationship with Rumination, Self-Concept Clarity, and Resilience. North American Journal of Psychology , 18 (3), 483-498.
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