STRESS MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES PRODUCTIVITY: CASE STUDY AKWA IBOM WATER COMPANY LIMITED

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Excessive stress is considered to be one of the main factors affecting employees performance and productivity. Work-related stress is considered to be the product of an imbalance between environmental demands and individual capabilities (Rees and Redfern, 2003). In today’s world, stress has become a phenomenon which occurs in various forms in every workplace. In today’s work life, employees are generally working for longer hours, as the rising level of responsibilities require them to exert themselves even more strenuously to meet rising expectation about work performance (Mark, 2012).
Stress can be defined as a physical, mental, or emotional response to events that causes bodily or mental tension. Stress in general can be defined as the reaction of individuals to demands (stressors) imposed upon them. It refers to situations where the well-being of individual is detrimentally affected by their failure to cope with the demands of their environment (Erkutlu and Chafra, 2006). According to Schermerhorn, Hunt and Osborn (2008), stress is a state of tension experienced by individuals facing extraordinary demands, constraints, or opportunities. It is a mental and physical condition which affects an individual’s productivity, effectiveness, personal health and quality of work (Holmlund-Rytk, Nen and Strandvik, 2005). Stress may results in high portion of absence from work and loss of employment. This is mainly due to the competitive nature of the job environment, shift in work demands and economic hardship owing to the economic recession. This is perhaps the general trend which indicates declining performance/productivity. People differ dramatically in the type of events they interpret as stressful and the way in which they respond to such stress. Stress is also an inevitable component in human life. Some stress is essential and promotes personal growth but excessive stress or an inappropriate way of coping with stress brings about negative results. Stress is one of the most fundamental problems spanning through human endeavor. (Meneze, 2005)
Nweze (2005) stated that for two and half decades, stress phenomenon has become a topical issue in management development, seminars and workshops in Nigeria. He further stated that the popularity of stress stems from a number of obvious reasons. First, nobody is immune to stress. We can be caught up in a situation that causes or induces stress in the individual. Thus as a part of human living the young, old, rich, poor, professionals and lay men alike are potential victims of stress. Second, because stress is viewed as the disease of growth and development, there is the search for the stress virtue in modern life. Nweze (2005) further stated that our traditional mechanisms of handling the stresses and strains of living are fast breaking down. This is being precipitated by the factor of rapid urban development, increasing corporate regimentation of work life, breakdown of social supports, increasing personal and group conflicts, including security threats to life and property. Stress has become part and parcel of life in human societies. The frustrations, disappointments and pressures of daily life constitute the genesis of stress. Stress has been conceptualized in many ways.
Brynien (2006) posit that stress has a positive effect on employees of any organization but up to a certain extent which an employee can cope with, in most cases if it exceeds the bearable limits it results in negative results on employee’s performance.
Studies estimate that work-related stress alone costs the businesses and governments of those countries about £20 billion in absenteeism and related health costs, in addition to the price of lower productivity, higher staff turnover and reduced ability to innovate. According to Vinassa 2003), work stress and other psychosocial factors are recognized worldwide as a major challenge to workers’ health and the health of organizations. Work stress has been proved to adversely impact on individuals’ psychological and physical health, as well as organizations effectiveness. Workers who are stressed are more likely to be unhealthy, poorly motivated, less productive and less safe to work with at work. Organizations whose workers are stressed are also less likely to be successful in a competitive market.
Stress can be brought about by pressures at home and work. Employers of labor in Nigeria do not protect their workers from stress arising outside and within the work place (Adetayo, Ajani and Olabisi, 2014). Organizations as well as their workers have been facing hardship for some time, considering that employers of labor are not adhering to the International Labor Organization protocol which posit that employers of labor should initiate a stress management policy that will not only enhance the effectiveness and productivity of their organizations but will boost their morale at work and make them healthier (Bewell, Yakubu, Owotunse and Ojih, 2014). The pressure of change, as well as challenges such as financial constraints, increased workloads, the information and technological revolution, changes in employees demographics and employees‟ levels of preparedness, changes in management styles and structures and the merging of institutions, tended to become stressors and taking their toll on many employees (Olivier, De Jager, Grootboom and Tokota, 2005). Therefore in order to get the work done effectively, the organization or manager should properly manage the level of stress.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Many organizations in the world are witnessing an alarming increase of the negative effects of stress on employee’s productivity (Henry and Evans, 2008). Some organizations with the aim of attaining higher productivity end up saddling employees with overload of work in order to meet deadline and this might have psychological and physical effects on the employees which may result in something contrary to what these organizations want to achieve (Mark, 2012). Although organizations are paying more attention than in the past to the consequences of the trauma their employees go through when they place extraordinary demands on them, there is still more room for improvement. Again to generate enough revenue to be self-sustaining and to be able to fund the acquisition of modern equipment meant efficient service provision and optimal employment of resources. The ability to manage stress in the workplace can make the difference between success and failure of an institution.
Roger further highlights that employees are the most important resource to an organization and therefore stress depletes organizations their valued resources. Lynn and Corbidge, (2004) further highlights that stress costs business billions of dollars each year, this results from loss of business, absenteeism, failure to meet deadlines, low employees’ performance and low employees commitment. Stress and its causes have been studied a lot; in fact, Agrawal (2001) indicated that stress nowadays is not something new, not anything unknown. However, stress is still causing havoc in work place, reducing employee productivity and organizational performance. All this mentioned above is prevalent in all organization of which Akwa Ibom Water Company is no exception. Basically, these problems necessitate the need for assessing the causes of stress among employees in Akwa Ibom Water Company, the effect of stress among employees and several measures put in place to minimize stress in the company.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The main objective of this study is to ascertain the relationship between stress management and employees productivity in Public Organization with particular reference to Akwa Ibom Water Company, from which the following specific objectives were drawn to:
identify the causes of stress among employee’s in Akwa Ibom Water Company.
examine the effect of stress on employees productivity;
assess the relationship between stress management and employees productivity; and
identify the measures put in place to manage stress in Akwa Ibom Water Company.