THE EFFECT OF OCCUPATIONAL STRESS IN THE WORKPLACE
ERICK NYAKUNDI ONSONGO erickonsongo@rocketmail.com LECTURER, HUMAN RESOURCE & STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT, KISII UNIVERSITY
ABSTRACT
Stress is becoming part of life, recent lifestyle changes, growing demands on people to find suitable employment, rising cost of living, and growing competition in the market contribute to increase stress at the work place. Although stress has been found to have both positive and negative influences on the human mind and body, sustained or pervasive stress tends to have an illness producing effect on the individual especially if the person has a genetic predisposition or genetic vulnerability. However all persons who are employed may not be biologically and psychosocially adept at working in extremely challenging work set ups. The field of occupational stress intervention in general has been rapidly expanding during the last three decades. There are many different intervention strategies available to prevent and cure the adverse health effects associated with occupational stress. These intervention strategies may focus on the individual, the organization or the individual-organizational interface. Most stress interventions however focus on changing the worker instead of the work environment (Semmer, 2003). This paper examines about conceptual development of occupational stress and intervention strategies against occupational stress.
KEYWORDS; Stress, Performance, occupation
Introduction to the paper
Work stress is defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when job requirements do not match the worker’s capabilities, resources, and needs (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health 1999). It is recognized world-wide as a major challenge to individual mental and physical health, and organizational health (ILO 1986). Stressed workers are also more likely to be unhealthy, poorly motivated, less productive and less safe at work. And their...