5.1 results and discussion -...

[147]

5.1 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Occupational stress is a pervasive phenomenon which exists at all levels of

organizational hierarchy and in all work setting. An attempt has been made to

study occupational stress and draw a comparison between degree of stress

experienced by male - female employees, public sector - private sector employees

and employees of two income groups. Present study has been carried out in

Guwahati city. Nine organizations covering public and private sector have been

identified and Occupational Stress Index (developed by Srivastava and Singh

1981) with a demographic schedule were distributed among the employees to

identify the extent of occupational stress.

Occupational Stress Index (OSI) developed by (Srivastava & Singh 1981) and a

demographic schedule was administered on equal number of employees’ sector

wise, gender wise and income wise to facilitate logical comparison of data. There

are two groups of income, high income and low income. Low income denotes an

income of equal to or less than rupees fifty thousand but more than twenty five

thousand. High income denotes an income of anything more than fifty thousand

rupees.

The study was conducted in exploratory framework to examine the stress level.

The sample consists of three independent variables namely, sector, gender and

income.

The total sample is 320 employees. Judgemental sampling technique is adopted

and questionnaires (OSI and demographic schedule) are deliberately distributed in

such a way that 160 constitute of public sector employees and 160 constitute of

private sector employees. Again out of total 320 respondents, fifty percent

comprises of male and fifty percent comprises of female employees. Among 160

public and private sector employees, 80 consist of male employees and 80 consist

of female employees for comparison of stress. The male and female employees

have been divided equally in two income groups.

[148]

SAMPLE CLASSICATION

PUBLIC SECTOR (N= 160) PRIVATE SECTOR (N= 160)

Male (N= 80) Female (N=80) Male (N= 80) Female (N=80)

High

Income

(N=40)

Low

Income

(N=40)

High

Income

(N=40)

Low

Income

(N=40)

High

Income

(N=40)

Low

Income

(N=40)

High

Income

(N=40)

Low

Income

(N=40)

To fulfill the second objective of the study which is to identify the existence and

extent of stress among employees, the total score of the Occupational Stress Index

Scale was used. The scale consists of 46 items, each rated on the five point scale.

Out of 46 items some are true keyed and some are false keyed whose marking is

different.

The total score of the individual questionnaires indicate whether the employees

are highly stressed, moderately stressed or low stressed. Scores in between 46-127

indicate low stress; scores in between 128-150 indicate moderate stress and scores

more than 150 indicate high stress.

Table III placed in the annexure shows the existence and extent of stress among

male and female employees in public and private sector organizations under two

income groups. It appears from the table that 34.06 per cent (109/320) of the

employees are low stressed; 37.8 per cent (121/320) of employees are moderately

stressed and rest 28.13 per cent (90/320) is highly stressed. The total sample size

is 320 employees. It is observed that almost similar proportion of employees have

reported to be experiencing stress of low and moderate degree. However, a little

less proportion of employees reported high degree of stress in their job.

The responses of the questionnaires have been analyzed through calculating

mean, standard deviation and independent t-test. The data have been calculated

[149]

through SPSS (statistical package for social science) package. Independent t-test

has been adopted as there is no overlapping of employees in public sector versus

private sector, male versus female and high income versus low income.

Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality test

Kolmogorov-Smirnov(a)

Statistic Df Sig

Stress Index .046 320 0.096

a Lilliefors Significance Correction

Significant level is at P<0.05

Kolmogorov- Smirnov test has been performed on a sample of 320 employees and

the test statistic is found at 0.046. The P value is calculated at 95% of confidence

level. Table 5.1 shows that the significant value so found is 0.096 which is more

than 0.05. Thus it is assumed that the distribution of scores is normal and within

the permissible limits. T-test being a parametric test can be successfully applied in

comparison of stress level between organizational sectors, gender and income

groups.

Table-5.1 Sector wise, gender wise and income wise results of stress levels in

organizations.

Gender N Mean S.D Std.error

mean

T df Sig(2

tailed)

Male

public+private

160 128.23 11.133 0.880

-1.045

318

.297

[150]

Female

public+private

160 129.71 14.046 1.110

Low income

Male+female

160 128.33 12.088 .956

-.904

318

.367

High income

male+female

160 129.61 13.244 1.047

Public sector

male+female

160 130.51 13.122 1.037

2.178

318

.030

Private sector

male+female

160 127.44 12.060

.953

Source: Independent field survey 2010, 2011.

Note: The explanation of the above table (5.1) is presented in table 5.1(a); 5.1(b)

and 5.4 in the later pages.

[151]

Table 5.1(a) Comparative analysis of stress level between public sector and

private sector employees.

Organizational

Sectors N Mean

Std.

Deviation

Std. Error

Mean t df

Sig.

(2-

tailed)

Public Sector 160 130.51 13.122 1.037

2.178

318

.030

Private Sector 160 127.44 12.060 .953



HYPOTHESIS 1: There is no difference in the stress level of employees in

public and private sector organizations.

The above hypothesis has been tested in table 5.1(a) and results are discussed

below.

Table 5.1(a) is a summary description of sample classification shown above. The

table is used to analyze the general stress level experienced by the employees

working in public and private sector organizations. It appears from table 5.1(a)

that the mean score and standard deviation of employees in public sector are

higher than private sector employees. Standard deviation shows how much

variation or dispersion exists from the average (mean, or expected value). A low

standard deviation indicates that the data points are very close to the mean. The

significant value is 0.05 and the calculated value is 0.30. As the calculated value

is less than 0.05, test result is statistically significant (probable difference is 0.015

(0.030/2). Thus, H1 is rejected and concluded that there is difference between

stress level of employees in public sector and private sector organizations.

OBSERVATION AND FINDINGS:

It has been observed that the public sector employees are more stressed than the

[152]

private sector employees. The present study support the observation made by

(Mohan and Chauhan 1999)1, who reported that public sector managers were

more stressed than private sector employees and they perceive the work culture as

unsupportive. This view was supported by (Khurshid et al. 2011)2 who carried out

a study between public sector and private sector university teachers and

concluded that public sector university teachers experience much higher degree of

stress than private sector university teachers. However, opposite trend was found

by (Mishra et al. 1999)3

who found that private sector employees were more

stressed out as compared to public sector employees on grounds of organizational

frustration and alienation. On the same note, (Sankpal et al. 2010)4 found that

private sector bank employees experienced higher organizational role stress than

their public bank counterparts. Looking at various aspects of components of

organizational role stress, it was observed that there was no difference between

the public and private sector employees in certain aspects like role expectation

conflict, role isolation, personal inadequacy and role ambiguity. However, no

stress difference in organizational sectors has been noted by (Macklin et al.

2006)5. They challenged the existing notion that stress is only a private sector

phenomenon.

Table 5.1(b) Comparative analysis of stress level between male and female

employees engaged in both public and private sector organizations.

Gender N Mean

Std.

Deviation

Std. Error

Mean t df

Sig.

(2-

tailed)

Male 160 128.23 11.133 0.880

-1.045

318

.297

Female 160 129.71 14.046 1.110



[153]

HYPOTHESIS 2: No difference exists in the stress level of male and female

employees in public and private sector organizations.

The above hypothesis has been tested in table 5.1(b) and results are presented

below

The mean score of male and female employees is 128.23 and 129.71 respectively.

The standard deviation of male and female employees is 11.133 and 14.046

respectively. Standard deviation measures the way an individual score deviates

from the most representative score (mean). A small standard deviation indicates

little individual deviation or a homogeneous group, and a large standard deviation

indicates much individual deviation or a heterogeneous group. A smaller standard

deviation in table 5.1(b) shows little individual score deviation from the average.

Standard error mean is also very less which indicates less sampling errors

affecting the statistic. The P value of the above table is 0.297. The significant

difference is calculated at 95% of CI level. The test result is found to be

statistically insignificant (ie., p value > 0.05).

Thus, H2 may be accepted and concluded that there is no significant difference in

the stress level of male and female employees across organizations.


The present study goes contrary to the observation made by (Tyagi and Sen

2000)6 who found that female managers were more stressed out than male

managers. Females were more likely to adopt positive coping strategies, they had

lower overall job satisfaction scores and were more at risk of mental and physical

ill-health. (Deosthalee 2000)7 concluded that male engineers experienced more

stress than female managers at the workplace. (Gaur and Dhawan 2000)8 noted

that women professionals used active coping stance, playfulness and initiative as

adaptive patterns in the work place. (Aditya and Sen 1993)9 concluded that

women cope with stress better than their male counterparts. The reason attributed

[154]

to it is that

women are more likely to seek emotional support from others in stressful

situations, whereas men try either to change the stressor or use less effective

coping strategy.

Table 5.2 Comparative analysis of Stress level between male and female

employees in public sector organizations.

Gender N Mean

Std.

Deviation

Std. Error

Mean t df

Sig.

(2-tailed)

Male 80 128.19 11.356 1.270

-2.264

158

.025

Female 80 132.83 14.376 1.607



HYPOTHESIS 3: No difference exists in the stress level of male and female

employees in public sector organizations.

The above hypothesis has been tested in table 5.2 and results are discussed below.

It appears from the table above that the mean and standard deviation of female

employees is higher than male employees in public sector (132.83>128.19 and

14.376>11.356). P (probable difference) value is calculated at 95% of CI level. A

low standard deviation indicates that the data points are very close to the mean.

The test result is significant because the P value is 0.0125 which is less than 0.05.

Hence, H3 is rejected and assumed that difference exists in the stress level of

male and female employees in public sector organizations. Female employees in

public sector experience higher levels of stress as compared to male employees of

public sector.

[155]


It has been found that female employees in public sector organizations are more

stressed than male employees in public sector. Through personal interaction and

discussions it has been observed that lack of required staff at work place is a

common problem among employees in public sector organizations. Similar results

were found by (Davidson, Cooper and Baldini 1995)10

who reported that female

employees were more stressed than male employees in public sector.

Table-5.3 Comparative analysis of stress level between male and female

employees in private sector organizations.

Gender N Mean

Std.

Deviation

Std. Error

Mean t df

Sig.

(2-tailed)

Male 80 128.28 10.978 1.227

.878

158

.381

Female 80 126.60 13.069 1.461



HYPOTHESIS 4: There is no difference in the stress level of male and female

employees in private sector organizations.

The above hypothesis has been tested in table 5.3 and results are interpreted

below. A smaller standard deviation in table 5.3 shows little individual score

deviation from the average. Standard error mean is also very less which indicates

less sampling errors affecting the statistic. It appears from table 5.3 that the

probable difference is 0.19 (0.381/2), which is higher than 0.05. Thus, there is no

significant statistical difference in stress level between male and female

employees in private sector. Therefore, H4 is accepted and assumed that there is

no difference in the stress level of male and female employees in private sector

organizations.

[156]


It has been observed that there exists no difference in the stress level of male and

female employees in private sector organizations. Male and female employees are

more or less equally stressed at job place. The present study does not support the

observation made by (Antoniou, Davidson and Cooper 1986)11

who conducted a

study among 355 male and female doctors in private hospitals in Greece and

found that female doctors were more stressed and less satisfied in their jobs as

compared to male doctors in the same hospitals. Similar results were found by

(Miller et al. 2000)12

who observed that female managers were more stressed than

male managers in private organizations.

Table-5.4 Comparative analysis of stress level between employees of high

income and low income groups in public and private sector organizations.

Income N Mean

Std.

Deviation

Std.

Error

Mean t df

Sig.(2-

Tailed)

Low-income

Upto 50,000

160

128.33

12.088

.956

-.904

318

.367

High-income

Above50000

160

129.61

13.244

1.047


Source: Independent field survey, 2010, 2011.

HYPOTHESIS 5: Discrepancies donot exist in the stress level of employees in

public and private sector among low and high income groups.

The above hypothesis has been tested in table 5.4 and interpretations are stated

below.

It appears from table above that the mean and standard deviation of employees in

[157]

low income group is less than high income group of employees. A small standard

deviation in the table 5.4 indicates little individual deviation or a homogeneous

group. Probable difference is 0.183 (0.367/2) which is greater than 0.05.

Statistically, it may be concluded that there is no difference in the stress level of

employees under two different income groups. Thus, H5 may be accepted and

assumed that discrepancies do not exist in the stress level of employees in public

and private sector among low and high income groups.


The calculation has been done for the total sample (N=320). The results interpret

that there lies no significant difference in stress level of employees drawing

different income in organizations. Although researches have been carried out to

study and compare occupational stress between public and private sector and male

and female employees, stress differentials between employees of different income

groups has not been found so far. An attempt has been made in the present study

to fill up the existing gap by identifying the stress differentials, if any, exist

among employees in different income groups in organizations.

Table-5.5 Comparative analysis of stress level between two income groups in

public sector organizations.

Income N Mean

Std.

Deviation

Std.Error

Mean t df

Sig.(2-

tailed)

Low-income

Upto 50000

80

132.13

13.107

1.465

1.568

158

.119

Highincome

Above50000

80

128.89

13.017

1.455


Source: Independent field survey.

[158]

It appears from table 5.5 that the mean score of the low income group of

employees is higher than high income group in public sector organizations. The

standard deviation of low and high income group is more or less equal ie., 13.107

and 13.017 respectively. A low standard error mean indicates less sampling errors

affecting the statistic. Probable difference is found at 0.06 (0.119/2) which is

greater than 0.05 (significant difference is P<0.05)

From the statistical results in table above, it appears that high and low income

group of public sector has no significant difference in case of stress index scores.


It has been observed that there is no discrepancy in stress level of employees

drawing high and low income in public sector organizations.

Table-5.6 Comparative analysis of stress level between two income groups in

private sector organizations

Income N Mean

Std.

Deviation

Std.Error

Mean t df

Sig.

(2-

tailed)

Low-income

Upto 50000

80

124.54

9.652

1.079

-3.124

158

.002

High income

Above 50000

80

130.34

13.510

1.511



It appears from the table above that a sharp difference exist in mean and standard

deviation scores of low and high income group of employees in private sector

organizations. The mean score is 124.54 of the former and 130.34 of the later.

Standard deviation is 9.652 of low income group and 13.510 of high income

group. The p value so found is 0.01 which is lower than 0.05 (0.02/2). Hence,

[159]

statistical difference has been registered. It may be assumed that the high income

group employees are more stressed out than low income group employees in

private sector.


It has been observed that employees drawing high income are comparatively more

stressed than employees drawing low income in private organizations. Low

income suggest an income of equal to or less than fifty thousand and high income

suggest an income of more than fifty thousand.

Through employee interactions and personal interviews, it has been observed that

employees holding higher positions and drawing more salary in private

organizations experience the pain of executive stress. Employees in supervisory

level experience more of physical stress and managers in middle and top

management experience more of psychological stress. Hence, the findings and

observations are justified on the above grounds.

Further, an attempt has been made to identify and study the correlation between

occupational stress with age of employees, their marital status and spouse

relation. These variables have been studied and responses were collected through

the demographic schedule distributed to the employees. A copy of the

demographic schedule has been placed in the annexure I.

[160]

Table: 5.7 Correlation between age of employees and occupational stress in

organizations.

AGE GROUP RESPONSES NO.OF

RESPONSES

PERCENTAGE

OF RESPONSES

UP TO THE AGE

OF 25.

LOW STRESS 04 67 %

MODERATE STRESS 02 33 %

HIGH STRESS 00 00

26-35

LOW STRESS 11 20 %


HIGH STRESS 15 27 %

36-45

LOW STRESS 13 11 %


HIGH STRESS 61 51 %

46 AND ABOVE

LOW STRESS 24 17 %


HIGH STRESS 51 37 %

Source: Independent field survey, 2010, 2011.

Table 5.7 shows the responses of employees belonging to different age groups in

regard to stress. The respondents of the sample are different aged male and female

employees in public and private sector organizations. There are four categories of

age groups in the study. They are employees up to the age of twenty five (>25),

employees aged twenty six to thirty five (26-35), employees of age in between

thirty six to forty five (36

These four categories of age groups

employees, middle aged employees and upper middle aged employees

respectively. Out of the sample of three hundred a

employees fall in the first category ie., upto the age of 25; fifty

fall in the age group of 26

third category (36-45); and rest one hundred

of 45.

The analyses of employees complaining diverse degree of stress have been

studied under four categories which are shown below with the help of pie

Fig. 5(i)a. Very Young Employees (age up to 25) and Occupational Stress

1 indicate low stress

2 indicate moderate stress

As the study is concentrated on occupational stress

respondents came under first category ie., very young employees. At this age

group, generally employees are at entry level and donot reach the managerial post.

However, through interaction it was observed that couple of private sector

employees has been directly recruited in managerial positions. Majority of the

respondents are middle-aged and upper middle aged employees.

33%

[161]

thirty six to forty five (36-45) and employees of age more than forty five (45+).

These four categories of age groups are termed as very young employees, young


respectively. Out of the sample of three hundred and twenty employees, only six

employees fall in the first category ie., upto the age of 25; fifty five employees

fall in the age group of 26-35; one hundred and twenty employees reserves the

nd rest one hundred thirty nine employees crossed the age


studied under four categories which are shown below with the help of pie

a. Very Young Employees (age up to 25) and Occupational Stress

moderate stress

As the study is concentrated on occupational stress among managers, hardly six



interaction it was observed that couple of private sector


aged and upper middle aged employees.

67%

1

2

45) and employees of age more than forty five (45+).

are termed as very young employees, young


nd twenty employees, only six

five employees

35; one hundred and twenty employees reserves the

employees crossed the age


studied under four categories which are shown below with the help of pie-charts.

a. Very Young Employees (age up to 25) and Occupational Stress

among managers, hardly six



interaction it was observed that couple of private sector


It has been observed through fig 5(i)

to the age of 25) ie., 67 % are low stressed and 33 % are moderately stressed. No

respondent reported high stress. As very

category so it becomes difficult to draw generalizations.

Fig. 5(i)b. Young Employees (of age group 26

1 indicate moderate Stress

2 indicate high Stress

3 indicate low Stress

The sample of young employees constitute of fifty five respondents. The

responses of the young employees in regard to stress shown in table 5.

analyzed in the above figure. Fig 5(i)b suggest that majority of young employees

are moderately stressed (53 %), some of them are highly stressed (27 %) and few

low stressed (20 %). Through persona

noted that at this age, most of the employees go through role conflict, role

stagnation, work deadline

personal life, job security and the like.

27%

20%

[162]

been observed through fig 5(i)a, that majority of very young employees (up


respondent reported high stress. As very-very few respondents came under this

category so it becomes difficult to draw generalizations.

Young Employees (of age group 26-35) and Occupational Stress

Stress


employees in regard to stress shown in table 5.7 have been



low stressed (20 %). Through personal interaction with employees, it has been


stagnation, work deadlines, need for promotion, pressure of settling down in their

personal life, job security and the like.

53%1

2

3

very young employees (up


very few respondents came under this

35) and Occupational Stress


have been



l interaction with employees, it has been


of settling down in their

Fig. 5(i)c. Middle-aged Employees (of age group 36

Stress

1 indicate high stress



The sample of middle aged employees constitute of one hundred and twenty

employees. It appears from fig 5(i)

employees are high stressed (51 %), some of them are moderately stressed (38 %)

and very less proportion of them are low stressed (11 %). At this age, both male

and female employees struggle

Family planning, school admissions, job security, better career options, excessive

work load all contribute heavily to development of stress. Maximum family

liabilities and responsibilities begin at this age.

continuously assailed with family demands, household responsibilities and job

pressures. Some inputs on causes and contributors of stress among employees

have been collected through personal interaction and discussions.

38%

[163]

aged Employees (of age group 36-45) and Occupational


moderate stress


It appears from fig 5(i)c that a large proportion of middle


less proportion of them are low stressed (11 %). At this age, both male

and female employees struggle between their personal and professional life.



liabilities and responsibilities begin at this age. Particularly, female employees are



have been collected through personal interaction and discussions.

51%

11%

1

2

3

45) and Occupational


c that a large proportion of middle-aged


less proportion of them are low stressed (11 %). At this age, both male

between their personal and professional life.



Particularly, female employees are



Fig. 5(i)d. Upper Middle

Stress




Figure 5(i)d depicts the degree of stress among

years. The sample of upper middle aged employees constitute

thirty nine respondents. It has been observed that upper middle aged

although have revealed high stress (37 %) but their degree of stress have

substantially decreased from middle age

stress (46 %). Employees above 55 or about to retire employees depicted

comparatively moderate stress due to decreased family liabilities and increased

independence of their siblings. Hence, it may be re

increases with increase in age; however, it substantially decreases in the later

professional life of the employees.

The present study supports

who reported that age is posi

study was conducted among 80 executives and observed that employees at young

age are less stressed and their stress increases with increase in age. To the

37%

17%

[164]

d. Upper Middle-aged Employees (of age above 45) and Occupational

stress

(i)d depicts the degree of stress among employees aged more than 45

. The sample of upper middle aged employees constitute of one hundred and

It has been observed that upper middle aged employees,


from middle age and most of them reported moderate



siblings. Hence, it may be reported that occupational stress


professional life of the employees.

The present study supports the observation made by (Beena and Poduval 1991)

who reported that age is positively correlated with stress among employees. The



46%

1

2

3

and Occupational

employees aged more than 45

of one hundred and

employees,


and most of them reported moderate



that occupational stress


Poduval 1991)13

tively correlated with stress among employees. The



[165]

contrary, it was observed by (Ushashree and Jamuna 1990)14

that stress levels

were higher in case of younger female school teachers.

Table-5.8 Correlation between marital status of employees and occupational

stress in organizations.

MARITAL

STATUS

RESPONSES NO. OF

RESPONSES

PERCENTAGE

OF RESPONSES

MARRIED

LOW STRESS 26 13 %


HIGH STRESS 111 54 %

UNMARRIED

LOW STRESS 34 39 %


HIGH STRESS 15 17 %

SEPARATED

LOW STRESS 00 00


HIGH STRESS 13 48 %

Source- Independent field survey, 2010, 2011.

The impact of marital status of employees has also been studied in stress building

among employees in organizations.. Some of the respondents in the study are

married, some are single and few are separated or divorced. A major portion of

them are married and very few are reported cases of separated employees. Out of

three hundred twenty employees, two hundred and five employees are married;

eighty eight of them are unmarried and rests twenty seven of them are living

separate from their partners.

Table 5.8 above shows the correlation between marital status of employees and

occupational stress in organizations.

Fig. 5(ii)a. Married Employees

Organizations.




Married employees constitute the highest proportion

and five employees are married in the total sample of three hundred and twenty

employees. 54 % in the sample have expressed high stress; 33 % have expr

moderate stress and rests 13 % have revealed low stress.

Majority of married employees

employees have expressed tense

of them have expressed good relations with

particularly female married employees simultaneously manage work and home.

They fight with stress almost fifteen to twenty ho

between the two ends.

In the studies conducted by (Tache et al.

that female employees are

overactive thyroid, breast cancer, uterine cancer, lung cancer and arthritis as result

of stressful events. (Kumar and Murty 1998

33%

13%

[166]

a. Married Employees (male and female) and Occupational Stress


Married employees constitute the highest proportion in the sample. Two hundred


employees. 54 % in the sample have expressed high stress; 33 % have expr

moderate stress and rests 13 % have revealed low stress.

Majority of married employees reported high stress. Some of the

have expressed tense relationship with their spouses. However, many

of them have expressed good relations with their spouses too. Married employees,


They fight with stress almost fifteen to twenty hours a day to make a balance

conducted by (Tache et al. 197915

; Cooper 198416

), it was observed

emale employees are more exposed to health disorders like diabetes,

breast cancer, uterine cancer, lung cancer and arthritis as result

(Kumar and Murty 199817

) observed that most frequently

54%

13%

1

2

3

and Occupational Stress in

in the sample. Two hundred


employees. 54 % in the sample have expressed high stress; 33 % have expressed

the married

. However, many

their spouses too. Married employees,


urs a day to make a balance

), it was observed

health disorders like diabetes,

breast cancer, uterine cancer, lung cancer and arthritis as result

) observed that most frequently

stressors among women managers were office politics followed by role conflict

between work and home, commuting to the work place and the problems related

to child care. The major strains experienced by women managers were a

tension, fatigue, lack of concentration, irritation, and physical health problems. In

a study, (Tharakan, 1992)

greater work related stress than non

Fig. 5(ii)b. Unmarried Employees

in Organizations.




Fig. 5(ii)b shows the pictorial representation of

different degree of stress.

Comparatively low degree of stress i

eight employees were unmarried in the sample of which only seventeen percent

(17 %) have reported high stress. Thirty nine percent

and forty four percent have stated to be experiencing moderat

of belief and through observation

39%

17%

[167]



to child care. The major strains experienced by women managers were a


a study, (Tharakan, 1992)18

found that professional working women experienced

greater work related stress than non-professional working women.

rried Employees (male and female) and Occupational Stress

stress

shows the pictorial representation of unmarried employees reporting

of stress.

ratively low degree of stress is revealed by unmarried employees. Eighty


have reported high stress. Thirty nine percent (39 %) reported low stress

forty four percent have stated to be experiencing moderate stress. As a matter

of belief and through observation it can be stated that unmarried employees

44%

1

2

3



to child care. The major strains experienced by women managers were anxiety,


found that professional working women experienced

and Occupational Stress

employees reporting

s revealed by unmarried employees. Eighty


reported low stress

e stress. As a matter

it can be stated that unmarried employees

channelize higher levels of energy and interest in their profession. They can give

undivided attention to their job and can absorb more work load as a result of

which stress level is within moderate levels.

Fig. 5(ii)c. Separated (from spouse) employees and Occupational Stress

Organizations



It appears from fig 5(ii)c, that

employees.

Twenty seven employees are reported cases of ‘separate

sample. None of the employees in the above mentioned category reported low

stress. 52 % revealed moderate stress and 48 %

for high stress may be attributed to absence of support system, isolation, single

parenting, work load etc. Every individual is guided and motivated by both

professional as well as per

carried over to work place and vice

48%

[168]


n to their job and can absorb more work load as a result of

which stress level is within moderate levels.

(from spouse) employees and Occupational Stress

moderate stress

(ii)c, that moderate to high stress is reported by separate

Twenty seven employees are reported cases of ‘separated from spouse’ in the

None of the employees in the above mentioned category reported low

2 % revealed moderate stress and 48 % revealed high stress. The



professional as well as personal fulfillment. The household anxieties are

carried over to work place and vice-versa.

52%1

2


n to their job and can absorb more work load as a result of

(from spouse) employees and Occupational Stress in

s reported by separated

from spouse’ in the

None of the employees in the above mentioned category reported low

revealed high stress. The reasons



sonal fulfillment. The household anxieties are usually

[169]

The next observation in the queue is identifying the correlation between spouse

relations among employees with development of occupational stress. In the

previous analysis of identifying correlation between marriage and stress, many

employees have stated tense relationships in their marriages. The researcher has

taken a step further to study whether good or bad spouse relations have any

impact on creation of stress and affect employees at their job place.

Table 5.9 Correlation between spouse relation and occupational stress in

organizations.

SPOUSE

RELATION

RESPONSES NO. OF

RESPONSES

PERCENTAGE

OF RESPONSES

GOOD

LOW STRESS 65 29 %


HIGH STRESS 43 19 %

TENSE

LOW STRESS 17 18 %


HIGH STRESS 37 39 %

Source- Independent field survey 2010, 2011.

It appears from table 5.9 that employees nurturing good relations with their

spouses reported to be experiencing low to moderate degree of stress as against

employees experiencing moderate to high degree of stress with tensed relations

with their life partners. Greater proportion of employees have expressed that good

marriages provides a buffer to working partners to manage with job stress. The

reasons may be stronger support system, personal fulfillment, better future

planning etc. Employees developing tensed relationships at home seem to be

experiencing higher degree of occupational stress as found in the present study.

[170]

Fig. 5(iii)a. Good Spouse Relation among employees and Occupational Stress

in Organizations

As discussed in 5(ii)a, two hundred and five employees are married in the sample

of which some share good relationship with their spouses and few have developed

tense relationships with them. In the sample of married employees, one hundred

and sixty six reported good relations and forty one reported tense relations with

their spouses. Fig 5(iii)a shows the degree of stress of employees sharing good

relations with their spouses. 29 % of respondents (59/205) have reported low

stress as against 52 % (107/205) reporting moderate stress and 19 % (39/205)

reporting high degree of stress. This has been observed that majority of

respondents have expressed moderate stress and comparatively less proportion

has complained high stress.

29%

52%

19%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Low Stess Moderate Strees High Strees

Per

cen

tage

of

stre

ss l

evel

Extent of stress

Low Stess

Moderate Strees

High Strees

[171]

Fig. 5(iii)b. Tense Spouse Relation among employees and Occupational

Stress in Organizations.

Fig 5(iii)b shows the stress experienced by employees developing tense

relationships with their spouses. It appears from the fig. above that 17 % of

respondents are low stressed, 44 % of them are moderately stressed and 39 % are

highly stressed. Less proportion of employees have reported low stress where

majority of the respondents have revealed moderate to high stress. Thus, it can

be interpreted from fig. 5(iii)b that spouse relation has significant bearing on

development of stress among employees in organizations. Tense relations with

spouses are positively correlated with stress building among employees.

17%

44%39%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Low Stess Moderate Strees High Strees

Perc

en

tag

e o

f str

ess l

ev

el

Extent of stress

Low Stess

Moderate Strees

High Strees

[172]

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5.1 results and discussion -...

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