Occupational Stress of Employees in Paper Industry

This book details a study on occupational stress of employees in paper industry. Stress is an inevitable concomitant of organizational life. Its source in an organization is task or role related. An organization, being a network of roles performed in interconnected positions, is dynamic in nature. The complex and dynamic environment of organization adds to further stress at work. These environmental forces include: 1. Rapid technological advancements, 2. The demands made on employee skills, 3. Increased employee expectations about the quality of work-life and incongruence between these expectations and the perceived organizational outcomes, and 4. Changes in organizations like downsizing, mergers, etc. These factors influence employment security, social relations at work and upward mobility, which, in turn, will result in stress of the employees.

The word 'stress' has been repeatedly used in the recent years as a way to describe many symptoms seen in working individuals. The studies suggest that work-stress may increase a person's risk for cardiovascular disease, psychological disorders, workplace injury and other health problems. Corporate profitability is affected due to employee stress. But certain factors are avoidable. This book describes the study which included the personal stressors and covers not only the causes but the consequences of stress on physical, emotional and behavioral areas. It describes the identification of the consequences of stress with a view to enable the employees in the better management of their response to stress. It is shocking to note that, stress is considered something glamorous among certain individuals and industries. Many people leading a hard life style, are showing their commitment to their career and significance. While this belief damages an individual personally, it harms the institution too. Stress would deteriorate the employees' efficiency and organizational effective functioning.

The book details the following objectives of the study (1) To identify the major sources of stress of the employees in the paper industry, (2) To evaluate the level of occupational stress among the employees in the paper industry, (3) To find out the impact of occupational stress in different dimensions among the employees in the paper industry, and (4) To suggest better ways and means to reduce stress among the employees in the paper industry.

The first chapter deals with introduction followed by second chapter on literature review. The third chapter describes the overview of paper industry. The fourth chapter is on overview of occupational stress and the fifth chapter deals with data analysis and interpretation. Finally, the bibliography and appendices are included.