Work-Related Stress Problem

A lot of employees undergo various forms of stress at the work place. This entails physiological, emotional and environmental stress. When an employee is stressed, then different aspects of their productivity are affected. This means that they would overall not produce quality work in the time required and may even suffer from chronic fatigue. Therefore, this report aims to evaluate the ways in which the toll of stress can be minimized in employees consequently increasing productivity and jib satisfaction.

Terminology

Work related stress: According to Robbins, stress can be defined as a dynamic condition in which an individual is confronted with an opportunity, constraint or demand related to what he needs and for which the outcomes are perceived to be both uncertain and important.

Overview of Alternatives

Alternative A

Alternative A looks into allowing flexible work hours for the employees in the work place. This could be enforced by senior management to make it more effective. This translates to employees only working a maximum of 8 hours a day or during the core hours of the day between 10 am and 3 pm. Extension of these agreed upon hours would then mean they are working overtime, of which appropriate compensation should be considered. It also gives the employees the option of coming to work only three times a week. By allowing employees to come in to work twice a week, as opposed to everyday, they come in reinvigorated and without the external pressures of having to get to work on time. This proves beneficial to employees as they are able to determine their own schedules and achieve the desired tasks without a lot of pressure. Additionally, they are exempted from work related fatigue that is as a result of work overload (working 8 more than 40 hours a week takes a toll on an individual). Secondly, it gives them the ability to manage their work-life balance as they also have adequate time to spend with their families. Furthermore, flexible work hours increases employee contentment and productivity

Alternative B

Alternative B offers employees two extra floating holidays with the option of payment. The employees are able to take days off whenever they need it to ward off work-related stress and conditions that may arise due to these continuous circumstances at the place of work.

Criteria

Employee Productivity

This explores how each alternative impact on the productivity of the employee. Productivity refers to the ability of the employee to produce quality work on time and under a conducive environment

Worker Morale

These alternatives explore the level of responsibility and transparency each employee bears when they are given better working conditions.

Practicality

This refers to the ability of these changes to be effected without much strain. It also considers that ease of having changes brought to the workplace.

Cost

Explores what amount of money and resources will be saved should the alternatives higher productivity at the work place.

Company image

Does the company benefit from having employees who contented and under less duress from work overload?

Research Methods

The research methods incorporated in this report include a combination of getting data from primary and secondary sources. The primary source included a personal experience at JP Morgan, one of the reputable banks in the United States. Secondary data included reviewing articles, journals, research work and reports.

Evaluation of Alternatives

Productivity

Alternative A- Telework from home three days per week will enable the employees to have adequate unwinding time and to manage their time better. This means that before they leave the workplace, they have organized the next days work. This also translates to proper time management as they will have to plan their work within the provided work timing. This produces a self-driven and relaxed individual which consequently leads to high work output. It also fosters teamwork within the work environment as employees will look up to each other to provide technical support for completion of tasks. Most workers prefer to work from a home setting where they have control over their schedule. Most employees tend to report increased productivity when working from home as opposed to the office (Kurland, 2002).

However, sometimes this productivity is curtailed by distractions that go on at home such as family, television or friends who assume that because you are working from home, then your job is certainly not as important. Also some employees tend to take advantage of working at home to focus on other things, like their side business that generate them extra revenue.

Alternative B- Offering two extra floating holidays to each employee per year helps them unwind and boost their creativity. They are able to think with more clarity and offer long-lasting solutions to the business as opposed to when they are working all the time and are overburdened with work.

Cost

Alternative A- Telework from home three days per week saves the employees money and reduces the overall stress levels. This means also that the less employees take sick-offs or spend money on alternative means of transport e.g. taxis in order to beat traffic in order to get work on time. It also translates to them spending less money on basic needs such as food as they would have adequate time to prepare at home and not spend unnecessary money on certain meals. Teleworking also costs the company less money as most employees who practise are hired on contractual basis.

However, they might have to spend on costs like internet connectivity and telephone bills as they will constantly need to be in communication with fellow employees or their seniors.

Alternative B- the company generally save money as millennial employees tend to prize benefits more than wages. Therefore, this cuts down on the companys wage cost and also money that they would use on benefits like healthcare (Mui, 2015). This is because as more employees take time off, they are at a lower risk of contracting cardiovascular diseases and therefore reduce the number of sick offs taken in a year. Therefore, the company does not have to spend tonnes money covering medical expenses of employees. It also proves cheaper for the employees because when they are given two extra floating holidays, of which they are paid, they are able to cater for their vacation expenses without digging too deep into their pockets.

Worker Morale

Alternative A- Telework from home three days per week ensures that employees have the responsibility of getting to work on time. Not only do they have to get to work on time, they also have to see to it that work is done and completed on time. Therefore, an employee who does not adhere to the flexible work would be appropriately accused of insubordination and neglect of duties. This also reduces instances of role redundancies. Workers opt to be at the workplace at the core hours and can either adjust the departure or arrival times (Center, 2010)According to a study, employers are more likely to let employers telework more than clerical workers. This is as a result of employers fearing losing control of their employees. Also, managerial firms tend to have higher instances of telework because professionals are trusted to do their work on time and well (Kurland, 2002). Employees who also work from home tend to register higher levels of satisfaction because nobody is on their neck about performance and they get to work at their own pace. This satisfaction is also derived from the ability to evade stressful forms and dynamics of telecommuting. The employees have full control on their finances and schedule.

Alternative B - This alternative only works if a company is built based on trust and mutual respect. When employers regard employees are parents, spouses or family people, then they are able to give them an opportunity to get off work. They become more empathetic to the responsibilities of their employees outside the work place. When employees are given flexibility in terms of work schedule, them more often than not, they reward the employer with more loyalty and commitment. This also helps in retention of the employees. Employees also become more accountable by setting goals and plans ahead, knowing as they will not be around for a certain period of time. They then strive to work towards these goals to help the company realize its ultimate objectives. This planning helps them to establish a more practical work-life balance. Therefore, employees are not likely to abuse these benefits if accorded to them. It instead builds on trust and loyalty to the company.

Practicality

Alternative A- Telework from home three days per week is an easy fete to achieve. It means that adequate systems have to be put in place to ensure that workers comply with the set regulations. For instance, an automated check-in system that is dependent on biometric data could be affected to ensure that employees do not abuse this freedom.

Alternative B- Providing two extra floating holidays for employees is not only practical, but legal in every sense of the word. Usually companies have a policy on the paid time off and employees tend not to abuse it. A written policy often proves useful to determine how these off days should be utilized. For instance, there are set regulations on how to carry over unused off times, procedure for issuing notice of absence and an award scheme for employees who merit the time off. The company also has laid down regulations on disciplinary actions that will be taken on employees who abuse and exploit these benefits CITATION Mic08 \l 2057 (Moore, 2008).

Company image

Alternative A- Telework from home three days per week builds on the credibility and reputation of the company. It simply means that the company cares about the well-being of employees and is being compliant with the set labour laws in the country and internationally. Also having employees who are not disgruntled means that overall productivity of the company improves and it is able to achieve its set objectives which in turn leads to realization of viable profits.

Alternative B- Two extra floating holidays for employees reflects positively on a companys image, the employees not only develop more trust and passion for their jobs and employees, but it improves the companys ranking and makes it an ideal organization to work in. furthermore, it builds on virtues like mutual respect and loyalty. Companies that tend to give their employees more time off are more successful as employees even take less time off because they are passionate about what they do at the company.

Findings and Analysis

Both alternatives provide the employees with an alternative to improve productivity, accountability and boost morale at the work place. Alternative A provides the employee with an opportunity to delegate responsibilities and set the pace for their work. This generally reduces burnout on the employee side as they get to decide when to do the major load of their work. One decides if they will work in the morning or in the evening, depending on when they are most productive. Alternative B gives the employees a chance to be extremely productive as they are well rested and have a proper work-life balance. This also boosts their creative juices and they are able to contribute innovative solutions to the business. This productivity is also clear when they are able to interact with their co-workers well.

Alternative A reduces costs on the employee as they are able save money on fuel and other alternative forms of transport to get to work. Alternative B saves the company money in terms of the number of sick offs ta...