JOB STRESS AMONG BANK EXECUTIVES IN TAMIL NADU WITH SPECIAL

REFERENCE TO NATIONLIZED BANKS

Synopsis
Introduction
The functions of financial sector effectively and efficiently will be favorable when the
macroeconomics situation will also be favorable and stable. There are many areas of which
increase the stress level of employees in the banking sector that require to be highlighted. When
the successive government be change the rule, laws, policies and regulations are also change
consecutively that effects the flow of business. The competition among the banks has been
increasing which enforced them to go away from customary limited range of product of
acknowledge to the government and public sector trade financing, enterprises, corporate loans,
credit to internationals to an still increasing list of services and products (Hussain, 2004).
Throughout the past years, the sector of banking had have been changing rapidly such as
changing policies, rules, technologies for competing as globally in all over the world due to the
massive of more private sector banks, privatization, downsizing, immense mergers and
acquisition activities in banking have led to substantial changes in the size, structure and activity
of organizations, extensive restructuring resulting from this intense merger activity may not only
threaten job security of workers in the sector, but also lead to high levels of work-related stress,
demotivation and declining organizational commitment. Due to these changes, the employees in
the banking sector are experiencing a high level of stress.
Employees are expected to learn the different cultures, languages and rules and
regulations of international trade resulting in increased workloads, the pressure to enhance job
skills and long working hours. Such changes in the nature of job, working environment and
organizational behavior would undoubtedly increase the occupational stress of the workers,
which in turn affects worker’s physical and mental health.
But if the employees are under any kind of pressure or stress they will not be able to
perform up to the mark, hence lower will be the productivity & profitability of the banks, even it
may turn into losses, and the result will be the lower contribution of the banking industry
towards the economic growth. Stress is an adverse reaction to excessive pressure or demands
(Rowe, 2006). The anxiety, depression, heart diseases, chronic pain, mental diseases, and ulcers
are leading to the work stress. The employees are demanding a standardized look; the employees
control level on their works; the clarity of the roles of employees in the organization; the
employees’ support which they receive from their supervisor and managers; employees ability
the to adopt change or interventions in the organizations; and the fair and positive relationship
with the other people in the organizations (Row, 2006). There has been increasing the trend of
job stress as key to problem of occupational health by the past two decades. There is a sensible
information that occupational stress leads to a significant segment of worker health care cost,
compensation claims, absenteeism, disability and productivity loss in the industrial (Murphy,
1995). These conditions contribute to enlarged absenteeism, turnover, quantity and quality
reduction of work, and conflict for the workplace.
In the present economic environment of job insecurity, flatter organizations, and intense
work pressures, there are quite a few managers who feel trapped where they are and such a
feeling of being in a rut can turn into a persistent source of stress. If we feel frustrated in that job,
we ought to do something about it. When we see successful People, we trend to assume that their
careers have been smooth upward paths. It is not so, people who are seen to move up the
management ladder step by step have no secret ticket or password. They simply work hard,
watch for opportunities, await their turn, prepare and equip themselves for the bigger roles, and
maintain a positive outlook on life. Secondly, it is not always necessary to switch jobs, to make
our professional life more interesting and rewarding. Let us not presume that we have no power
or means to improve the profile or life- style of the job, which we are now doing. Where there is
a will, there is a way. If we have a good idea, we must preserve with it refuse to accept a
negative response, and leave no stone unturned until we get it implemented. The sense of
fulfillment and achievement which ensue, will elicit enduring satisfaction. What is more, a track
record of such determination and indefatigable zeal cannot be ignored for too long, and the
rewards will follow sooner or later. When we lack the ability and skill to deal with any situation,
stress is bound to occur. Stress management involves three main types of intervention. They are
stress prevention, employee training, and employee counseling programme. We ought to observe
that there is a cyclical nature in the sequence of these interventions. Employee counseling
programme is a voluntary and confidential service, which provides help to employees and their
immediate families in dealing with their personal, or work - related issues.
Job Stress
Stress has become a pervading issue of everyone’s life in this modern world. The modern
world which is often regarded as a world of achievements has become a world of stress. Be it
family, any social activity or any business organization, stress is everywhere. Right from birth
till death, an individual is invariably exposed to various stressful situations. Our economy has
shown growth in almost all sectors, but stress has also joined hands with this growth. Individuals
under stress are experiencing various psychosomatic and psychological disorders, the feelings of
frustration, dissatisfaction with life in general. Workplace stress is the harmful biological
reaction that occurs when there is poor match between job profiles and the capabilities,
resources, or needs of the worker. These conditions, ultimately affects the job performance and
the health of the individuals. But a little amount of stress may prove to be healthy for an
organization. Stress can be positive as well as negative. Acceptable levels of stress help to
increase the individual’s performance while excessive amounts of stress can lead to a decreased
performance.
Various studies have depicted that stress is increasing at a rising rate in the Banking
sector. Due to recession in the global market and cut-throat competition, banks are facing many
challenges. As a response of which, they have to make efforts to increase their efficiency. Banks,
these days, are restructuring themselves. This results in more workload on their employees.
Organization stress ultimately results in employee turnover, changes in employees’ behavior and
attitude. A little organization stress is healthy as it increases the efficiency. But stress beyond
limits destroys the inner peace of the employees and ultimately hampers the growth of the
individual as well as the organization.
With the rising problem of stress, stress management has become very important. Stress
Management refers to the wide range of techniques and psychotherapies which can prevent and
control an individual’s level of stress. Thereby improving everyday functioning of an individual.
Stress management can have any of the three solutions – prevent or control, escape from it, or
learn to adapt to it. As it is said that prevention is better than cure, steps should be taken at the
initial stage to prevent the stressors rather than curing its harmful effects or bearing heavy costs
after being affected by it. Effective stress management can be done at the individual level as well
as at the organizational level in various ways. Stress management can be divided into two
phases: the first is coping with stress and the second is facing the stress with the help of
relaxation techniques such as meditation. As every individual is different, psychotherapies
should be used. Banks should treat people at work differently, treating them with respect and
valuing their efforts. Banks should introduce Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) and
stress control workshops. According to the level of employees as level of stress and employees
are directly related. If psychological wellness and health of the employees are improved,
productivity shall also increase. Because it is said that, “A Healthy Employee is a Productive
Employee”
Job stress relates to the experience of stress in one’s place of work, occupation or
employment. Job stress is defined as adaptive response to an external situation that results in
physical, psychological and or behavioral deviations for organizational participants. Job stress is
a state of tension that is created when a person responds to the demands and pressures that come
from work, family and other external sources, as well as those that are internally generated from
self imposed demands, obligations and self criticism. The terms work stress, job stress, or Job
stress is used interchangeably. Employers and governments have had increasing concern about
Job stress for over twenty years. In the past decade, effects of economic globalization and rapid
technological changes have resulted in increased workloads and a faster pace in the work place.
Stress Management
Hans Selye first introduced the concept of stress in to the life science in 1936. He defined
stress as "The force, pressure, or strain exerted upon a material object or person which resist
these forces and attempt to maintain its original state." Stress is ubiquitous in our society. It has
become an integral part of everyday living. Researchers on stress make it clear that, to enter in to
the complex area of stress, especially in to the area of occupational stress, is very difficult. Stress
is an unavoidable consequence of modern living. With the growth of industries, pressure in the
urban areas, quantitative growth in population and various problems in day to day life are some
of the reasons for increase in stress. Stress is a condition of strain that has a direct bearing on
emotions, thought process and physical conditions of a person.
Statement of the Problem
Job stress and its disastrous consequences have been observed in all the sectors,
industries and organizations. One such industry which has gone into massive changes over the
last ten years is the banking industry. Banking industry is the most important constituent of the
financial sector of any economy. With the opening of the banking sector nationalized banks had
to face fierce competition from private and foreign banks. It is here, the banks understood that
infrastructure, and capital and technology are replicable but not human capital which is a
valuable resource for achieving competitive edge. Nationalized banks too started introducing
newer products and services to keep the profit margin at a safer level and survive in the market.
Competent and energetic work force with high skill level both hard and soft became crucial to
market the products and services and cater to the needs and requirements of the customers. With
this background the present study made an attempt to understand the impact and intricacies of
Job stress on employees in the banking sector and suggest suitable measures to be taken by the
bank managements to have a competent, productive and stress free workforce to meet the present
and future challenges. Although a lot of studies have been conducted on Job stress and job
satisfaction in various sectors, there are very few studies conducted in the banking sector. Today
banking is a fast growing service industry and hence the high staff morale is very much
important to deal with the customers effectively and positively. Hence, in this research paper an
attempt is made to identify and suggest remedies to specific problems of bank employees related
to job stress.

Objectives of the Study

 To study the level of stress among the employee of nationalized bank.

 To identify the difference if any in case of Job stress between employees if nationalized
and non nationalized bank
 To analyze the casual failures of stress among the employees.
 To appraise the consequence of stress of employees.
 To evaluate result oriented guidance for reducing the level of stress among bank
employees.
Scope of the Study
A bank manager's duties mostly involve making decision of one kind or another. It
involves choosing a particular course of action after considering the possible alternatives.
Whatever manager does, he does through making decision. As for as banks are concerned such
decisions are vital for improving the customer services. Working group on customer services in
banks appointed by the Government of India in 1977 said that 'bank users criticize and bankers
themselves concede, the customer service rendered by banks leaves much to be desired. One of
the greatest challenges facing the banking Industry today is the requirement of motivated, stress-
free work force .When an employee joins a bank and becomes part of the multitude of the
employed; the inevitable organization anomie takes over, devoid of recognition and individuality
alienation and frustration in. In spite of the introduction of technology in banks, the banking
industry in India will be labor intensive for many years to come. Therefore a study of this type of
identifying the stress factors and analyzing the coping up strategies among bank employees will
certainly help for developing training and programmes in a big way. The present study deals with
some important areas of stressors and stress management, comprising of Job stressors and its
causes and the coping techniques particularly on Bank employees.
Research Methodology
Research design:
The study has been partly descriptive and partly diagnostic. The study is based on both
primary and secondary data.
Primary data:
The primary data for this research paper was collected through survey method using a
well-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was tested for its content validity with experts
and for its face validity with respondents from the banks. The study was conducted in the branch
offices of the banks only as the nature of work is different when compared to regional and head
offices. The response and readiness of the Bank managements to participate in the study were
availed by getting a letter from the Head office to conduct the study in the respondent banks.

Secondary data:
 The data from secondary sources is collected through books, journals, reports, research
studies, internet sources, magazines, newspapers, and bank websites to understand the basic
concepts and literature pertaining to stress in general and occupational stress of bank employees
in particular.
Sampling:
For this study, the researcher has taken three bank group i.e. nationalized banks, i.e State
Banks of India and its Associates, Other Nationalised Banks and Non Nationalised Banks. Data
were collected from the sample bank groups adopting convenience- sampling method. Based on
the total number of banks situated in Chennai under each category , the total sample size of 432
respondents comprising of 240 respondents belonging to Nationalized and SBI , 78 respondents
from other nationalized banks and 114 respondents from non nationalized banks were taken for
the study .A structured questionnaire was prepared based on Likert’s Scale. The collected data
have been analyzed and interpreted using statistical tools such as weighted average mean,
Correlation analysis, Regression Analysis., ANOVA, Critical ratio analysis and percentages. The
following stress factors (F1 TO F5) were taken up as the basis for data collection and analysis.

Contour of the Study

The study comprises the six chapters.
Chapter I – Introduction of the study
Chapter II – Review of literature
Chapter III – Conceptional framework of the study
Chapter IV - Measure the level of stress among the employee of nationalized bank
Chapter V - Analyze the casual failures of stress among the employees and study the
consequence of stress of employees.
Chapter VI – To offer the findings, suggestions and conclusion

Limitations of the Study Though there are several areas in identifying the stressors. The present
study is confined to the following areas:
 The job and the related stressors.
 Role and its related stressors.
 Boss-subordinate relationship and the related stressors.
 Decision making process and stress encountered by the respondents on account of it.
  Familial factors and related stressors.
 As human behavior changes with changing times, the respondents may express
differently at different points of time. The limitation is always present in all studies on
behavioral sciences.
 Sex classification has not been taken up as most of the respondents are only male
members.
Future Research
And it should also be remembered that responses of the employees in both sector are
subject to other factors also like salary packages, other benefits, awards and rewards which are
not primarily the part of this research but still plays an important role in the respondents reply to
a specific question.