CHAPTER 1

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

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1. Overview

This study concentrates on employee motivation and managing stress at workplace in Al Safeer

Group of Companies.

Let us start by understanding what ‘employee motivation and workplace stress management’ is.

What is Motivation? Motivation is the word derived from the word ’motive’ which means needs,

desires, wants or drives within the individuals. It is the process of stimulating people to actions to

accomplish the goals.

Employee Motivation: It has been broadly defined as the "psychological forces that determine

the direction of a person's behaviour in an organization, a person's level of effort and a person's

level of persistence. Also, "Motivation can be thought of as the willingness to expend energy to

achieve a goal or a reward. Motivation at work has been defined as 'the sum of the processes that

influence the arousal, direction, and maintenance of behaviours relevant to work settings’.

Motivated employees are essential to the success of an organization as motivated employees are

generally more productive at the work place.

Employees are the building blocks of an organization. Organizational success depends on the

collective efforts of the employees. The employees will collectively contribute to organizational

growth when they are motivated.

Workplace Stress Management: Hans Selye defined workplace stress as an unexpected and

unpredicted response of the brain and body to change. Stress is a self-produced pain occurring in

thought. It varies in different situations and environments.

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In an employee at work, stress generates from when the workplace expects more results

compared to what an employee is capable of achieving. In the case of a company expecting a

worker to deliver much, irrespective of their capability, stress usually jets in. Often, unclear

objectives and roles, harassment or bullying at work primarily contribute to stress. Managing

this situation of stress in employee is known as workplace stress management.

Managing workplace stress by the managers is essential to help the employees cope up and

work better for the firm whist being in good mental and physical health.

1.1 A general introduction of ‘Al Safeer Group of Companies’

Established in 1985 Al Safeer Group is a diversified conglomerate bringing one a variation,

offering the choicest of shopping and entertainment choices across the Gulf with interests in

retail, shopping malls, cinemas, food outlets, real estate, furniture, manufacturing, advertising,

trading and more!

 Al Safeer Group is fuelled in its corporate vision of ‘Excellence in Service’ by a team of over

5000 dedicated professionals under the able stewardship of Founder Chairman & CEO, Mr J.P.

Kalwani.

Managing a huge human resource is not a piece of cake; meaning it is not easy. One has to get

into the depth of every department and understand why the employees are not motivated or are

they unhappy with the job or are they experiencing stress at workplace.

Understanding at what state the employees are currently is very essential to help take them to a

higher state, be it in terms of salary or motivation or piece of mind or position held in the

company.

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1.2 Research Statement

Being demotivated at work doesn’t necessarily mean that the job is boring or the salary is less

compared to the challenging job. A person could be working in one of the best companies of his

country or could be working his dream job or could be earning a fortune but still be demotivated

at workplace or be stressed out or have a low morale. There are innumerable reasons that cause

workplace demotivation and low morale, and they vary depending on the individual. One of the

biggest causes of demotivation, however, is the relationship between managers and their teams.

Employee dissatisfaction in the workplace isn’t rare: A 2014 Gallup poll discovered that more

than two-thirds of an employee’s motivation is as a direct result of the influence of their

manager. One of the key skills a manager needs to have as a team leader is to know how to keep

employees positive and satisfied, and to deal with demotivation when it does happen.

The effects of poor motivation in the workplace are well-attested: higher employee turnover,

lower levels of engagement, poor communication, and diminished productivity are just a few of

the issues that may multiply and leads to the workplace becoming a toxic environment.

Managing stress at work is equally important as an employee shouldn’t be expected to work

beyond his capabilities or under tight pressure- it could result in the downfall of the employee

and the task he is wring on thus not benefiting himself or the company.

Excessive stress can interfere with your productivity and performance, impact your physical and

emotional health, and affect your relationships and home life. It can even determine success or

failure on the job. One can’t control everything that happens at workplace but that doesn’t mean

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he is powerless, knowing when to stop as it is getting to take a negative toll on the employee is a

must and should.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

 To understand how the managers can control/manage stress at workplace among the

employees.

 To understand how to retain the good and beneficial employees to the company

 To understand how to motivate the employees to do better in their tasks

 To understand the effect of low morale and dissatisfaction among employees

 To study the relationship between the manager and employees at work

 To take measures as to why the job is not being done the way it should and at the time it

should be done

 To learn how happy and motivated employees help the company to prosper

1.4 Significance of the Study

This study is beneficial to employees on a large scale basis. It explains how to compose oneself

during extreme periods of stress and how to stay motivated at workplace despite the difficulties

and challenges. The relationship between the managers and employees is explained to

understand how a manger should not only focus on the profit or growth of his business whilst not

paying attention to the company’s main assets - the human resource or employees. Employees

with high morale and positivity help the company and the manager a great deal thereby

benefitting the society as a whole.

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 CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

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2. Introduction

Al Safeer Group of companies, as we know falls mainly into the retailing industry it ventured

into the retail business in 1985 with ‘Shop N Save’ supermarket. And in this study we shall be

focussing on the retail sector.

Retailing is about displaying products, describing the features and benefits of products, stocking

products, processing payments and doing whatever it takes to get the right products at the right

price to the right customers at the right time. 

Other than retailing, Safeer also has its footsteps in the manufacturing, trading and real estate

industry. We manufacture mattresses, trade building materials and build buildings.

Al Safeer Group's core business lies in Hypermarkets. It has grown from a single retail outlet in

Sharjah in 1985 to one of the largest Hypermarket chains in the Gulf - 35 outlets and still

growing.

 
The Retailing industry is quite profitable in the UAE as there are many companies in the market,

resulting in heavy competition from which the consumers can benefit by having vast choices of

products and services and satisfactory range of prices/discounts. Though in the beginning of

2018, a VAT of 5% was introduced on many sectors including the retail industry, which meant

every time consumers purchased, they had to pay 5% on the bill to the government as value

added tax. The sales have pulled up after being down for just the first few months of 2018.

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Some of the top retailers in the UAE are: Apparel Group, Fathima group of companies, K.M

Trading Group, Splash Fashion and Lals Group.

2.1 Mission, Business Principals and Core Values

Mission

“Our Mission is to enhance quality rather than increase profits. With a forward thinking

approach, we at Al Safeer Group plan to provide services and comfort to people so that they live

harmoniously. Al Safeer Group based on its relentless spirit and creativity has united all its

employees in making the best effort to maintain and improve the harmony and mutual prosperity

in its relation to customers, clients and partners.”

Business Principals

Al Safeer Business Principles will be the guiding standards for everyone in Safeer, outlining the

conduct expected of all our employees both individually and collectively.

Core Values

- Delight customers with superior quality deliverables at competitive prices

- Exceed customer expectations by being sensitive to ever changing consumer needs

- Amplify value returns by seizing emerging opportunities in a dynamic market.

- Regard employees and associates as partners in success

- Optimize productivity through a proactive corporate culture

- Ensure highest ethical standards while conducting business.

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Recognition

Al Safeer Group constantly endeavors to benchmark its products, services and process to global

standards. The Group has been in the limelight often for its business sagacity, innovation, and

commercial success also. Some of its awards are:

- Guinness Book of World Records (World's Largest Shopping Cart)

- Dubai Shopping Festival's Innovation Award for the Best Shopping Mall Event, 2004

- Panasonic's Best Display Award.

- Panasonic's Biggest Buyer of the Northern Emirates Region Award

Herein the chapter that follows, we are going to get an insight of how exactly the processes

related to human resources like recruitment, training, wage administration etc. work and also

how motivated are the employees in the company. Whether or not the employees are able to

manage stress at the workplace and what are the issues that hinder them from giving their best to

the company will be explored in the following content.

2.2 The Human Resource at Safeer Group of Companies

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Al Safeer is a huge group of companies having over 21 brands under them of which some of the

main brands are: Home Style (home ware and furniture), Xpressions (perfumes and accessories),

Smart Baby (All baby products), Shoes4us (Footwear), Eternity (clothing for men and women).

The organization consists of a head office located in Industrial Area 1, Sharjah. 2 warehouses in

the same area and over 5 dozens of outlets spread across the country. This totals to 4500

employees in the whole company of which 70% is made up of men and the remaining 30%

constitutes women. Two main divisions- one being the food division and the other being novelty

which includes all the sections other than food. Our board of directors are a strong team of 24

members who take wise decisions relating to business operations, sale, product/service

innovation and employee welfare.

2.2.1 Recruitment

Recruitment is the action of finding new people to join an organization. The two main ways of

recruiting people in this company are internal recruitment and referrals. Internal recruitment is

when the business looks to fill the vacancy from within its existing workforce and Referral

recruitment is a recruitment strategy that encourages employees to refer contacts for specific

positions. Candidates hired through referrals tend to stay up to 3times longer than candidates

hired through job boards and other.

All those employees who are at a senior position in the company today are a result of internal

recruitment. The company believes in hiring their own employees for senior posts once they

become capable of it rather than looking outside talent which is time and effort consuming,

which is not a bad option to go for. And majority of the employees currently working have been

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recruited because they have been referred by someone from the company. As a result maximum

employees recruited make up from the referrals or internal recruitment process.

Although people across various ethnicities are employed, the major ethnic group prevailing in

Safeer is the Sindhi community from Rajasthan, India. Around 50% of the employees are from

the Sindhi community and the remaining from other parts of India and/or from parts of South

Asia like Filipinos, Nepalese. The ratio of the youth employed to the senior staff is quite less; it

is in 1:5 ratios. An equal number or at least a higher number of youth should be employed as

they will help the business grow with their new and innovative ideas.

2.2.2 Selection

Selection is the process of choosing the most suitable candidate for the vacant position in the

organization. In other words, selection means weeding out unsuitable applicants and selecting

those individuals with prerequisite qualifications and capabilities to fill the jobs in the

organization. Selecting the staff is a very crucial function of an HR Manager as human resource

is the most important asset of the firm. It determines how well the business can grow by how

well our employees perform their tasks at work. A proper procedure should be followed as and

when the selection process happens.

In Safeer, there is no such laid down procedure for selecting an employee, most of them are

selected through referrals and hence just have a few basic questions to answer. Not much

screening happens there. The ones who are recruited from outside also have a simple interview

session, just basic questions about their education and experience and they are in. A good

selection procedure followed will help us choose the best employees for our company and will

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lead to less employee absenteeism and less turnover as the HR managers are mindful whilst

selecting an employee.

2.2.3 Wage Administration

Administration of employee compensation is called wage and salary administration. The goals of

compensation administration are to design a cost-effective pay structure that will attract,

motivate and retain competent employees. Efforts should be made to ensure that differences in

pay for jobs are based on variations in job requirements such as skill, responsibility, efforts and

mental and physical requirements. The wage and salary payments must fulfil a wide variety of

human needs including the need for self-actualization. The salary administration in Safeer is

quite low compared to many other top retailers. One reason could be is over staffing – as there is

a tendency to hire everyone who comes in through references. As a result there are people

assigned to do small simple tasks which could be handled by any random employee which leads

to employing more than what we require, henceforth the salary average of an employee falls

down.

2.2.4 Other Benefits

Benefits - as in employee benefits are a form of non-wage compensation. Perks - as in

perquisites or corporate perks they are above and beyond offerings that may sway an employee

to value one employer over another. Some of the non-wage compensations that employers

provide are health insurance, annual paid leave, paid sick leaves, end of employment service fee

etc. Some more perks that employees enjoy are: allowance for food/housing or transportation,

annual tickets, tuition assistance for the children of the employees’ up to a certain percentage or

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so, profit sharing, discount on the companies’ products/services, retirement plan contributions

etc.

Such kind of benefits not only attracts the employees to join the firm but also help to retain them.

Many of them wouldn’t like to look for a change of job seeing the kind of treatment they receive

from their management. As it is wisely said “Train your employee’s well that they are prepared

to take up any job anywhere, but treat them such that they wouldn’t want to leave you.”

The benefits that the employees receive in Safeer are not much. Employees get an annual leave

of 30 days which isn’t paid after completion of 24 months of work. There is no ticket facility.

Housing and food allowance is provided to those who stay in the accommodation for which they

have a part of their salary cut to pay for the expenses, Increment of the salary happens once in 2

years or even longer depending on the employees performance level. Gratuity is provided on the

basic salary of an employee, company car is provided to certain employees who have been

working for a long time.

2.2.5 Discrimination

Employee discrimination happens when an employee or job applicant is treated unfavourably

because of his or her race, skin colour, national origin, gender, disability, religion, or age. In any

company discrimination tends to happen either knowingly or unknowingly. The former we can

avoid whilst the latter may not be in our hands and may occur randomly.

In Safeer there is no such discrimination as such, even though the majority of the workforce

consists of the Sindhi community, the employees from other geographic areas aren’t

discriminated against. Work is divided equally between women and men and the responsibility is

given to all employees equally which is a good thing that prevails in the company.

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2.3 Are the employees at Safeer motivated enough?

Well sadly, not enough. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that most of them are working with a mind-

set that something is better than nothing which is not quite the right attitude to be working with.

Employees are working here with a hope that as soon as they gain some relevant and valuable

experience they are going to venture out for jobs that will probably give them the satisfaction of

working at their job. Let’s look at some reasons why the employees aren’t motivated enough in

the company.

 Micromanagement

In business management, micromanagement is a management style whereby a manager closely

observes and/or controls the work of his/her subordinates or employees. Micromanagers may

have good intentions – trying to get work done well but they drive us crazy. Micromanagement

saps the life out of us, causing apathy at work.  Employees here have to make a weekly report of

what all they have worked on in the past week and submit it to their immediate supervisor. This

kind of watching over every move of the employee is a little over whelming.

 Lack of progress

It turns out; money for nothing doesn’t feel so great. While it might seem that we work for our

salary, studies show we want to feel that our work matters.  When a company can’t get its act

together, or when any change or new idea a worker tries to implement has to go through endless

layers of red tape, employees lose any motivation or passion that they might have had.  People

like enough process to be effective, but not to create busy work.

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Organizations should also be mindful of unnecessary rules that don’t actually benefit the

company (I.e. restrictive office hours, Internet usage, or vacation policies). When they start to

feel controlled rather than efficient, employees bristle. Any employee would like to be going

somewhere in terms of their career and not just stuck on a phase. Not getting new challenging

tasks or something creative to do at work pulls their morale down.

 Job insecurity

Employees who work for unstable companies or in jobs deemed expendable will only invest

enough to keep getting their paycheck while they look elsewhere. The rest of their energy will be

spent sharing rumors with co-workers, updating their resumes and planning their next move. 

As a leader, it’s extremely difficult to keep your best talent in place during uncertain times. The

best you can do is to communicate frequently, and give your team a sense of loyalty and trust.

You can’t make people stay, but you can encourage transparency on both sides so you’re not

surprised. Most of the employees here in Safeer are looking for a job change as they don’t feel

valued for the work they do or the salary they receive isn’t equivalent to their efforts put in.

 No confidence in company leadership

Once we lose faith in where our company is heading, then our loyalties fray and we cease to

wholeheartedly follow. We can even get subversive. Safeer is facing its fourth year of annual

loss, ups and downs for any company are inevitable but the employees should have faith in the

management that they will spring up back in action and make wiser decisions to bring up the

company as nobody would want to associate themselves with a company that’s going through a

loss in fear of job insecurity.

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  Lack of recourse for poor performance

When we go to work, we like to be rewarded and recognized for our contributions. If this isn’t

happening, or worse, people doing mediocre work are getting the same treatment as strong

performers, it’s natural to just turn off and do your job on autopilot. Companies that don’t deal

with performance issues bring down the average for everyone. The disturbing fact is that in

Safeer the employees who perform well are given more tasks to perform while the ones who are

low performers are given much less work load and both at the same salary. This pulls down the

morale of the employee working hard.

 Unpleasant coworkers

The importance of working with people we like can’t be overstated. Friendships make up for a

lot of ills, and the reverse is also true. A well-paying, career-enhancing job with a group of back-

stabbers is a recipe for stress and misery. Close work friendships boost employee satisfaction by

50% and people with a best friend at work are seven times more likely to engage fully in their

work. Having colleagues that coordinate and support you not only boost your morale but also

make you a happy person in life.

 Poor Communication

Getting instructions from two different superiors for the same job is quite confusing and puts the

employee in a pickle. A proper channel of communication should be established and there should

be only one superior giving the required instructions so as to not confuse the employee. If this

kind of situation occurs regularly the employees wouldn’t like to work in such an environment

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where they are not sure of what is required of them and how. Proper and clear communication

plays a good role in knowing how satisfied the employees at work are.

2.3.1 Ways to motivate employees by the Manager

Some stellar people have been employed and now measures need to be taken so as to make sure

they stick around. While of course the salary and benefits are important, a study found that they

don’t top the list of motivating factors. Instead, some of the most important factors tend to be

peer motivation, and feeling encouraged and recognized.

Below are some key tactics to keep employees motivated — they are sure to remain with the

company for the long haul.

 Make the physical work environment a pleasant place to be.

No one wants to stand around in a dingy, boring space for hours on end. Having an aesthetically

pleasing, well-lit, functional, and fun space makes work a lot more pleasant. The first step is to

make sure things are well kept and that the working equipment you have is updated. This means

switching out that dated era back office computer, your glacial-paced point-of-sale system, or

generally anything that people might want to throw out the window in frustration. It also means

keeping things clean and nice looking. Sprucing up the work space doesn’t have to be expensive.

Little touches will make things a lot more enjoyable for the employees and the customers as

well.

 Be a respectful, honest, and supportive manager.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but bad management is one of the top reasons employees run

for the hills. Things like respect, honesty, support, and clear communication are the foundations

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here. But there’s a lot more you can do to be a great leader and mentor. Effective management,

like any other skill, takes knowledge and practice. The long and short of it: if you’re a good

person to work for, your employees will be more loyal.

 Offer employee rewards.

People will stay in the company if they have a reason to. So if you want to retain your good

employees and keep them motivated, it’s worth starting an incentive program. Maybe it’s a

quarterly bonus. Maybe it’s a commission structure that’s better than the competition. Maybe it’s

offering to foot the bill for additional credentials. Or maybe it’s even profit-sharing in your

company. If people know they’ll be rewarded for a job well done, they’ll be more likely to do a

good job, and stay to see things through.

 Give them room to grow.

Especially if your company is rapidly expanding, giving your employees room to grow within

the company is a huge motivator. There’s the dangling carrot of more money, yes, but there’s

also the psychological factor of feeling like they’re trusted and respected for their work. If you’re

opening up a second location, think about which of your employees might be a good fit for a

management role there. If there’s someone who’s doing a particularly good job with inventory,

consider grooming that person to take over vendor relations completely. When you give your

best employees growth opportunities, it shifts their thinking from “this is just a side job” to “this

could be a full-fledged career.”

 Share positive feedback.

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It’s great to feel fulfilled by your work. In fact, it’s one of the key job satisfaction factors.

Satisfaction in your work can come from a variety of places — from knowing you made the

perfect cup of coffee to saving a house by removing a menacing tree. And if your customers

express appreciation for these things, be sure to share that feedback with your employees.

Managers should make it a point to share all of the positive, encouraging feedback with their

employees during weekly meetings. Letting your employees know they made someone’s day or

more makes them feel good and it gives them a deeper connection to your business.

 Be transparent.

Having insight into how business is going makes your employees more invested. So make a

point to share this data with them on a regular basis. You can send out daily, weekly, or monthly

sales reports or even information about how many of your customers are new versus returning.

Having access to all this data not only makes your employees feel like they’re an important part

of the business, it also helps point out areas where things could be improved. Also being

transparent with them about how certain things run in the company or who are our suppliers will

help them know that they are trusted upon and will boost them to work well for the company.

 Offer flexible scheduling.

Technology has changed the way businesses operate, and it has also changed the way we work or

the way we can work. If employees are able and expected to check work email on their phones or

finish projects on their laptops at home, it’s reasonable for them to want a similar flexibility from

their employers when it comes to scheduling. And they do. In a Forbes study, 46 percent of

respondents said that flexibility is the most important factor when it comes to job searching. And

employers are paying attention: 86% of companies on Forbes 2014 “Best Companies to Work

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For” offered some type of flexible schedule. So, whether it’s a work-from-home opportunity or

flex time, offer various scheduling options if you want to be viewed as a progressive employer

and attract top talent.

 Offer food in the workplace.

Are good snacks the key to employee retention? Nobody works well when they’re hangry. It

seems so simple, but sometimes all you have to do to make people happy is to feed them.

Obviously it’s not that simple, employees also have to be reasonably satisfied with their jobs.

Yet food does make an undeniable difference. In fact, a survey by Seamless found that 57% of

employees say food based perks would make them feel more valued and appreciated. It makes

sense: When your employer pays attention to your physical needs, you get the impression that

they care about you as a person–not just what you can do for the company. In the same survey,

38% said food perks would make them more likely to endorse their employer in a “best places to

work for” survey, so not only will decent snacks help you keep your employees, it can also help

you attract great new talent.

 Recognize their achievements.

Sometimes all people want is some recognition for a job well done. If an employee has been

putting in a lot of time working on a project, or they went out of their way to help out a co-

worker, do not hesitate to praise them. It’s not just about the act of recognition, but the principle:

If people feel that their efforts are appreciated, they will feel compelled to continue working

hard. Employees whose achievements were recognized also have reported that they experience

higher levels of enjoyment out of the work they do. But if they feel like their long hours and

personal sacrifices were for naught, it’s unlikely that they will go out of their way for the

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company again. So, whether it’s noting their contributions in a meeting, recognizing them in a

staff email, or just thanking them privately, it’s imperative that you show hardworking

employees your gratitude.

 Ask them what they want.

Instead of trying to guess what’s most important to the employees, actually sit down with them

and find out what they value. Doing the unexpected might be the best thing you can do for your

employees, and your company. This way they feel that their opinions and suggestions are valued

or considered and it motivates them to work hard for the company.

2.4 Workplace Stress Management

Work-related stress is a growing problem around the world that affects not only the health and

well-being of employees, but also the productivity of organizations. Work-related stress arises

where work demands of various types and combinations exceed the person’s capacity and

capability to cope. Work-related stress can be caused by various events. For example, a person

might feel under pressure if the demands of their job such as hours or responsibilities are greater

than they can comfortably manage. Other sources of work-related stress include conflict with co-

workers or bosses, constant change, and threats to job security, such as potential redundancy.

2.4.1 Factors that commonly cause work-related stress include:

 Long hours

An insufficient period of break or rest at work takes a toll on the health of the employee. If he is

made to work for long hours on a regular basis and without any facilities like refreshments or

over time he is sure to feel unambitious about his job.

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  Heavy workload

A common practice that happens in the company here is that employees who work efficiently

and effectively are given more tasks to complete with an expectation that they are going to

complete it well and on time. All though it is good to be recognized by the management as an

efficient worker, such kind of heavy work load takes a toll on the health of the employees. Also

it puts a negative impact on them, that despite working well they are being over loaded with

work that puts them in a stressful position.

 Over-supervision

Being overly supervised of what the employee does in his duty hours gives a feeling of being

constantly watched. Employees cannot concentrate on their work or get creative with their job as

a fear of being watched makes them uncomfortable. Each one should be given their space to

work in which doesn’t mean supervision isn’t necessary, it definitely is but in consideration –

employees are not little children to be constantly looked at.

 Few promotional opportunities

After being constantly watched over and been given heavy work load employees generally

expect some kind of increment in the salary or even better a promotion. After all this work if

they aren’t recognized or valued for the tasks that they have done it causes stress. Such efficient

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employees must be identified, appreciated and promoted not only does this improve the morale

of the employee but also puts the company in a good position in the market.

 Boring work

Having no challenges or no new kind of tasks puts the employee in a boredom situation. If an

employee is constantly bored because of his job, he isn’t going to be much interested in the work

and it will lead to unnecessary stress.

 Poor relationships with colleagues or bosses

Having colleagues who support you well and coordinate with you are quite essential in a

workplace. The absence of which makes the workplace a stressful place to be. Having a good

rapport with the boss or colleagues makes work fun and easier for the employees.

2.4.2 How can the management help reduce stress at workplace

The managers should try to identify and eliminate stress as much as possible. Having employees

who work with a free mind help the company perform better and is also beneficial to the

employees themselves.

Let us look at a few steps the management can take to help their employees be stress free:

 Provide Mental Health First Aid or Wellness training

 Up skill and educate your workforce about the differences between healthy and unhealthy levels

of stress, as well as how to spot signs of work stress. Ensure you provide information on where

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to seek help for mental health problems if and when they occur. Encourage a culture of open

communication about mental health and wellbeing so employees know that it’s OK to talk about

stress at work, and assure them that it’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help.

 Be clear about communications policies

Avoid emailing or calling employees after work hours. If you send an email, make it clear that

they’re not expected to respond right away as this can lead to stress. And if you absolutely need

to call after the normal hours of work, restrict calls to emergencies if at all possible and try not to

disturb people during their usual hours of rest.

 Provide space where employees can take a rest or a break

When employees are always busy and working hard, chances are, they’re missing out on much

needed rest and relaxation, which in turn can contribute to work stress. Allowing employees to

take a breather at work in peace – whether to nap or do some meditation practice – can help them

regain their energy and help reduce the effects of stress. A game room may do wonders too. Both

exercise and play help release ‘happy’ hormones that may help your team cope with stressful

situations at work. Having the chance to take breaks, even for a few minutes each day, can help

them come back feeling more relaxed and re-energized to work.

 Workplace recognition

A great manager should recognize the effort of their team members and appreciate what they

have done for the company. So, they can either have a short chat with the employees or tell them
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what a great job they have been doing, or make a small announcement about it during the weekly

meetings in front of their colleagues.

 Offer a flexible work environment

Nowadays, everyone is looking for flexibility at work. Allow your team members flexibility by

not monitoring them often, so long as their work is completed by specific deadlines. Remember

that salary is not everything. Allow that team member who has children by letting them come

into the office early and leave early to pick their children up. Or allow working from home once

a fortnight so team members can have a change of environment once a while.

2.4.3 How does stress affect ones work life performance?

Stress is normal. Everyone feels stress related to work, family, decisions, the future, and more.

Stress is both physical and mental. It is caused by major life events such as illness, the death of a

loved one, a change in responsibilities or expectations at work, and job promotions, loss, or

changes. Major workplace and personal stress are inevitable.

Smaller, daily events also cause stress. This stress is not as apparent to you, but the constant and

cumulative impact of the small stressors adds up to a big impact. This impact has an effect on

your physical and mental sense of well-being.

2.4.4 The Impact of Stress on Your Sense of Well-Being

In response to these daily stresses, your body automatically increases blood pressure, heart rate,

respiration, metabolism, and blood flow to your muscles. This stress response is intended to help

your body react quickly and effectively to any high-pressure situation.

25
However, when you are constantly reacting to small or large stressful situations, without making

physical, mental, and emotional adjustments to counter their effect, you can experience stress

that can hurt your health and well-being. It is essential that you understand both your external

and internal stress-causing events, no matter how you perceive those events.

Stress can cause physical, emotional, and behavioral problems which can affect your health,

energy, well-being, mental alertness, and personal and professional relationships. It can also

cause defensiveness, lack of motivation, difficulty concentrating, accidents, reduced

productivity, and interpersonal conflict.

Too much stress can cause minor problems such as sleep loss, irritability, backaches, or

headaches, and can also contribute to potentially life-threatening diseases such as high blood

pressure and heart disease.

During stressful times or situations, people often blame themselves for being weak or for their

inability "to handle it." Often managers in organizations do not understand the normal

progression of change or stress-producing situations and they expect employees to immediately

return to total productivity after a stressful event. It doesn’t happen.

Emotional symptoms of stress include:

 Becoming easily agitated, frustrated, and moody

 Feeling overwhelmed, like you are losing control or need to take control

 Having difficulty relaxing and quieting your mind

 Feeling bad about yourself (low self-esteem), lonely, worthless, and depressed

 Avoiding others

26
Physical symptoms of stress include:

 Low energy

 Headaches

 Upset stomach, including diarrhoea, constipation, and nausea

 Aches, pains, and tense muscles

 Chest pain and rapid heartbeat

 Insomnia

 Frequent colds and infections

 Loss of sexual desire and/or ability

 Nervousness and shaking, ringing in the ear, cold or sweaty hands and feet

 Dry mouth and difficulty swallowing

 Clenched jaw and grinding teeth

Cognitive symptoms of stress include:

 Constant worrying

 Racing thoughts

 Forgetfulness and disorganization

 Inability to focus

 Poor judgment

 Being pessimistic or seeing only the negative side

Behavioral symptoms of stress include:

27
  Changes in appetite -- either not eating or eating too much

 Procrastinating and avoiding responsibilities

 Increased use of alcohol, drugs, or cigarettes

 Exhibiting more nervous behaviours, such as nail biting, fidgeting, and pacing

2.4.5 What Are the Consequences of Long-Term Stress?

A little stress every now and then is not something to be concerned about. Ongoing, chronic stress,

however, can cause many serious health problems, including:

 Mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and personality disorders

 Cardiovascular disease, including heart disease, high blood pressure,

abnormal heart rhythms, heart attacks, and stroke

 Obesity and other eating disorders

 Menstrual problems

 Sexual dysfunction, such as impotence and premature ejaculation in men and loss of sexual

desire in both men and women

 Skin and hair problems, such as acne, psoriasis, and eczema, and permanent hair loss

 Gastrointestinal problems, such as GERD, gastritis, ulcerative colitis, and irritable colon

28
 CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3. Introduction

Research methodology is the specific procedures or techniques used to identify, select, process,

and analyse information about a topic. In a research paper, the methodology section allows the

29
reader to critically evaluate a study’s overall validity and reliability. The methodology section

answers two main questions: How was the data collected or generated? How was it analysed? 

It is one thing to know what the employees face in their organization relating to their job;

motivation, their relationship with their boss/colleagues, the stress and workload etc. through the

employees themselves and through other sources like acquaintances of the employees or journals

or business magazines etc.

In this following chapter we shall be discussing how have we will be researching from the

employees in Safeer Group.

3.1 Sampling

Since it is not physically possible for the researcher to give an equal chance to the whole of the

population in answering the survey, the sampling technique used here will be the non –

probability sampling technique. It uses non-random processes like researcher judgment

or convenience sampling.

Those employees will be included in the sample who are closer to the researcher’s reach; i.e.

employees at the head office and warehouses. Employees at the various outlets will be difficult

to access for the survey.

Chances of error are higher in a too small sample while fewer errors occur with large samples. In

this study, sample is collected by the researcher to minimize the sampling errors therefore100

employees are selected at random of the whole population of 4500 employees, which includes

men and women, youth and seniors, employees at the managerial and entry level, employees at

the head office and labourers etc.

30
3.2 Data Collection

Primary method of data collection will be used for this research study. Research questionnaires

will be distributed among employees to collect the data related to the research topic. Under

primary method the data collected will be more accurate as it is being given out by the employee

himself. Chances of data manipulation or errors are reduced as compared to the secondary source

of data which may get manipulated overtime as and when it is passed on and used by different

researchers. Secondary sources of data are: magazines, internet.

3.3 The Research Approach

The method used to study the happenings in the company is Quantitative Research Method

through the Survey Method.

Quantitative research is description-based.  Quantitative research focuses more on the ability to

complete statistical analysis.  With quantitative studies, each respondent is asked to respond to

the same questions.

In survey method research, participants answer questions administered through interviews or

questionnaires.  After participants answer the questions, researchers describe the responses

given. In order for the survey to be both reliable and valid it is important that the questions are

constructed properly. Questions should be written so they are clear and easy to comprehend.

Another consideration when designing questions is whether to include open-ended, closed-

ended, partially open-ended, or rating-scale questions.

31
3.4 Limitations

However best the research is planned, there can be limitations within the study. This can be due

to the researcher asking inappropriate questions or personal questions or the respondents may not

understand the real meaning of the questions. Sometimes the respondents may not accurately

give their response in some of the areas that they are not comfortable with. This questionnaire in

this research is prepared in simple English language assuming the employees are able to

understand.

32
 CHAPTER 4

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

4. Introduction

Data analysis is basically analysing the answers that the respondents submitted through the

questionnaire distributed to them. The questionnaire has two sections. The first section has basic

questions like their name, age, duration of their work period in the company etc. The second

section has questions that focus on the area of our research – employee motivation and stress

33
management at the company. There are 20 questions in total including 4 open end questions for

the respondents to answer expressing their opinion freely. The responses to each question are

analysed using charts for a better understanding on the topic.

The areas the questions focus are:

-Whether or not the co-workers are supportive

-Causes of low morale among the respondents

-Whom do the respondents talk to in case of stress at work?

-Job satisfaction

-Factors that motivate respondents

-Changes the respondents would like to bring in the style of management that prevails currently.

-What do the respondents like about their company?

4.1 Data Analysis of Close ended Questions

Q1. Age Distribution

100 employees at Safeer involved themselves to deliver their perspectives on employee

motivation and workplace stress management. The respondents were chosen at random. The

following were their age distribution.

34
 Age Bracket No. of Respondents Percentage
18-25 19 19
25-35 26 26
35-45 15 15
45-55 29 29
55-65 11 11
Total 100 100

Age Distribution of respondents

11%
19%
18-
25
25-
35
29%
35-
45
26%
45-
55

15%

Interpretation: From the pie chart, we can conclude that 19% of the respondents are between the

ages 18-25. 26% of respondents are between the ages of 25-35. 15% of employees are between

the ages 35-45. Majority of the respondents i.e.; 29% are in the age group of 45-55. Only 11% of

respondents are between ages 55-65. There was no respondent over the age of 65.

Q2. Duration of work in the company

Duration of Work No. of respondents Percentage

0-5 years 35 35

6-10 years 16 16

35
 10-15 years 28 28

15-20 years 21 21

Total 100 100

Duration of work
21%
35% 0-5 years
6-10 years
10-15 years
15-20 years
28%
16%

Interpretation: As we can see in the pie chart, 35% of respondents have recently joined the

company-they’ve been working for less than 5yrs, 16% of respondents are present in the

company from 6-10yrs. 28% of respondents have been working for the past 10-15yrs in the

company and 21% of employees have attained senior ship in the company by working 15-20yrs.

No respondent has worked for over 20 yrs. in the company.

Q3. Considering your job responsibility, salary, work environment; how happy are you at work?

Criteria No. of respondents Percentage

Very Happy 11 11
Moderately Happy 16 16
Neither 21 21
Unhappy 9 9
I am here just to pay bills 43 43
Total 100 100

36
 Happiness at work

45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Very Happy Moderately Happy Neither Unhappy I am here just to pay bills

Interpretation: From the chart we can imply that only 11% respondents are truly happy with the

company, their job, salary etc. which is good to know. 16% respondents are moderately happy,

21% of the respondents are neither happy nor unhappy with their job/work environment. 9% of

the respondents are unhappy with where they are at in regards to job, their salary. A whopping

43% of the respondents said they are just working for the sake of it. Managers should take this

seriously and improve the working conditions

Q4. Would you refer someone as in a job-seeker to work here?

Criteria No. of respondents Percentage

Yes 47 47
No 18 18
Maybe 35 35
Total 100 100

37
 Refer a job-seeker

50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
yes no maybe

Interpretation: 47% of the respondents said that they would refer a prospective job seeker to

work in the company. As we know in Safeer, recruits are mainly through referrals- considering

that, it is not very surprising. 18% of the respondents said they wouldn’t refer someone while

35% of the respondents weren’t sure if would or wouldn’t refer someone to the company.

Q5. Do you feel like co-workers are cooperative and supportive here?

Criteria No. of respondents Percentage

We have each other’s back 23 23
They cause me trouble 51 51
At times, Not always 26 26
Total 100 100

38
 Cooperative Coworkers
60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
We have each other’s back They cause me trouble At times, Not always

Interpretation: 23% of the respondents had a feedback saying their co-workers are supportive and

helpful.51% of the respondents said that their co-workers are the reason they fall into trouble at

the work place and 26% of the respondents said that their co-workers are helpful but only at

times, not always.

Q6. Which of the following factors motivates you the most?

Criteria No. of respondents Percentage

Hike in Salary 20 20
Promotion 20 20
Recognition 31 31
Motivational Talks 11 11
Understanding Management 18 18
Total 100 100

39
 Factors Motivating Employees

Understanding Management

Motivational Talks

Recognition

Promotion

Hike in Salary

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

Interpretation: 20% of the respondents say that promotion will motivate them in their work,

while another 20% of the respondents say that a hike in the salary would motivate them to

perform better. 11% respondents say that having a pep talk often would help them do better.

Majority of the respondents i.e. 31% said that being recognized for their hard work and

efficiency would motivate them to do better. And 18% of them said having an understanding

management would make things easier for them.

Q7. Hypothetically, if you were to quit tomorrow, what would your reason be?

Criteria No. of respondents Percentage

Low Salary 21 21
Poor Management 17 17
No career development 9 9
Better opportunity elsewhere 33 33
Bored at the same place now 9 9
Would work here until 11 11

40
 retirement
Total 100 100

Reasons for quitting

35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
t

ow
re
t

t
y

en

en

en
lar

he

en
pm
em

m
Sa

ew

re
lac
ag

lo
w

eti
els
ve
Lo

an

ep

lr
de

ty
M

am

til
ni
or

er

re
tu

es
re
Po

he
or

th
ca

pp

rk
at
No

ro

wo
d
re
tte

ld
Bo
Be

ou
W

Interpretation: 21% of the respondents said that they would quit; citing the reason to be low

salary.17% of respondents said that poor management would be the reason they would quit.9%

of the respondents said that no scope for career development would cause them to quit their jobs.

33% of respondents said that if they would get a better opportunity elsewhere they would quit

their current job. 9% of the respondents said that they were bored working at the same place now

and hence would quit. 11% of the respondents said that they would continue working in the

same company until they retire.

Q8. Do you feel stressed at work?

Criteria No. of respondents Percentage

Yes 29 29
No 37 37

41
 Only during heavy workload 34 34
Total 100 100

Stress at worlplace
37%
34%
40%
29%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Yes No Only during heavy workload

Interpretation: 29% of the respondents said that they are stressed at work.. 37% of the

respondents said they weren’t stressed at work. 34% of employees said they were stressed only

during times of heavy workload.

Q9. Who do you report / share if you have any problems at work?

Criteria No. of respondents Percentage

Colleagues 32 32
Superior 19 19
HR Executive 14 14
No one 21 21
Total 100 100

42
 Talking about Stress

24%
Colleagues
37%
Superior
HR Executive
No one

16%

22%

Interpretation: 32% of respondents said that they share their stress with fellow colleagues. 19%

of respondents talk to their superiors, 14% of respondents speak with the HR executive regarding

their stress and 21% of respondents said they do not share their stress or problems with anyone.

Q10. What makes workplace engaging and likeable?

Criteria No. of respondents Percentage

Fun colleagues 22 22
Challenging tasks 15 15
Appreciative boss 8 8
Responsibility at work 23 23
Enough time to refresh 19 19
Total 100 100

43
 Reasons that make work likeable
25% 23%
22%
20% 19%
15%
15%

10% 8%

5%

0%
s ks s k sh
ue as os r
ag
g t e b
t wo efre
lle gin tiv ya o
r
co n cia i lit et
n e e
Fu hall pr ns
ib tim
C Ap o
ug
h
sp o
Re En

Interpretation: 22% of the respondents said that having fun colleagues at work makes it an

interesting place to be in. 15% of the respondents said that having challenging tasks to perform

makes work interesting for them.8% of the respondents said that having an appreciative boss

would make work better for them. 23% of the respondents said that being entrusted with

responsibility makes work likeable for them. And 19% of the respondents said that having

enough time to relax and replenish them at work makes it a better place.

Q11.Do you think referrals is a good way to recruit employees?

Criteria No. of respondents Percentage

Yes, it’s safe 23 23
Only if they deserve it 17 17
No 20 20
Everyone should face a 26 26

formal interview process

Not bothered 14 14
Total 100 100

44
 Recruiting Referrals
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%

Interpretation: 23% of respondents said that it is safe to recruit the employees through referrals

as they are known by someone in the company and are trust worthy. 17% of the respondents feel

that employing referrals is okay only if they deserve the job or stand up to the expectations of the

job. 20% of the respondents said it’s not fine to employee referrals, 26% of the respondents said

that everyone should face a proper formal interview process and then be employed. 14% of the

respondents said they weren’t bothered about how employees were recruited.

Q12. Are you encouraged to come up with new and better ways of doing things at work?

Criteria No. of respondents Percentage

Strongly Agree 19 19
Agree 26 26
Neutral 15 15
Disagree 17 17

45
 Strongly disagree 23 23
Total 100 100

Encouraged to give ideas

23% 19%
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly disagree
17% 26%

15%

Interpretation: 19% of the respondents strongly agree that they are encouraged by their superiors

to give new ideas to a project or so. 26% of the respondents agree that they are encouraged to

give their ideas at work. 15% respondents neither agree nor disagree to the fact that their

opinions are considered. 17% of the respondents said that they disagree that they are encouraged

to share views regarding tasks at work and 23% respondents strongly disagree to the fact that

employees are encouraged to share their views at work.

Q13. Have you been promoted at work in the last six to twelve months?

Criteria No. of respondents Percentage

Yes 3 3
No 97 97
Total 100 100

46
 Promoted at work
3%

Yes
No

97%

Interpretation: As seen from the pie chart, majority of the respondents i.e. 97% said that they

haven’t been promoted in the past 6 to 12 months while only 3% of the respondents said that

they have been promoted in the last 6 to 12 months.

Q14. Do you feel as though your job responsibilities are clearly defined?

Criteria No. of respondents Percentage

Yes 38 38
No 37 37
Somewhat 25 25
Total 100 100

47
 Clearly defined Job responsibilities
40% 38% 37%
35%

30%
25%
25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
Yes No Somewhat

Interpretation: 38% of the respondents said that their job responsibilities in the company are

clearly defined. 37% of the respondents said that their job responsibilities haven’t been clearly

defined. There is still confusion in whom to report to and from whom to take orders. 25% of the

respondents said that their job responsibilities are neither clearly defined nor poorly defined.

Q15. Do you think that work is distributed evenly across your team?

Criteria No. of respondents Percentage

Strongly agree 13 13
Agree 28 28
Neutral 17 17
Disagree 31 31
Strongly disagree 11 11
Total 100 100

48
 Equal Distribution of work

35% 31%
28%
30%

25%
17%
20%
13%
15% 11%

10%

5%

0%
Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Interpretation: 13% of the respondents said that they strongly agreed to the fact that work is

being divided equally among all members of the team while 28% of the respondents said that

they agreed that work was divided equally among all members in a team. 17% neither agreed nor

disagreed to the fact. 31% of the respondents said that they disagreed that work was being

distributed equally among all members in a team and the remaining 11% strongly disagreed with

the fact that work was being distributed equally among all the members of the team.

Q16. How would rate your work life balance?

Criteria No. of respondents Percentage

Highly satisfied 19 19
Satisfied 27 27
Neutral 33 33
Dissatisfied 14 14
Highly dissatisfied 7 7
Total 100 100

49
 Worklife Balance

Highly dissatisfied 7%

Dissatisfied 14%

Neutral 33%

Satisfied 27%

Highly satisfied 19%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

Interpretation: 19% of the respondents said that they were able to manage their work and

personal life in a good way hence they were highly satisfied. 27% of the respondents said that

they were satisfied with the way their work and personal life was going. 33% said that they were

neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with work life balance. Whereas 14% of the respondents said

that they were dissatisfied with their work life balance situation and 7% said they were highly

dissatisfied with the way work and personal life was going for them.

4.2 Analysing Open ended questions

Q17. How can the managers perform better in motivating the employees?

50
Many respondents said that being recognized for their hard work will definitely put their

superiors in good books for them. Having certain programs that have pep talks, refreshments

activities like getting to know other in the company by organizing parties or games or picnics

would help employees feel good about their managers and their job. Managers can ask

suggestions from their employees to make them feel included. Certain decisions can be taken

keeping the employees’ welfare in mind and not just the betterment of the company.

Q18. What do you like most about the job and/or the company? Please explain

Some respondents said that they liked how the superiors took time out to explain certain new

changes/new programs/new software to the employees. Some said that they liked coming to

work every day because of their colleagues who make work enjoyable. Certain other respondents

said that the values of the company are what they liked – the company believes in paying

employees their salary due on the first of every month. And during occasions like Diwali or Eid

they get incentives which make the employees happy.

Q19. What would you change if you were the owner? 

Respondents said that they would first and foremost like to change the way management

performs, they would like to have a proper system where the employees know under whom are

they working and to whom must they be reporting to. Some respondents said that they would like

to put in some time for the employees to refresh at work like have a games room or organize a

picnic or so. Some respondents said that the flexibility to work from home would be highly

welcomed as it reduces a lot of pressure and stress from the backs of the employees.

Q20. What motivates you to go above and beyond at work?

51
Respondents said that being given responsibility at work would make them want to go a step

ahead and do better so that the managers feels that they have taken the right decision by giving

those employees the responsibility. Some others said that having some task that challenges them

or is new to them in any way would make them go above work perimeters. Some said that

having something new to do in their daily course of wok would make them want to go above

and beyond work as it excites them, gives them a higher feeling of accomplishment and

productivity.

CHAPTER 5

FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

52
5.1 Findings

Following are the findings and recommendations of the study. They are based mainly on the

opinion of the respondents who participated in the questionnaire.

-The study found that hiring people from different age groups is essential to the firm. The senior

staffs have their experience of the field to bring in. The youth employed in the form help to bring

in new suggestions and ideas in the ways things are done.

-It is important that people are happy at their work. Everything can’t go perfectly in life. Ups and

downs are a common phenomenon, but it is essential to be happy at least where one is spending

most of the time in a day. The salary, the job responsibility, the nature of the management all

contribute to that happiness.

53
-Usually employees refer someone to work in their company if they themselves are satisfied with

the job, the benefits and the working conditions. Hence it is important to see that the employees

have something good to talk about the company, outside it to their friends and recommend

probable job seekers to work in there.

-The study found that having good supportive and cooperative team mates makes work fun and

bearable. A good team consists of people who listen to everyone’s ideas and at the same time are

courageous enough to keep their own point. Having an encouraging team works wonders in the

office.

-The study found out that unlike what many have to say regarding salary to be motivating, it

definitely is, but in this study the respondents voted recognition to be a major factor of

motivation. It was followed by promotion and hike in salary. But all in all people loved to be

praised or even known for the hard work that they put in a task.

-The study found that the reason employees would quit Safeer would be better job opportunities

elsewhere, which is like a wakeup call for the management to provide better career and growth

opportunities within the firm that the employees need not look outside for jobs.

-Being stressed at work is normal. Stress up to a point can be taken in a positive manner to boost

productivity and efficiency in the firm. But more stress only leads to headaches, low

productivity, and poor results achieved from the tasks done. It is recommended to manage stress

efficient for the betterment of the company.

-Having someone to talk to regarding the pressures or work load helps a lot to the employee. It

helps to take the load off from one’s mind regarding the workload. The managers must be kind

54
enough to give time to listen to their employees, if not arrange a counsellor to hear such talks and

counsel or talk to employees facing stress at work which will help them.

-Having fun colleagues or having proper amount of job responsibility makes work an interesting

place to be in. The management should see to it that they are cooperative enough, that they

provide proper facilities like a games room, transportation services, food options to the

employees so that it makes coming to work easier and more interesting and bearable.

-Hiring through referrals may not always work for the company. Sometimes it is essential to

bring in complete unknown people into the firm to avoid favouritism, groups and bias situations.

Recruits must be from different nationalities, cultures and diversities that would make work more

interesting and enjoyable.

-When employees are encouraged to come up with ideas or new ways it boosts them in away

unimagined, instead of always being told how to do and what is to be done it is important to give

them the space to think, the space to make mistakes and learn from them. It is important to let the

employees be on their own instead of spoon feeding them always, this way they will get more

creative and use themselves completely for the firm.

-Being promoted or not also impacts the employees, after working hard and not being recognised

or not valuing their effort puts their morale down which should be avoided. Hence if not

promotion something else must be done for the betterment of them employees.

-Having proper job responsibilities motivates the employees, when they are sure of what is to be

done and how it is to be done it saves a lot of time and effort making them more efficient and

productive in the work. Thereby job responsibilities should always be clearly defined for an

employee.

55
-Work should always be distributed evenly within all team mates, it shouldn’t be like those who

better are given more tasks while those who are prone to submit their work late or do a couple of

mistakes be given less work because of these reasons. Work being distributed evenly gives the

feeling of equal sense of responsibility among all of them. A person should be given work as and

per his capabilities and also to make him perfect in the work he is dong.

-Achieving work-life balance is a daily challenge.  Employers can help employees achieve work-

life balance by instituting policies, procedures, actions, and expectations that enable them to

pursue more balanced lives, such as flexible work schedules, paid time off (PTO) policies,

responsibly paced time and communication expectations, and company-sponsored family events

and activities

5.2 Recommendations

-Maintain good communication

Employees want to be kept in the loop about ongoing projects, goals, and deadlines, so it’s

essential to communicate well with them and inform them about goings-on within the

organization. It’s also essential to encourage feedback from the staff and make them  feel that

they can approach you with any questions or issues they want to address, so making the

manger accessible to the staff is critical.

-Build positive working relationships

It’s important to get to know members of your team individually,  not only on a professional

level but on a more personal level too. When you put the effort in to get to know a bit more
56
about how your colleagues are doing and what they are interested in, it will build a much better

rapport among the team.

-Acknowledge good work

Don’t be one of these bosses who only give feedback when you’ve got something to criticize!

By providing your staff with positive feedback it will help to build their confidence and

encourage them to get more involved in the future, so it’s vital that you acknowledge their

achievements and the effort that they are putting in. Encourage creativity and ensure that

everyone is clear about what is expected of them.

-Be real

Your team doesn’t expect you to be superhuman, so if you’re feeling the pressure and need a

helping hand, don’t be afraid to admit it and if you make a mistake. By showing the human

side of yourself and allowing your staff to get to know you a bit better, your team will feel

more relaxed and comfortable approaching you.

-Be decisive

A good leader needs to be able to assert their authority and make important decisions for the

team. There is no space for flakiness in a leadership role, so it’s crucial to stick to your guns

and go with what you feel is best the business.

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-Delegate jobs to the right people

Part of why it is vital that you establish a relationship with your team and get to know them

individually is so you can assess what their strengths are. People perform better  and are more

engaged in roles where they feel they are employing their best skills, so delegating

proper functions that suit each will have a significant impact on the productivity of the team.

-Manage conflict

When there is conflict in the workplace, it should not be ignored. Turning a blind eye could

lead to a negative atmosphere, which could have implications for staff productivity

and communication among the team may suffer. When an issue arises, it’s crucial that it is

addressed straight away before it builds.

-Set a good example

Your staff will look to you for guidance and inspiration, so it’s essential that you set a good

example to gain their respect. If you expect them to behave professionally and commit to their

work, it’s vital that you do so yourself. Make sure that you are doing your job, continuing to

develop your career and support your team in doing so too.

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CONCLUSION

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In today’s fast paced business world, the ability to achieve work life balance is becoming more

and more difficult. Employers expect more from staff, and we are increasingly putting additional

pressure on ourselves to achieve greater results. But when did it become acceptable for our 9am

to 5pm working day to become 8am to 7pm? Many of us have allowed this to happen, whether it

is through conforming to the workplace culture, or feeling obliged to put in more hours, however

this should not be the case. Maintaining work life balance is not only important for your personal

health and relationships, but it can also improve the efficiency of your work performance

Understanding the factors that motivate employees helps a business to determine the ways in

which it should engage with its people. From valuing their views and opinions, providing

opportunities for training and career progression, as well providing a great environment to work

in are all motivating factors. The level of motivation and satisfaction amongst employees can

60
have a direct impact on meeting and exceeding customer expectations and overall business

performance. 

Most people confused whether stress good or bad. Actually stress is not all bad. When stress is

handled effectively it provides the motivation which encourages people to overcome the

obstacles which separates people from them goals and hopes. Stress can be helpful and

pleasurable because stress can make people progress faster. Some stress is necessary because

sometimes without stress people most likely slack off and waste times. Stress can help keeps as

mentally alert and stable. Stress also can lead to satisfaction of accomplishment.

Everyone have differences to tolerate pressure. Some people have a high tolerance but some

people have low tolerance. When does stress become a problem this may is inadequate or

inappropriate response. When a stressor is prolonged that it exhausts an individual capability to

respond will become problem.

In conclusion, stress has an advantages and disadvantages. If people will handle stress effectively

this can provide a lot of advantages to people. But if people will not handle stress effectively this

may lead a lot problem to people. Stress is a common problem in modern life. Stress is a normal

quantity of everyday life and there is no way to escape. So people need to learn how too

effectively to managing the stress. At an organization level, consideration to simple job project

ideologies able to improves the situations that could be the reason of stress. At the different level,

human resource professional have showed workspaces on managing the pressure to relief the

employees to cope with stress and evade an overexposure to the circumstance that can increase

the strain.

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62
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

The below links have been really helpful in getting guidelines and ideas from for the thesis:

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Journal of Selection and Assessment, 6, 3544.  AlimoMetcalfe, B., & AlbanMetcalfe,

R.J. (2001). The development of a motivational leadership questionnaire. The Journal

of Occupational & Employee Motivation, 74, 127.  AlimoMetcalfe, B., & Alban Metcalfe, J. 

(2002). Leadership. In P. W. Warr (ed.). Psychology at Work. London: Penguin. Alimo-

Metcalfe,  B.  & Lawler, J. (2001). Stress Management in  UK companies at the beginning

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Robertson, I.  T. (1995). Work psychology: Understanding human behaviour

in the workplace. London: Pitman.  Bass, B.  M. (1999). Two decades of

research and development in Employee motivation. European Journal of Work and Employee

Motivation, 8, 932.  Bass, B.  M., & Avolio, B .J.  (1994). Improving organizational

effectiveness through stress management. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.  Bass, B.  M., &

Avolio, B .J.  (1997).  Full range leadership  development: Manual for the

Multifactor, Mind Garden, Palo Alto, CA. Beehr, T. A. (1976). Perceived situational moderators

of the relationship between subjective role ambiguity and role strain. Journal of

Applied Psychology, 61 (7), 3540.

Beehr, T. A., King, L. A., & King, D. W. (1990). Social support, occupational stress: talking to 

Supervisors. Journal of Vocational Behaviour, 36, 6181.

Beswick, J., Gore, J., & Alderman, D. (2006). Bullying at work: A review of the literature. Stress

and Safety  (www.hse.gov.uk/research/hsl_pdf/2006/hsl0630.pdf.)

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(1997). Low job control and risk of coronary heart disease in Whitehall II study. British Medical

Journal, 314, 558564. 

Bosma, H., Stansfeld, S. A., & Marmot, M. G. (1998). Job control, personal characteristics, and 

heart disease. Journal of  Health Psychology, 3, 402409.  

Boyatzis, R. E. (1982). The competent manager: A model for effective performance. Chichester:

Cherniss, C. (1995). Beyond Burnout: Helping teachers, nurses, therapists & lawyers recover

from stress and disillusionment. NY: Routledge.  CIPD (2005). Competencies and competency

frameworks. Website factsheet:

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Chell, E. (1998). Critical Incident Technique. In G. Symon and C. Cassell (eds.). Qualitative

Methods and Analysis in Organisational Research: A practical Guide. London: Sage.  

Cohen, S., & Wills, T.A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the moderating hypothesis. 

Psychological Bulletin, 98, 310357.  Colquitt, J. A. (2001). On the dimensionality of employee

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Doniger, G. M. (1999). Combining qualitative and  quantitative methodologies to  study group 

processes: An  illustrative study of a corporate board of directors. Organizational

John Wiley & Sons.  Bryman, A. (2004). Qualitative research on Motivation: A critical

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Motivation, 17, 163178.   De Lange, A. H., Taris, T.

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Millennium: Longitudinal research and the DemandControl(Support)

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APPENDIX

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Questionnaire

Respected Sir/Madam, as a part of my thesis I would like to gather some information from you

which will help me to understand the situation better. I would be obliged if you co-operate with

me in filling the below questionnaire. Since this questionnaire is being used for academic

research purpose the information gathered will be strictly confidential. Please tick the most

appropriate answer for the question. Thank you.

A study on ‘Employee Motivation and Workplace Stress Management’

Name:

Q1. What age group do you belong to?

Age Bracket Answer

18-25
25-35
35-45
45-55
55-65

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Q2. How long have you been working in this company?

Duration of Work Answers

0-5 years
6-10 years
10-15 years
15-20 years

Q3. Considering your job responsibility, salary, work environment; how happy are you at work?

Criteria Answers
Very Happy
Moderately Happy
Neither
Unhappy
I am here just to pay bills

Q4. Would you refer someone as in a job-seeker to work here?

Criteria Answers

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 Yes

No

Maybe

Q5. Do you feel like co-workers are cooperative and supportive here?

Criteria Answers
We have each other’s back
They cause me trouble
At times, Not always

Q6. Which of the following factors motivates you the most?

Criteria Answers
Hike in Salary
Promotion
Recognition
Motivational Talks
Understanding Management
Q7. Hypothetically, if you were to quit tomorrow, what would your reason be?

Criteria Answers
Low Salary
Poor Management
No career development
Better opportunity elsewhere
Bored at the same place now
Would work here until retirement

Q8. Do you feel stressed at work?

Criteria Answers
Yes
No

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 Only during heavy workload

Q9.Whom do you report / share if you have any problems at work?

Criteria Answers
Colleagues
Superior
HR Executive
No one

Q10. What makes workplace engaging and likeable?

Criteria Answers
Fun colleagues
Challenging tasks
Appreciative boss
Responsibility at work
Enough time to refresh

Q11. Do you think referrals are a good way to recruit employees?

Criteria Answers

70
 Yes, it’s safe
Only if they deserve it
No
Everyone should face a formal interview

process
Not bothered

Q12. Are you encouraged to come up with new and better ways of doing things at work?

Criteria Answers
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly disagree

Q13. Have you been promoted at work in the last six to twelve months?

Criteria Answers
Yes
No

Q14. Do you feel as though your job responsibilities are clearly defined?

Criteria Answers
Yes
No
Somewhat

Q15. Do you think that work is distributed evenly across your team?

Criteria Answers

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 Strongly agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly disagree

Q16. How would rate your work-life balance?

Criteria Answers
Highly satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
Highly dissatisfied

Q17. How can the managers perform better in motivating the employees?

_______________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Q18. What do you like most about the job and/or the company? Please explain

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Q19. What would you change if you were the owner? 

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Q20. What motivates you to go above and beyond at work?

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_____________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

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