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OCCUPATIONAL STRESS AMONG BANKING PROFESSIONALS: A Case Study of Nationalised Ban

AUT!OR

A"A# SOLK!E
Assistant Professor, University School of Management, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Haryana, INDIA Email I ! a"ay#solkhe$re iffmail%com, asolkhe$kuk%ac%in Mo&ile! '()(*+ ,,)+-

$ECLARATION B# AUT!OR It is eclare that article title .OCCUPATIONAL STRESS AMONG BANKING PROFESSIONALS: A Case Study of Nationalised Ban / is original 0ork of author% It is further state that neither the article has &een 1u&lishe &efore nor it has &een sent for 1u&lication in any other "ournal%

A%ay Sol &e

Assistant Professor, University School of Management, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra

A!st"a#t Stress is inevitable in our society. 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. During the past decade, the banking sector had under gone rapid and striking changes like policy changes due to globalisation and liberalisation, increased competition due to the entrance of more private (corporate) sector banks, do nsi!ing, introduction of ne technologies, etc. Due to these changes, the light on the various problems of employees in the banking sector are experiencing a high level of stress. "n light of the above, the present study attempt to thro occupational stress among banking professionals specifically the #ationalised bank employees. $or meeting the ob%ective &ccupational Stress "ndex (&S") constructed by Srivastava and Singh as used in the study. 'he () item questionnaire is categorised into *+ sub scales namely Role &verload, Role ,mbiguity, Role -onflict, .nreasonable /roup and 0olitical 0ressure, Responsibility for 0ersons, .nder 0articipation, 0o erlessness, 0oor 0eer Relations, "ntrinsic "mpoverishment, 1o and .nprofitability. 'he sub%ects Status, Strenuous 2orking -onditions as largely as analysed ith ere the 34 professionals occupying the

managerial positions in the 0un%ab #ational 5ank. 'he study located in 0un%ab, 6aryana and -handigarh. 'he result obtained

concentrated in #orthern Region of "ndia focusing on the branches of 0#5 using descriptive statistics and 0earson -orrelation. 'he study concluded that employees of the selected bank are experiencing high degree of stress Strenuous 2orking -onditions, 0o erlessness and .nprofitability. Key 2or s! 3ccu1ational Stress In e4 53SI6, Stress, 7ole 3verloa , 7ole Am&iguity an 7ole 8onflict, 9ank Em1loyee, Nationalise 9ank, respect to the dimensions of 0oor 0eer Relations, Responsibility of persons,

INTRO$UCTION :he a vent of technological revolution in all 0alks of life cou1le 0ith glo&alisation, 1rivatisation 1olicies has rastically change conventional 1atterns in all sectors% :he &anking sector is of no e4em1tion% :he ;(('s sa0 ra ical 1olicy changes 0ith regar ing to fiscal eficit an structural changes in In ia so as to 1re1are her to co1e 0ith the ne0 economic 0orl or er% <lo&alisation an 1rivatisation le 1olicies com1elle the &anking sector to reform an a "ust to have a com1etitive e ge to co1e 0ith multinationals le environment% :he im1lications of the a&ove sai transformations have affecte the social, economic an 1sychological omains of the &ank em1loyees an their relations% Evi ence from e4isting literature states that more than *'= of the &ank em1loyees have one or other 1ro&lem irectly or in irectly relate to these rastic changes% All the factors iscusse a&ove are 1ros1ective attri&utes to cause occu1ational stress an relate isor ers among the em1loyees% :he frontiers of kno0le ge on the conce1t of stress an its effects are e41an ing in all irections% :here e4ists a multi1licity of theories an invali ate e41lanations to the term stress% 9ut there is general acce1tance of the conce1t of stress as a escri1tion of the in ivi ual>s reactions to the environmental eman s an influences 0hich are 1otential stressors% Stressors com&ine to 1ressure an in ivi ual until stress evelo1s% Hans Selye efines stress as, ?the non@ s1ecific res1onse of the &o y to any eman ma e u1on it?% 9eehr an Ne0man efine "o& stress as, .a con ition arising from the interaction of 1eo1le an their "o&s an characteriAe &y changes 0ithin 1eo1le that force them to eviate from their normal functioning%/ :hus stress is an a a1tive res1onse to an e4ternal situation that results in 1hysical, 1sychological an &ehavioural eviations for organisational 1artici1ants% 8oo1er 5;()BC ;()+6 summariAe an categoriAe si4 factors res1onsi&le for stress ;% Dactors intrinsic to the "o& 5heat, noise, chemical fumes, shift 0ork6C -% 7elationshi1s at 0ork 5conflict 0ith co@0orkers or su1ervisors, lack of social su11ort6C B% 7ole in the organisation 5for e4am1le, role am&iguity6C ,% 8areer evelo1ment 5lack of status, lack of 1ros1ects for 1romotion, lack of a career 1ath, "o& insecurity6C +% 3rganisational structure an climate 5lack of autonomy, lack of o11ortunity to 1artici1ate in ecision making, lack of control over the 1ace of 0ork6C *% Home an 0ork interface 5conflict &et0een omestic an 0ork rolesC lack of s1ousal su11ort for remaining in the 0orkforce6% Sources of managerial stress have &een 0ell ocumente since the late ;(E's% Ivancevich an Matteson 5;()'6 i entifie four categories of 0ork stressors! 1hysical environment,

in ivi ual level 5a mi4er of role an career evelo1ment varia&les6, grou1 level 51rimarily relationshi1@&ase 6 an organisational level 5a mi4ture of climate, structure, "o& esign an task characteristic6% Schuler 5;()-6 also i entifies seven categories of 0ork stressors in organisations! Fo& Gualities, 7elationshi1s, 3rganisational Structure, Physical Gualities, 8areer Develo1ment, 8hange an 7ole in the organisation% Guick an Guick 5;(),6 1ro1ose four categories of stressors! task eman s, 1hysical eman s an inter1ersonal eman s% Although a lot of stu ies have &een con ucte on the 1sychosocial si e of the ne0 1olicy regime in many sectors, there are only fe0 stu ies, as far as the &anking sector is concerne , 0hile the same sector has &een rastically influence &y the ne0 1olicies% In this "uncture, the 1resent stu y is un ertaken to thro0 light in to the 1athogenesis of s1ecific 1ro&lems of &ank em1loyees relate to occu1ational stress% RE'IE( OF LITERATURE 7esearch has sho0n that the 1sychological eman s of a "o& can have 1ervasive an 1rofoun emotional an 1hysical effects on the lives of 0orkers 5Kahn, ;();CKarasek an :heorell, ;(('C Matteson an Ivancevich, ;()-6% :he e41losive increase in research on occu1ational stress, es1ecially uring the last eca e 5for e4am1le, 8oo1er an 8art0right, ;((,C Guick et al%, ;((EC S1iel&erger an 7eheiser, ;((,C S1iel&erger et al%, -''-6, has clearly esta&lishe that "o&@relate stress has an a verse im1act on 1ro uctivity, a&senteeism, 0orker turnover an em1loyee health% In a ition to these severe conseHuences of stress@relate 1ro&lems in the 0ork1lace, re uce 1ro uctivity an iminishe customer services are hi en costs that often result from Ie4hauste or e1resse em1loyees 0ho are not energetic, accurate, or innovative at 0orkJ 5Karasek an :heorell, ;((', 1% ;*E6% Accor ing to Matteson an Ivancevich 5;()-6, costs in the US economy relating to re uce 1ro uctivity, a&senteeism an 0orker turnover have continue to escalate as a function of measure occu1ational stress% 7a1i change is no0 a fun amental characteristic of mo ern 0orking life, 0ith greater eman s to learn ne0 skills in or er to a a1t to increasingly com1le4 ty1es of 0ork% A stu y con ucte &y the Princeton Survey 7esearch Associates 5;((E6 foun that E+ 1er cent of em1loyees &elieve that they e41erience more on@the@"o& stress than 0orkers i a generation ago%

Stressors at the in ivi ual level have &een stu ie more than any other category% 7ole conflicts, role am&iguity, role overloa an un er loa , is 0i ely e4amine in ivi ual stressors 5Mc <rath ;(E*C Ne0ton an Keenan, ;()E6% It is also re1orte &y many researchers that the lo0 "o& satisfaction 0as associate 0ith high stress 5Holling0orth et al%, A& ul Halim, ;();C Keller et al%, ;(E+C Keigh et al, ;())6% Dinancial com1ensation of 0orkers for stress@relate 1ro&lems has also increase

marke ly in recent years 5<ri11a an Dur&in, ;()*6, as reflecte most clearly in a ramatic rise in the occu1ational claims of em1loyees seeking com1ensation for stress@in uce 1sychological ysfunctions 5Ko0man, ;((B6% Since ;(E', stu ies of stress in the 0ork1lace have increase more than -' fol , 0hereas research on family stress has receive consi era&ly less attention% 8onsistent 0ith these results, a stu y con ucte &y the St% Paul Dire an Marine Insurance 8om1any 5;((-6 foun that 1ro&lems at 0ork 0ere more strongly associate 0ith health com1laints than 0ere any other life stressor events, inclu ing family 1ro&lems% <ro0ing recognition of the a verse conseHuences of stress in the 0ork1lace for em1loyee health an 0ell@ &eing is clearly reflecte in an increasing num&er of stu ies of occu1ational stress 1u&lishe in the me ical an 1sychological literature uring the 1ast Huarter@century% 8o&& 5;(E+6 has the o1inion that, .:he res1onsi&ility loa creates severe stress among 0orkers an managers%/ If the in ivi ual manager cannot co1e 0ith the increase res1onsi&ilities it may lea to several 1hysical an 1sychological isor ers among them% 9rook 5;(EB6 re1orte that Hualitative changes in the "o& create a "ustmental 1ro&lem among em1loyees% :he inter1ersonal relationshi1s 0ithin the e1artment an &et0een the e1artments create Hualitative ifficulties 0ithin the organisation to a great e4tent% Miles an Perreault 5;(E*6 i entify four ifferent ty1es of role conflict! ;% Intra@sen er role conflict -% Inter sen er role conflict% B% Person@ role conflictC ,% 7ole over loa % :he use of role conce1ts suggests that "o& relate stress is associate 0ith in ivi ual, inter1ersonal, an structural varia&les 5KatA an Kahn, ;(E)C 2hetten, ;(E)6% :he 1resence of su11ortive 1eer grou1s an su11ortive relationshi1s 0ith su1er visors are negatively correlate 0ith 7%8% 58a1lan et al%, ;(*,6% :here is evi ence that role incum&ents 0ith high levels of role am&iguity also res1on to their situation 0ith an4iety, e1ression, 1hysical sym1toms, a sense of futility or lo0er self@esteem, lo0er levels of "o& involvement an organisational commitment, an

1erce1tions of lo0er 1erformance on the 1art of the organisation, of su1ervisors, an themselves 59rief an Al ag, ;(E*C <reene, ;(E-6% 3ccu1ational stress is an increasingly im1ortant occu1ational health 1ro&lem an

of

significant cause of economic loss% 3ccu1ational stress may 1ro uce &oth overt 1sychological an 1hysiologic isa&ilities% Ho0ever it may also cause su&tle manifestation of mor&i ity that can affect 1ersonal 0ell@&eing an 1ro uctivity 5Guick, Mur1hy, Hurrel an 3rman, ;((-6% A "o& stresse in ivi ual is likely to have greater "o& issatisfaction, increase a&senteeism, increase freHuency of rinking an smoking, increase in negative 1sychological sym1toms an re uce as1irations an self@esteem 5Fick an Payne, ;()'6% :he use of role conce1ts suggests that occu1ational stress is associate 0ith in ivi ual, inter1ersonal an structural varia&les 5KutA an Kahn, ;(E)C 2hetten, ;(E)6% It is rea ily a11arent that increase concerns a&out "o& stress have stimulate numerous stu ies that have hel1e to i entify im1ortant sources of stress in the 0ork1lace 5Guick et al%, ;((E6% It shoul &e note , ho0ever, that the theories that gui e this research have iffere from stu y to stu y, resulting in iverse goals of investigation, conce1tual confusion an inconsistent an often conflicting research fin ings 5Kasl, ;(E)C Schuler, ;()'6%Kahn an 9yosiere 5;((-6 have revie0e an evaluate the most influential mo els of occu1ational stress an summariAe the em1irical fin ings relating to these mo els% 2hile some investigators have focuse on the 1ressures of a 1articular "o&, others have &een concerne 1rimarily 0ith the &ehavioral an health conseHuences of 0ork@relate stress 5Schuler, ;((;6% 8onseHuently, in or er to clarify an inter1ret research fin ings on occu1ational stress, it is essential to un erstan the conce1tual mo els that have gui e this research% MO$ELS AN$ T!EORIES OF OCCUPATIONAL STRESS F"en#$% Ca&lan and Ka$n's Pe"son ( En)i"on*ent Fit +PE,Fit- t$eo"y Drench, 8a1lan, Kahn an their colleagues 5Drench an 8a1lan, ;(E-C Drench et al%, ;()-C Drench an Kahn, ;(*-C Kahn et al%, ;(*,6 su&seHuently incor1orate Ke0inJs conce1ts of stress an strain in their Person L Environment Dit 5PE@Dit6 theory, 0hich is 0i ely acce1te as a ma"or conce1tual frame0ork for research on occu1ational stress 58hemers et al%, ;()+C E 0ar s an 8oo1er, ;(('6% In the conte4t of this theoretical orientation, occu1ational stress is efine in

terms of "o& characteristics that 1ose a threat to the in ivi ual resulting from a 1oor match &et0een the a&ilities of the em1loyee an the eman s of the "o& 5Drench an 8a1lan, ;(E-6% :he 0ork1lace stress that occurs as a result of incom1ati&le 1ersonL environment fit 1ro uces 1sychological strain that may contri&ute to stress@relate 1hysical isor ers 5Drench et al%, ;()-6% St"ess at .o" Model 8oo1er an MarshallJs 5;(E*C Marshall an 8oo1er, ;(E(6 Stress at 2ork mo el is similar to PE@Dit theory, &ut is more s1ecific in i entifying five ma"or categories of "o& 1ressure an lack of organisational su11ort in the 0ork1lace that contri&ute to occu1ational stress! 5;6 1ressures intrinsic to the "o&C 5-6 the em1loyeeJs role in the organisationC 5B6 inter1ersonal relationshi1s at 0orkC 5,6 limitations in career evelo1mentC an 5+6 organisational structure an climate% Ka"ase 's /e*and(Cont"ol Model KarasekJs 5;(E(6 Deman L8ontrol mo el focuses on interactions &et0een the o&"ective eman s of the 0ork environment an the ecision latitu e of em1loyees in meeting these eman s 5Karasek an :heorell, ;(('6% Accor ing to this mo el, Ithe greatest risk to 1hysical an mental health from stress occurs to 0orkers facing high 1sychological 0orkloa eman s or 1ressures com&ine 0ith lo0 control or ecision latitu e in meeting those eman sJ 5Schnall, ;((), 1% ;6% :he com&ination of high "o& eman s 0ith relatively little control contri&utes to lo0ere 1ro uctivity an a greater risk of health@relate 1ro&lems 5:heorell an Karasek, ;((*6% :he Deman L8ontrol mo el also recogniAes the &eneficial effects of social su11ort from su1ervisors an co@0orkers 5Karasek et al%, ;()-C Schnall, ;(()6% La0a"us' T"ansa#tional P"o#ess Model KaAarusJ 5;(**6 :ransactional Process mo el of 1sychological stress an co1ing conce1tualiAes stress as a 1rocess that involves a com1le4 transaction &et0een a 1erson an herMhis environment 5KaAarus an Dolkman, ;(),6% In a11lying this mo el to occu1ational stress, KaAarus 5;((;6 em1hasiAes the istinction &et0een sources of stress 5IstressorsJ6 in the 0ork1lace an the emotional reactions that are evoke 0hen a 1articular stressor is cognitively a11raise as threatening% :hree ty1es of a11raisal me iate the effects of stressors on emotional reactions% Primary a11raisal occurs 0hen a stressor is evaluate in terms of its imme iate im1act on a

1ersonJs 0ell@&eing% Secon ary a11raisal takes into account the resources of the em1loyee for co1ing 0ith the stressor% :he thir ty1e, rea11raisal, incor1orates ne0 information resulting from the 0orkerJs a11raisal of the effectiveness of herMhis efforts to co1e 0ith a 1articular stressor% National Institute fo" O##u&ational Safety and 1ealt$ +NIOS1- Model National Institute for 3ccu1ational Safety an Health 5NI3SH6 efines "o& stress in terms of Ithe harmful 1hysical an emotional res1onses that occur 0hen the reHuirements of the "o& o not match the ca1a&ilities, resources, or nee s of the 0orkerJ5NI3SH, -''-6% :his efinition of "o& stress, as0ell as the resulting mo el evelo1e &y NI3SH,0as 1rimarily influence &y PE@Dit theory% :he NI3SH mo el e41licitly recogniAes that e41osure to stressful 0orking con itions 1lays a 1rimary role in causing "o& stress an influencing 0orker safety an health, 0hile Iin ivi ual an other situational factors can intervene to strengthen or 0eaken this influenceJ 5i&i %, 1% *6% Ho0ever, the NI3SH mo el gives little attention to the significant influence of the em1loyeeJs cognitive a11raisal of sources of stress in the 0ork1lace% S&iel!e"2e"'s State(T"ait P"o#ess +STP- Model S1iel&ergerJs StateL:rait Process 5S:P6 mo el of occu1ational stress focuses on the 1erceive severity an freHuency of occurrence of t0o ma"or categories of stressor events, "o& 1ressures an lack of su11ort 5S1iel&erger et al%, -''-6% :he S:P mo el &uil s on the PE@Dit an e1ression as emotional states an 1ersonality traits 5S1iel&erger, ;(E-C :ransactional Process mo els &y en eavoring to integrate these mo els 0ith the conce1tion of an4iety, anger an S1iel&erger et al%, ;()BC S1iel&erger et al%, ;())6% :he S:P mo el gives greater em1hasis than other mo els to the effects of in ivi ual ifferences in 1ersonality traits in etermining ho0 0ork1lace stressors are 1erceive an a11raise % O)%e*ti+es of t&e Study: :he 1resent research 0ork is inten e ! ;% :o analyse the areas of occu1ational stress among the Nationalise &ank em1loyees -% :o assess the level of stress among &ank em1loyees on the ;- imensions of 7ole 3ver@ Koa , 7ole Am&iguity, 7ole 8onflict, Unreasona&le <rou1 an Political Pressure, 7es1onsi&ility for Persons, Un er Partici1ation, Po0erlessness, Poor Peer 7elations,

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Intrinsic,

Im1overishment,

Ko0

Status,

Strenuous

2orking

8on itions

an

Un1rofita&ility%% B% :o un erstan the various mo els an theories of occu1ational stress% ,% :o revie0 the literature 1ertaining to occu1ational stress, relate conce1ts an factors un erlying it% +% :o offer some via&le an 1ractica&le suggestions, result oriente gui elines to the &ank un erstu y to re uce the level of stress among their em1loyees% !#POT!ESIS :heoretical consi erations an follo0ing hy1othesis 'here are no signs of presence of stress among employees of nationalised bank on the various dimensions of &ccupational Stress "ndex. RESEARC! MET!O$OLOG# Resea,*& $esi-n :he 1resent stu y is e41loratory as 0ell as escri1tive in nature in conte4t of nationalise &anks% Here the researcher on the one han , has attem1te to lay o0n the theoretical groun for occu1ational stress an trie to e41lore its theories, mo els an various stu ies relate to it% 3n the other han he has trie to escri&e the 1sychological situation of &ank em1loyees through the mo e of a scale calle 3SI 53ccu1ational Stress In e46% Sa./le Managers 0orking in the ifferent &ranches of Pun"a& National 9ank 5PN96 s1ecifically locate in Northern 1art of In ia from Haryana, Pun"a&, an 8han igarh form as su&"ects% In total researcher contacte ;,' managers to 0hom the HuestionnairesJ 0as istri&ute , out of 0hich (' 0ere receive com1lete in all res1ects% :herefore, the e4act sam1le 0as ('% Tools used fo, $ata Colle*tion :he 3ccu1ational Stress In e4 5Srivastava, A%K%, an Singh, A%P%, ;();6 0as use for ata collection% :he scale consists of ,* items, each to &e rate on the five 1oint scale% 3ut of ,* items -) are I:rue L Keye J an last ;) are IDalse L Keye J% :he items relate to almost all 1revious researches ena&le the researcher to formulate the

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relevant com1onents of the "o& siAe 0hich cause stress in some 0ay or the other, such as, role over@loa , role am&iguity, role conflict, unreasona&le grou1 an 1olitical 1ressure, res1onsi&ility for 1ersons, un er 1artici1ation, 1o0erlessness, 1oor 1eer relations, intrinsic, im1overishment, lo0 status, strenuous 0orking con itions an un1rofita&ility% Relia)ility of t&e S*ale! :he relia&ility in e4 5:a&le No% B6 ascertaine &y S1lit Half 53 Even6 metho an 8ron&achJs al1ha L coefficient for the scale as a 0hole 0ere foun to &e %(B+ an %(' res1ectively% In general, in 1sychology researches, a goo measure shoul have a 8ron&achJs Al1ha of at least %*' an 1refera&ly closer to %('% :herefore, in the 1resent stu y the scale can also &e consi ere relia&le% :he relia&ility in ices of the ;- su&@scales 0ere also com1ute on the 8ron&achJs al1ha metho % :he ta&le no% - recor s the o&taine in ices% $ata Analysis and Results :he results o&taine from (' su&"ects on occu1ational stress on ;- su&scales of 3%S%I 0ere analyse using escri1tive statistics an PearsonJs correlation% In the 1resent stu y effect of occu1ational stress 0as investigate % :he escri1tive statistics is given in :a&le B%Dor measuring the effect of various imensions on each other, Inter@item 8orrelation 0as also 1erforme an Inter@correlation Matri4 is 1resente through :a&le No% + RESULTS AN$ $ISCUSSION :he result o&taine sho0s the 1resence of significant stress among the em1loyees of the &ank un erstu y% 5See :a&le No% ;%6%It is o&serve from the total of mean scores 5Mean Score N -EB%,;6 on the ;- su&@scales of 3ccu1ational Stress In e4 i%e% greater the mean scores greater the stress level of the em1loyees un erstu y% Hence the null hy1othesis i%e% 'here are no signs of presence of stress among employees of bank understudy on the various dimensions of &ccupational Stress "ndex stan s re"ecte an alternate hy1othesis is esta&lishe that there are o&serva&le signs of stress among em1loyees of &ank un erstu y on the various imensions of 3ccu1ational Stress In e4% :o gain more insight into assessment of the level of stress 0ith res1ect to the ;- imensions of 3SI in ivi ually, Mean Scores are o&serve an inter1rete accor ingly% Mean scores on the various su&@scales of 3ccu1ational Stress In e4 are sho0n in :a&le No% , an the same is iscusse in the follo0ing 1aragra1hs!

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:he mean scores on the factors such as Poor Peer 7elations 5PP76 5Mean Score N B%;E6 an 7es1onsi&ility of Persons 57P6 5Mean Score N B%;+6 are higher than other factors of 3SI% It is conclu e that em1loyees are highly stresse on these t0o imensions% It is further inter1rete that stress level is high ue to the 1oor inter1ersonal relationshi1s 0ith colleagues, colleagues lack of coo1eration in solving a ministrative 1ro&lems% Durther to a is that managers are not a&le to take an is1ose@off the res1onsi&ility of other "unior ue to the em1loyees, their future, the 1rogress of the organisation as a 0hole solving an

1henomenon of less autonomy in their o0n "o&s an less 1lace of suggestion in 1ro&lem ecision making, a high feeling of 1o0erlessness e4ist, all these lea s to increase amount of stress% Mean scores is o&serve lo0 on the imensions like 7ole Am&iguity 57A6 5Mean Score N -%E;6 an the Intrinsic Im1overishment 5Mean Score N -%E+6 0hich is inter1rete &y the researcher as em1loyees in the &ank are less stresse vague e41ectations &y colleagues an ue to non@availa&ility of clear that though information 0ith res1ect to the ifferent as1ects of "o&, "o& role, 1oor 1lanning of "o&, su&or inates% It is further a e "o&sMtasks are of hum rum ty1e, there are very less o11urtunities availa&le to em1loyees to utiliAe their o1timum 1otential , un@con ucive environment to evelo1 their a1titu e an 1roficiency , less say in ecision making an 1ro&lem solving ue to 0hich they 1erform un er stress% 9ut these factors are secon ary causes of stress% :he researcher has con ucte an Inter Item 8orrelation, from the same an Inter@8orrelation matri4, 0as o&taine as sho0n in :a&le No% +, the follo0ing inter1retations 0ere o&taine ! :he factor of 7ole 3verloa 5736 is having 1ositive correlation 0ith 7ole 8onflict 5786 0ith a correlation of %-- 0hich is significant at %'+ 1ro&a&ility level% :his means that 0hen the em1loyees are overloa e 0ith too much 0ork, there 0oul &e no clarity of goals an targets% :he factor of Poor Peer 7elations 5PP76 is having negative correlation 0ith 7ole 3verloa 0ith a correlation of @%B; 0hich is significant at %'; level% :his means that 0hen em1loyees are overloa e 0ith greater 0ork than there are chances that they 0ill not in ulge in too many inter1ersonal interactions an relations thus having 1oor 1eer relations% :he factor of Un er@1artici1ation 5UP6 is also having negative correlation 0ith the 7ole 3verloa 0ith a correlation of @%-+ 0hich is significant at %'+ 1ro&a&ility

13

level% :his means that ue to role overloa the em1loyees 0ill un er@1artici1ate in certain tasks an 0ill over@1artici1ate in others% :he factor of 7ole am&iguity 57A6 is having high 1ositive correlation 0ith Intrinsic Im1overishment 5II6 an Ko0 Status 5KS6 0ith a correlation of %B* an %B; res1ectively 0hich is significant at %'; 1ro&a&ility level% It is inter1rete that the 7ole am&iguity 1ersists ue to monotonous nature of assignments, less o11ortunity to utiliAe a&ilities an e41erience in e1en ently, less o11ortunity to evelo1 a1titu e an 1roficiency etc% Due to role am&iguity also the em1loyees are not getting ue significance &y higher authorities to their 1ost as 0ell as their 0ork% It is also 1ositively correlate 0ith 7ole 8onflict an Strenuous 2orking 8on itions 5S286 0ith a correlation of %-BB an %-BE at %'+ 1ro&a&ility level% It means that ue to role am&iguity, the em1loyee are not a&le to is1ose@off the contra ictory as 0ell as vague instructions from higher officers, there is a greater interference of officials into the 0orking con itions, not getting full facilities regar ing ne0 assignments% 7ole am&iguity also 1ersists in the &ank ue to e4istence of tense circumstances in 0hich 0ork has to &e one, the unsatisfactory 0orking con itions from the 1oint of vie0 of 0elfare an convenience, 0ork assignments &eing com1licate an risky also% :he factor of 7ole 8onflict is having high 1ositive correlation 0ith Unreasona&le <rou1 an Political Pressure 5U<PP6 0ith a correlation of %BE+ an %B;( 0hich is significant at % '; 1ro&a&ility level% It is inter1rete as the 1henomenon of 7ole conflict e4ists ue to the e4istence of ifficulty on the 1art of em1loyees to a "ust 0ith the un ue 1olitical as 0ell as grou1 1ressures an formal rules an instructions, various com1ulsions to 1erform un0illingly, maintenance of grou1 conformity, violations of formal 1roce ures an 1olicies% :he factor of 7ole 8onflict is also having high 1ositive correlation 0ith Ko0 Status 5KS6 0ith a correlation of %B;( 0hich is significant at %'; 1ro&a&ility level% It is inter1rete unclear that sometimes ue to contra ictory instructions from higher authorities, irections, insufficient facilities, all these lea s to ina&ility of em1loyee to

is1ose@off each an every instruction in esire manner as a result of it, the em1loyee neither receive res1ect from others nor en"oy ue significance to the 1ost as 0ell as 0ork from higher authorities%

14

:he factor of 7es1onsi&ility of Persons 57P6 is 1ositively correlate 0ith Un1rofita&ility 5UD6 0ith a correlation of %-E; 0hich is significant at %'; 1ro&a&ility level% It is conclu e that em1loyees ue to a&sence of re0ar s an lack of motivation o not o0e the res1onsi&ility of other 1ersons, their future in the organisation% :he factor of 7es1onsi&ility of Persons 57P6 is also negatively correlate 0ith Intrinsic Im1overishment 5II6 0ith a correlation of @%--- 0hich is significant at %'+ 1ro&a&ility level% It is inter1rete as the em1loyees are not a&le to give ue 0eightage to the res1onsi&ility of other 1ersons, their future an ultimately the 1rogress of the organisation, ue to the fact that their o0n "o&s are less autonomous, more monotonous, less o11ortunitiesJ to have greater use of their a&ilities , less e4istence of offering any suggestions in the 1ro&lem solving %

:he factor of Un er@1artici1ation 5UP6 is highly 1ositively correlate 0ith Po0erlessness 5PK6 0ith a correlation of %B'; at a significance of %'; 1ro&a&ility level% It is inter1rete that in the organisation un erstu y the em1loyees suggestions are less acce1te , they have less 1artici1ations in ecision making, less chance of offering o1inions in making a11ointments for im1ortant 1osts etc% Due to all these causes they usually un er@ 1artici1ate% :he factor of Un er@1artici1ation 5UP6 is also 1ositively correlate 0ith Un1rofita&ility 5UD6 0ith a correlation of %-++ 0hich is significant at %'+ 1ro&a&ility level% :he results clearly e41lain that UP on the 1art of the 0orker 0ill lea him to non@ achievement of targets an goal thus a crucial cause of stress an failure%

:he factor of Po0erlessness 5PK6 is having high 1ositive correlation 0ith Strenuous 2orking 8on itions 5S286 0ith a correlation of %BE, at a significance level of %'; 1ro&a&ility level% Po0erlessness is a state of hel1lessness 0hich causes istress an a feeling of non@control over certain organisational issues% Po0erlessness 0oul further increase 1oor 1eer relations an 5Intrinsic Im1overishment II6 an correlation matri4 reflect the same% there 0oul &e a sense of internal issatisfaction ue to a correlation among the a&ove mentione factors

the 0orking con itions 0oul a11ear to &e very strenuous 5S286%3ur results in the inter@ :he factor of Intrinsic Im1overishment 5II6 is having a 1ositive correlation of %-(B an % -)B 0ith Strenuous 2orking 8on itions 5S286 an Ko0 Status 5KS6 res1ectively 0hich

15

is significant at %'; 1ro&a&ility level% 2hen assignments are of monotonous an com1licate nature an 0here the 0ork has to &e one in unsatisfactory con itions , 0here there is a less o11ortunitiesJ for evelo1ing their a1titu e an 1roficiency, it is o&vious that em1loyees 0ill &e un er stress an accor ingly their efficiency 0ill suffer% :he factor of Intrinsic Im1overishment 5II6 is also having a 1ositive correlation of %-)B 0ith Ko0 Status 5KS6 0hich is significant at %'; 1ro&a&ility level% In an organisation 0hen "o& oes not allo0 an incum&ent to increase his social status, unHuestiona&ly, the stress level of an in ivi ual 0ill increase, same is the case 0ith the em1loyees of the &ank un erstu y% :he factor of Ko0 Status 5KS6 is 1ositively correlate 0ith Un1rofita&ility 5UD6 0ith a correlation of %-B- at %'+ 1ro&a&ility level% It is inter1rete that 0hen an em1loyee oes not receive res1ect from others, no ue significance is given &y higher authorities to the 1ost as 0ell as 0ork of an em1loyee ue to all these factors it results in lo0 egree of motivation on the 1art of an em1loyee an ultimately his stress level increases% CONCLUSION Drom the a&ove fin ings it can &e conclu e that stress e4ist in the em1loyees of the &ank un erstu y, s1ecifically higher on the imensions of 1oor 1eer relations, strenuous 0orking con itions, 1o0erlessness an un1rofita&ility% It is further conclu e that the 1ro&lem of stress is inevita&le an unavoi a&le in the &anking sector% A ma"ority of the em1loyees face severe stress@ relate ailments an a lot of 1sychological 1ro&lems% Hence, the management must take several initiatives in hel1ing their em1loyees to overcome its isastrous effect% :he 1ro uctivity of the 0ork force is the most ecisive factor as far as the success of an organisation is concerne % :he 1ro uctivity in turn is e1en ent on the 1sychosocial 0ell@&eing of the em1loyees% In an age of highly ynamic an com1etitive 0orl , man is e41ose to all kin s of stressors that can affect him on all realms of life% :he gro0ing im1ortance of interventional strategies is felt more at organisational level% :his 1articular research 0as inten e to stu y the im1act of occu1ational stress on NationaliAe 9ank em1loyees% Although certain limitations 0ere met 0ith the stu y, every effort has &een ma e to make it much com1rehensive% Refe,en*es

16
;% -% B% ,% +% *% E% )% (% A& ul@Halim A% A% an A% ! Social su11ort an Managerial affective res1onses to Fo& stress% Fournal of 3ccu1ational 9ehaviour, B5,6, ;()-% 8hemers, M%M%, 7%9% Hays, D% 7ho e0alt an F%2ysocki 5;()+6, IA 1ersonLenvironment analysis of "o& stress! a contingency mo el e41lanationJ, Fournal of Personality an Social Psychology, ,(, *-)LB+% 8oo1er, 8%K% an F% Marshall 5;(E*6, I3ccu1ational sources of stress! a revie0 of the literature relating to coronary heart isease an mental ill healthJ, Fournal of 3ccu1ational Psychology, ,(, ;;L-)% 8oo1er, 8%K% an S% 8art0right 5;((,6, IHealthy min ! healthy organiAation L a 1roactive a11roach to occu1ational stressJ, Human 7elations, ,E, ,++LE'% 8oo1er, 8%K%, 9%D% Kirkcal y an F% 9ro0n 5;((,6, IA mo el of "o& stress an 1hysical health! the role of in ivi ual ifferencesJ, Personality an In ivi ual Differences, ;*, *+BL+% 8oo1er, 8%K%, S%F% Sloan an S% 2illiams 5;())6, :he 3ccu1ational Stress In icator 53SI6, 2in sor! NDE7 Nelson% E 0ar s, F%7% an 8%K% 8oo1er 5;(('6, I:he 1ersonLenvironment fit a11roach to stress! recurring 1ro&lems an some suggeste solutionsJ, Fournal of 3rganiAational 9ehavior, ;;, -(BLB'E% Drench, F%7%P%, Fr% an 7%D% 8a1lan 5;(E-6, I3ccu1ational stress an in ivi ual strainJ, in A%F% Marro0 5e %6, :he Dailure of Success, Ne0 Oork! Amacom, 11% B'L**% Drench, F%7%P%, Fr% an 7%K%Kahn 5;(*-6, IA 1rogrammatic a11roach to stu ying the in ustrial environment an mental healthJ, Fournal of Social Issues, ;)5B6, ;L,E%

;'% Drench, F%7%P%, Fr%, 7%D% 8a1lan an 7%P% Harrison 5;()-6, :he Mechanisms of Fo& Stress an Strain, Kon on! 2iley% ;;% <en er Difference in stress among &ank officers of Private an Pu&lic SectorC :he I8DAI "ournal of Marketing research, Pol%PIII, No%-, -''( ,11*B@*(% ;-% <ri11a, A%I% an D% Dur&in 5;()*6, I2orkerJs com1ensation occu1ational 8ouncil 8om1ensation Insurance Digest, ;, +L-B isease claimsJ, National

;B% Ivancevich, F%M% an M%:% Matteson 5;(E*6, Stress Diagnostic Survey 5SDS6! 8omments an Psychometric Pro1erties of a Multi imensional Self@re1ort Inventory, Houston, :Q! DD Associates% ;,% Ivancevich, F%M% an M%:% Matteson 5;()'6, Stress an 2ork, A Managerial Pers1ective, <lenvie0, IK! Scott, Doresman an 8om1any% ;+% Ivancevich, F%M%, M%:% Matteson an D%P% Dorin 5;(('6, Stress Diagnostic Survey 5SDS6, Houston, :Q! DD Associates% ;*% Fayashree, 7a"en ran 5-''(6, Stress Management 0ith s1ecial reference to Nationalise &ank Em1loyees in 8hennai, IFEIMS, Pol%;% No%B% ;E% Fyothi 9u hra"a , . 8auses of stress among insurance em1loyees! An em1irical stu yC :he I8DAI "ournal of Marketing research, Pol%PII, No%;', -'') 11E@;,% ;)% Kahn, 7%K% 5;();6, 2ork an Health, Ne0 Oork! 2iley% ;(% Kahn, 7%K% an P% 9yosiere 5;((-6, IStress in organiAationsJ, in M%D% Dunnette an K%M% Hough 5e s6, Han &ook of In ustrial an 3rganiAational Psychology, vol% B, Palo Alto, 8A! 8onsulting Psychologists Press, 11% +E;L*+'% -'% Kahn, 7%K%, D%M%2olfe, 7%P% Guinn, F%D% Snoeck an 7%A% 7osenthal 5;(*,6, 3rganiAational Stress! Stu ies in 7ole 8onflict an Am&iguity, Ne0 Oork! 2iley% -;% Karasek, 7%A% 5;(E(6, IFo& eman s, "o& ecision latitu e, an re esignJ, A ministrative Science Guarterly, -,, -)+LB'E% mental strain! im1lications for "o&

--% Karasek, 7%A% an :% :heorell 5;(('6, Healthy 2ork! Stress, Pro uctivity, an the 7econstruction of 2orking Kife, Ne0 Oork! 9asic 9ooks%

17
-B% Karasek, 7%A%, K%P% :riantis an S%S% 8hau hry 5;()-6, I8o0orker an su1ervisor su11ort as mo erators of associations &et0een task characteristics an mental strainJ, Fournal of 3ccu1ational 9ehaviour, B5-6, ;);L -''% -,% Kasl, S%P% 5;(E)6, IE1i emiological contri&utions to the stu y of 0ork stressJ, in 8%K% 8oo1er an 7%K% Payne 5e s6, Stress at 2ork, Ne0 Oork! 2iley, 11% BLB)% -+% Keller, 7%:% ! 7ole 8onflict an Psychology, -)5;6, ;(E+% am&iguity ! 8orrelates 0ith "o& satisfaction an values, 1ersonnel

-*% KaAarus, 7%S% 5;((;6, IPsychological stress in the 0ork1laceJ, Fournal of Social 9ehavior an Personality, *, ;L;B% -E% KaAarus, 7%S% an S% Dolkman 5;(),6, Stress, A11raisal, an 8o1ing, Ne0 Oork! S1ringer% -)% Ko0man, 7%K% 5;((B6, 8ounseling an Psychothera1y of 2ork Dysfunctions, 2ashington, D8! American Psychological Association% -(% Marshall, F% an 8% 8oo1er 5;(E(6, I2ork e41eriences of mi satisfactionJ, International Management 7evie0, ;(, );L(*% le an senior managers! the 1ressure an

B'% Matteson, M%:% an F%M% Ivancevich 5;()-6, Managing Fo& Stress an Health! :he Intelligent PersonJs <ui e, Ne0 Oork! Dree Press% B;% Mcgrath, F%E% ! Stress an &ehavior in organiAations% In M%D% Dunnette 5E 6, ;(E* Han &ook of In ustrial an 3rganiAational Psychology% Palo alto, 8% A% 8ounseling 1sychological stress% B-% Ne0ton, :%F% R Keenen, A ! 7ole stress ree4amine ! An investigation of role stress 1re ictors% 3rganiAational &ehavior an human ecision 1rocesses, ;()E, ,'% B,*@B,)% BB% NI3SH 5-''-6, 5U7K6 000%c c%govMnioshMstress0k%htm% B,% Nithyanan an,D%P%, R Su&ramanyam ,S% 5-''(6 3ccu1ational Stress an Mental Health of 8ar iac an noncar iac Patients, In ustrial Psychiatry Fournal, Pol% ;)%No%-% B+% Princeton Survey 7esearch Associates 5;((E6, Ka&or Day Survey! State of 2orkers, Princeton, NF! Princeton Survey 7esearch Associates% B*% Guick, F%8%, F%D% Guick, D%K% Nelson an F%F%F% Hurrell 5;((E6, Preventive Stress Management in 3rganiAations, 2ashington, D8! American Psychological Association% BE% Sarik0al, Kovy R Kumar, Sunil 5-';'6 An International Stu y of 2ork Stress 0ith ty1es of 2orkers , AS99S Annual 8onference Procee ings! Kas Pegas, Polume ;E Num&er ;% B)% Schnall, P% 5;(()6 5U7K6 000%0orkhealth%orgMstrainM&riefintro%htmM% B(% Schuler, 7%S% 5;()'6, IDefinition an conce1tualiAation of stress in organiAationsJ 3rganiAational 9ehavior an Human Performance, -+, ;),L-;+% ,'% Schuler, 7%S% 5;()'6, IDefinition an conce1tualiAation of stress in organiAationsJ 3rganiAational 9ehavior an Human Performance, -+, ;),L-;+% ,;% Schuler, 7%S% 5e %6 5;((;6, IDore0or J, in P%K% Parre0e 5e %6, Han &ook on Fo& Stress, 8orte Ma era, 8A! Select Press% ,-% Schuler, 7%S% 5e %6 5;((;6, IDore0or J, in P%K% Parre0e 5e %6, Han &ook on Fo& Stress, 8orte Ma era, 8A! Select Press% ,B% Selye, H% 5;(E,6% .Stress 0ithout Distress%/ Har1er an 7o0 Pu&lications, U%S%A% ,,% Selye, H% 5;()B6% :he Stress 8once1t ! Post, 1resent an future% In 8%K% 8oo1er 5E %6, Stress 7esearch ! Issues for Eighties% 8hiester ! 2iley% ,+% S1iel&erger, 8%D% 5e %6 5;(E-6, An4iety as an Emotional State, vol%;, Ne0 Oork! Aca emic Press% ,*% S1iel&erger, 8%D% an E%8% 7eheiser 5;((,6, IFo& stress in university, cor1orate an military 1ersonnelJ, International Fournal of Stress Management, ;, ;(LB;%

18
,E% S1iel&erger, 8%D%, <% Faco&s, S% 7usssell an 7%S% 8rane 5e s6 5;()B6, IAssessment of Anger! :he StateL :rait Anger ScaleJ, in F%N% 9utcher an 8%D% S1iel&erger 5e s6, A vances in Personality Assessment, vol% -, Hills ale, NF! KEA, 11% ;+(L)E%

48. S1iel&erger, 8%D%, P%7% Pagg an 8%D% 2asala 5-''-6, I3ccu1ational stress! "o& 1ressures an lack of
su11ortJ, in F%8% Guick an K% :etrick 5e s6, Han &ook of 3ccu1ational Health Psychology,2ashington, D8! American Psychological Association, 11% ;)+L-''% ,(% S1iel&erger, 8%D%, S%S% Krasner an E%P% Solomon 5e s6 5;())6, :he E41erience, E41ression, an 8ontrol of Anger, Ne0 Oork! S1ringer Perlag Pu&lishers% +'% Srivastava, A%K% R Singh, A%P% 5;();6 Manual of the 3ccu1ational stress In e4, De1artment of Psychology, 9anaras Hin u University, Paranasi,% +;% Srivastava, A%K% 5;((E6% Self@management of occu1ational stress! 8ognitive L &ehavioural a11roach% In ian Fournal of In ustrial 7elations, B-, ,)E@(+% +-% Srivastava, A%K%, R Singh, A%P% 5;();6 8onstruction an stan ar iAation of an occu1ational stress in e4C a 1ilot stu y% In ian Fournal of 8linical Psychology, ),;BB@;B*% +B% St% Paul Dire an Marine Insurance 8om1any 5;((-6, American 2orkers un er Pressure :echnical 7e1ort,St% Paul, MN! St% Paul Dire an Marine Insurance 8om1any% +,% :heorell, :% an 7%A% Karasek 5;((*6, I8urrent issues relating to 1sychosocial "o& strain an car iovascular isease researchJ, Fournal of 3ccu1ational Health Psychology, ;, (L-*%

19

Ta)le 0 1 Le+el of St,ess a.on- Nationalised )an E./loyees2 Mean -EB%, S%D%

OCCUPATIONAL STRESS

(%BE,) ; Higher the Score <reater the Stress

Ta)le 3 4 Ite.s of 'a,ious Su)3S*ales of O2S2I2 No2 Su) S*ales 5O**u/ational St,ess6 Se,ial No2 of t&e Ite.s in t&e S*&edule ; 7ole 3verloa ;,;B,-+,B*,,,,,* 7ole Am&iguity -,;,S,-*,BE B 7ole 8onflict B,;+S,-E,B)S,,+ , Unreasona&le <rou1 an Political Pressure ,,;*,-),B( + 7es1onsi&ility for 1ersons +,;E,-( * Un er@1artici1ation *S,;)S,B'S,,'S E Po0erlessness ES,;(S,B;S ) Poor@Peer 7elations )S,-'S,B-S,,;S ( Intrinsic Im1overishment (,-;S,BBS,,-S ;' Ko0 Status ;'S,--S,B, ;; Strenuous 2orking con ition ;-,-,,B+,,BS ;Un1rofita&ility ;;,-B Ta)le 7 Relia)ility Inde8 No2 Su) S*ales 5O**u/ational St,ess6 Relia)ility Inde8 ; 7ole 3verloa %+(E 7ole Am&iguity %,(+ B 7ole 8onflict %+') , Unreasona&le <rou1 an Political Pressure %+,' + 7es1onsi&ility for 1ersons %*(E * Un er@1artici1ation %+,) E Po0erlessness %+B( ) Poor@Peer 7elations %+EE ( Intrinsic Im1overishment %+-) ;' Ko0 Status %,(( ;; Strenuous 2orking con ition %+-+ ;Un1rofita&ility %+;) #ote 7 8 $alse 9eyed "tems Ta)le 9 $es*,i/ti+e Statisti*s Sr% No% Su& Scales ; 7ole 3verloa 8o es Mean S%D% 73 -%)+' %+*,); '

20

B , + * E ) ( ;' ;; ;Source7 &S" Survey

7ole Am&iguity 7ole 8onflict

7A 78

Unreasona&le <rou1 an Political Pressure U<PP 7es1onsi&ility for 1ersons Un er@1artici1ation Po0erlessness Poor@Peer 7elations Intrinsic Im1overishment Ko0 Status Strenuous 2orking con ition Un1rofita&ility 7P UP PK PP7 II KS S28 UD

-%E;* E -%);E ) -%(') B B%;++ * -%)') B -%(E' , B%;E-%E+' ' -%)'' ' -%(,; E -%(** E

%E;;-E %+*(B* %*,+-* %*')B; %*,(;E %EE;(%*')+; %*;)') %E',+, %*E+*E %)+'*,

:a&le +! Inter@8orrelation Matri4 5In e1en ent Paria&le Skille 2orkers6

RO RO RA RC UGPP RP UP PL PPR II LS S(C ; %'E%--ES %;B' %;;' @%-+)S @%;(@%B;-SS @%;'B @%''E @%'+B ; %-BBS %;*B @%''E %;;) %;++ @%';; %B*ESS %B;-SS %-BES ; %BE+SS @%'(%;+) %'*, %')) %'); %B;(SS %;E( ; @%;E; %',; @%'B, %'(B %;EB %;,' %;)* ; @%;', @%''B @%-'@%---S @%'** @%;;E ; %B';SS %-'+ %;'%')+ @%'++ ; %'(+ %'(' %;;; %BE,SS ; %;*%-'* %'EB ; %-)-SS %-(BSS ; %;)' ; RA RC UGPP RP UP PL PPR II LS S(C UF

21

UF

%'EB

%-'+

%;(,

%');

%-E;SS

%-++S

%;-,

@%;B'

%'(B

%-B-S

%'+B

S% 8orrelation is significant at the '%'+ level 5-@taile 6% SS% 8orrelation is significant at the '%'; level 5-@taile 6%