Stress Mgmt

RESEARCH PROJECT

ON

STRESS MANAGEMENT AMONG BANK EMPLOYEES

Submitted in the Partial Fulfillment for the Degree ofMaster in Business Administration

Under the Guidance of:- Submitted By:- Dr. Nirmala chaudhary Randeep singh (Associate Professor) Roll No: MBA(Gen.) FINAL

University School Of Management Kurukshetra University Kurukshetra

CHAPTERS TITLE

DECLARATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMEN

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 COMPANY PROFILE 1.2 ABOUT TOPIC

2. REVIEW OF LITERETURE

3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

4. DATA ANALYSIS

5. CONCLUSION

6. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Acknowledgement

Preservation, inspiration and motivation have always played a key role in the success of any venture. In the present world of cut throat competition project is likely a bridge between theoretical and practical working, willingly I have prepared this particular project.

First of all I would like to thank the supreme power, the almighty God who is obviously the one who has always directed me to work on the right path of my life. With his grace this project could become a reality.I feel highly delighted with the way my dissertation report on topic Stress Management among bank employees

Any accomplishment requires the effort of many people and this work is not different. Firstly, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Mrs. Nirmala ( Lect., dept. of mgt. KUK) Ms Nisha (Assistant Professor) for her able guidance, regular counseling, keen interest and constant encouragement, without this the project would not have a successful end. I am highly thankful to him for his helpful attitude, regular coaching and inspiration.

I sincerely thank to all the faculty members and the staff associated for their support given to me time to time. Also, I would like to thank to all my friends and family members for their support given to me time to time. I dont have words to express my thanks, but still my heart is full of gratitude for the favors received by me from the every person.

(Randeep Singh)

Executive Summery

Organizations recognize the importance of focusing on human factor to improve its productivity. People are key factor in improving productivity. In this context organizations have demonstrated their willingness to invest in human resource development. This project gives us a detailed idea of what is stress and also the definition of stress is been defined. For more detailed study the types of the stress is also defined.

After the theoretical part I have included the research part. My research work includes two questionnaires. Burn out test Stress analysis QuestionnaireMy research includes the research methodology which contains the information as follows: Research objectives Sampling (types and methods of sampling) Research instrument Data analysis and interpretation Employees opinion to reduce stress. Research flowchart Limitation of survey Advantages and disadvantages of written questionnaire Finding OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Primary objective:-To undergo an in-depth study about the stress among the employees of public sector banks.Secondary objective:-To identify the factors causing stress among the employees.-To find out the level and kind of stress among the employees of different agegroups.-To study about the effects of stress on employees in pub-To identify the coping strategies to manage stress.

Companies ProfileState Bank Of India Profile: -State Bank of India( ) (SBI) is the largeststate ownedbankingandfinancial servicescompany with its headquartered inMumbai, India. The bank traces its ancestry toBritish India, through theImperial Bank of India, to the founding in 1806 of theBank of Calcutta, making it the oldest commercial bank in theIndian Subcontinent. Bank of Madras merged into the other two presidency banks, Bank of Calcutta and Bank of Bombay to form Imperial Bank of India, which in turn became State Bank of India. Thegovernment of Indianationalized the Imperial Bank of India in 1955, with theReserve Bank of Indiataking a 60% stake, and renamed it the State Bank of India. In 2008, the government took over the stake held by the Reserve Bank of India.SBI provides a range of banking products through its vast network of branches in India and overseas, including products aimed atnon-resident Indians(NRIs). The State Bank Group, with over 16,000 branches, has the largest banking branch network in India. It also has around 130 branches overseas. With an asset base of $352 billion and $285 billion in deposits, it is a regional banking behemoth and is one of the largest financial institution in the world. It has a market share among Indian commercial banks of about 20% in deposits and loans.[2]The State Bank of India is the 29th most reputed company in the world according toForbes.[3]Also SBI is the only bank featured in the coveted "top 10 brands of India" list in an annual survey conducted by Brand Finance andThe Economic Timesin 2010.[4]The State Bank of India is the largest of theBig Fourof India, along withICICI Bank,Punjab National BankandHDFC Bankits main competitors.[5]and" GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORD " that 56 million transactions happening per day all over the world is definitely an achievement

HISTORY: -The roots of the State Bank of India rest in the first decade of 19th century, when theBank of Calcutta, later renamed theBank of Bengal, was established on 2 June 1806. The Bank of Bengal was one of three Presidency banks, the other two being theBank of Bombay(incorporated on 15 April 1840) and theBank of Madras(incorporated on 1 July 1843). All three Presidency banks were incorporated asjoint stock companiesand were the result of theroyal charters. These three banks received the exclusive right to issue paper currency in 1861 with the Paper Currency Act, a right they retained until the formation of theReserve Bank of India. The Presidency banks amalgamated on 27 January 1921, and the reorganized banking entity took as its name:Imperial Bank of India. The Imperial Bank of India remained a joint stock companyPursuant to the provisions of the State Bank of India Act (1955), theReserve Bank of India, which isIndia's central bank, acquired a controlling interest in the Imperial Bank of India. On 30 April 1955, the Imperial Bank of India became the State Bank of India. Thegovernment of Indiarecently acquired the Reserve Bank of India's stake in SBI so as to remove any conflict of interest because the RBI is the country's banking regulatory authority.In 1959, the government passed the State Bank of India (Subsidiary Banks) Act, enabling the State Bank of India to take over eight former state-associated banks as its subsidiaries. On 13 September 2008, theState Bank of India, one of its associate banks, merged with the State Bank of India.SBI has acquired local banks in rescues. For instance, in 1985, it acquired the Bank of Cochin inKerala, which had 120 branches. SBI was the acquirer as its affiliate, theState Bank of Travancore, already had an extensive network in Kerala.

Earliar SBI had only seven associate banks that, with SBI, constitute the State Bank Group. All use the same logo of a blue keyhole and all the associates use the "State Bank of" name, followed by the regional headquarters' name. Originally, the then seven banks that became the associate banks belonged toprincely statesuntil the government nationalised them between October 1959 and May 1960. In tune with the first Five Year Plan, emphasizing the development of rural India, the government integrated these banks into the State Bank of India system to expand its rural outreach. There has been a proposal to merge all the associate banks into SBI to create a "mega bank" and streamline operations. The first step towards unification occurred on 13 August 2008 whenState Bank of Saurashtramerged with SBI, reducing the number of state banks from seven to six. Then on 19 June 2009 the SBI board approved the merger of its subsidiary,State Bank of Indore, with itself. SBI holds 98.3% in State Bank of Indore. (Individuals who held the shares prior to its takeover by the government hold the balance of 1.77%.)The acquisition of State Bank of Indore added 470 branches to SBI's existing network of 12,448 and over 21,000 ATMs. Also, following the acquisition, SBI's total assets will inch very close to the Rs 10-lakh crore mark. Total assets of SBI and theState Bank of Indorestood at Rs 998,119 crore as on March 2009. The process of merging of State Bank of Indore was completed by April 2010, and the SBI Indore Branches started functioning as SBI branches on 26 August 2010.

AXIS BANK Profile : -Axis Bank Limited, formerlyUTI Bank, (BSE:532215,LSE:AXBC) is afinancial servicesfirm that had begun operations in 1994, after the Government of Indiaallowed new private banks to be established. The Bank was promoted jointly by the Administrator of the Specified Undertaking of theUnit Trust of India(UTI-I),Life Insurance Corporation of India(LIC), General Insurance Corporation Ltd., National Insurance Company Ltd.,The New India Assurance Company,The Oriental Insurance CorporationandUnited India Insurance CompanyUTI-I holds a special position in the Indian capital markets and has promoted many leading financial institutions in the country. The bank changed its name to Axis Bank in April 2007 to avoid confusion with other unrelated entities with similar name.[2]After the Retirement of Mr. P. J. Nayak, Shikha Sharma was named as the bank's managing director and CEO on 20 April 2009. As on the year ended 31 March 2009 the Bank had a total income of13,745.04crore(US$3.05 billion)and a net profit of1,812.93crore(US$402.47 million).On 24 February 2010, Axis Bank announced the launch of 'AXIS CALL & PAY on atom', a unique mobile payments solution using Axis Bank debit cards. Axis Bank is the first bank in the country to provide a secure debit card-based payment service over IVR.

BRANCH NETWORK : -The Bank's Registered Office is at Ahmadabad and its Central Office is located at Mumbai. At the end of September 2010, The Bank has a very wide network of more than 1281 branches and Extension Counters (as on 31st December, 2010).The Bank has a network of over 5303 ATMs (as on 31st December, 2010). The Bank has loans now (as of June 2007) account for as much as 70 per cent of the banks total loan book of Rs 2,00,000 crore. For HDFC Bank, retail assets are around 57 per cent (Rs 28,000 crore) of the total loans as of March 2007.In the case of Axis Bank, retail loans have declined from 30 per cent of the total loan book of Rs 25,800 crore in June 2006 to around 23 per cent of loan book of Rs.41,280 crore (as of June 2007). Even over a longer period, while the overall asset growth for Axis Bank has been quite high and has matched that of the other banks, retail exposures grew at a slower pace.If the sharp decline in the retail asset book in the past year in the case of Axis Bank is part of a deliberate business strategy, this could have significant implications (not necessarily negative) for the overall future profitability of the business.Despite the slower growth of the retail book over a period of time and the outright decline seen in the past year, the banks fundamentals are quite resilient. With the high level of mid-corporate and wholesale corporate lending the bank has been doing, one would have expected the net interest margins to have been under greater pressure. The bank, though, appears to have insulated such pressures. Interest margins, while they have declined from the 3.15 per cent seen in 2003-04, are still hovering close to the 3 per cent mark. (The comparable margins for ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank are around 2.60 per cent and 4 per cent respectively. The margins for ICICI Bank are lower despite its much larger share of the higher margin retail business, since funding costs also are higher).The Bank today is capitalized to the extent of Rs. 409.90 crores with the public holding (other than promoters and GDRs) at 53.63%. It is also listed in the top 100 most trusted brands of India inThe Brand Trust Report.

HDFC BANK Profile :- HDFC Bank Ltd.(BSE:500180,NYSE:HDB) is a majorIndianfinancial servicescompany based inIndia, incorporated in August 1994, after theReserve Bank of Indiaallowed establishing private sector banks. The Bank was promoted by theHousing Development Finance Corporation, a premier housing finance company (set up in 1977) of India. HDFC Bank has 1,725 branches and over 4,232 ATMs, in 779 cities in India, and all branches of the bank are linked on an online real-time basis. As of 30 September 2008 the bank had totalassetsof Rs.1006.82 billion. For the fiscal year 2008-09, the bank has reported net profit of2,244.9crore(US$498.37 million), up 41% from the previous fiscal. Total annual earnings of the bank increased by 58% reaching at19,622.8crore(US$4.36 billion)in 2008-09. It is one of theBig Four banksof India, along withState Bank of India,ICICI BankandPunjab National Bankits main competitors.

HISTORY : -HDFC Bank was incorporated in 1994 by Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (HDFC), India's largest housing finance company. It was among the first companies to receive an 'in principle' approval from theReserve Bank of India (RBI)to set up a bank in the private sector. The Bank started operations as a scheduled commercial bank in January 1995 under the RBI's liberalisation policies.Times Bank Limited (owned by Bennett, Coleman & Co. / Times Group) was merged with HDFC Bank Ltd., in 2000. This was the first merger of two private banks in India. Shareholders of Times Bank received 1 share of HDFC Bank for every 5.75 shares of Times Bank.In 2008 HDFC Bank acquiredCenturion Bank of Punjabtaking its total branches to more than 1,000. The amalgamated bank emerged with a base of about Rs. 1,22,000 crore and net advances of about Rs.89,000 crore. The balance sheet size of the combined entity is more than Rs. 1,63,000 crore.

IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY

20th century has been regarded as the period of incredible change in human history. Philosophers and scientists have been various names to this period. Peter Drucker has called it The Age of Discontinuity, John Galbraith has called it The Age of Future Shock and Hari Albrecht called it The Age of Anxiety. Stress has become the 21 century buzz word, from the high pervading corporate echelons to the bassinets of teaching infants nurseries we find this world liberally used. Stress is part of modern life. Various events in life cause stress, starting with the birth of a child and enduring with the death of a dear one.Urbanization, industrialization and the increase scale of operations in society aresome of the reasons for rising stress. It is an inevitable consequence of socio-economic complexity and to some extent, its stimulant as well. People experience stress as they can no longer have complete control over what happen in their lives. The telephone goes out of order, power is shut down, water supply is disrupted, children perform poorly at school etc, we feel frustrated and then stressed. The word stress is derived from a Latin word stringere, meaning to draw tight. From the view point of physical sciences, the phenomena of stress are evident in all materials when they are subjected to force, pressure, strain or strong-front. Every material steel, rock or wood has its own limit up to which it can withstand stress without being damaged. Similarly human beings can tolerate certain level of stress. Stress is highly individualistic in nature. Some people have high levels of stress tolerance for stress and thrive very well in the face of several stressors in the environment. In fact, some individuals will not perform well unless they experience a level of stress which activates and energizes then to put forth their best results. For every individual there is an optimum level of stress under which he or she will perform to full capacity. If the stress experience is below the optimum level, then the individual gets bored, the motivational level of work reaches a low point and it results to careless mistakes, forgetting to do things and thinking of things other than work during work hours and also leads to absenteeism which may ultimately lead to turnover. If on the other hand, stress experience is above the optimum level, it leads to too many conflicts with the supervisor or leads to increase of errors, bad decisions and the individual may experience insomnia, stomach problems, and psychosomatic illness. The present world is fast changing and there are lots of pressures and demands at work. These pressures at work lead to physical disorders. Stress refers to individuals reaction to a disturbing factor in the environment. It is an adaptive response to certain external factor or situation or what can be called environmental stimuli as reflected in an opportunity, constraint, or demand the outcome of which is uncertain but important. In short stress is a response to an external factor that results in physical, emotional, behavioral deviations in a person. Stress is an all pervading modern phenomenon that takes a heavy toll of human life. Different situations and circumstances in our personal life and in our job produce stress. Those can be divided into factors related to the organization and factors related to the person which include his experience and personality traits. Job related factors are work overload, time pressures, poor quality of supervision, insecure political climate, role conflict and ambiguity, difference between company values and employee values. Person related factors are death of spouse, or of a close friend, family problems, change to a different line of work, prolonged illness in the family, change in social activities, eating habits, etc.,Personality traits are Type A personality. They are impatient, ambitious,competitive, aggressive, and hardworking. They set high goals and demands ofthemselves and others. And they are particularly prone to stress inducing anticipatory emotions such as anxiety.

REMEDIES TO REDUCE STRESS : -There are two major approaches to reduce stress. They are,1. Individual approaches2. Organizational approaches

1. INDIVIDUAL APPROACHES : -An employee can take individual responsibility to reduce his/her stress level.Individual strategies that have proven effective include, implementing time management techniques, increasing physical exercise, relaxation training, and expanding the social support network.- Time management : -Many people manage their time very poorly. Some of well known timemanagement principles include,o Making daily list of activities to be accomplishedo Scheduling activities according to the priorities seto Prioritizing activities by importance and urgencyo Knowing your daily cycle and handling the most demanding parts of your job.

- Physical exercisePracticing non-competitive physical exercises like aerobics, racewalking, jogging, swimming, and riding a bi-cycle.- Relaxation trainingRelaxation techniques such as meditation, hypnosis and bio-feedback.The objective is to reach in state of deep relaxation, where one feels physically relaxed, somewhat from detached from the immediate environment. Fifteen or twenty minutes a day of deep relaxation releases tension and provides a person with a pronounced sense of peacefulness.- Social supportHaving families, friends or work colleagues to talk provides an outlet,when stress levels become excessive. So expand your social support network that helps you with someone to hear your problems.

2. ORGANIZATIONAL APPROACHESSeveral of the factors that cause stress particularly task and role demands andorganizations structure are controlled by management. As such they can be modified or changed. Some of the strategies that management want to consider include improved personal self section and job placement, use of realistic goal setting, redesigning of jobs, improved organizational communication and establishment of corporate wellness programmes. Certain jobs are more stressful than others. Individual with little experience or an external lower of control tend to be more proven to stress. Selection and placement decisions should take these facts into consideration. Goal setting helps to reduce stress. It also provides motivation. Designing jobs to give employees more responsibility, moremeaningful work, more autonomy, and increased feedback can reduce stress, because these factors give the employee greater control over work activities and lessen dependence on others. Increasingly formal organizational communication with employees reduces uncertainly by lessency role ambiguity and role conflict. Wellness program, say, employee counseling form on the employees total physical and mental condition. They typically proud work ships to help people quit smoking, control alcohol usage, eat better and develop a regular exercise program.

Another remedy for reducing stress is cognitive restructuring. It involves two step procedures. First irrational or maladaptive thought processes that create stress are identified. For example Type A individuals may believe that they must be successful at everything they do. The second step consists of replacing these irrational thoughts with more rational or reasonable ones. One important remedy to reduce stress is the maintenance of good sleep. Research conducted on laboratory specimen to have met with startling discoveries. Sleep starved rats have developed stress syndrome. The amount of sleep one requires varies from person to person and is dependent on ones lifestyle. The American National Sleep Foundation claims that a minimum of eight hours of sleep is essential for good health. Generally studies shows that young adults can manage with about 7-8 hours. After the age of 35, six hours of sleep is sufficient whereas people over 65 years may just need for three or four hours.

REVIEW OF LITERATUREA review on the previous studies on stress among the employees is necessary to know the areas already covered. This will help to find our new areas uncovered and to study them in depth. The earlier studies made on stress among these employees are briefly reviewed here.The research study of Jamal. M* finds that job stressors were significantly related to employees psychosomatic problems, job satisfaction, unproductive time at the job, and absenteeism.

Type A behavior was found to be an important moderator of the stress outcome relationship. Brief. A. P. and J. M. Atieh*, argues that it is not safe to assume that job conditions that have an adverse impact on affective reactions to the job will also have a negative impact on overall subjective well-being.

Fienmann views stress as a psychological response state of negative effect characterized by a persistent and a high level of experienced anxiety or tension. Recent research into the interaction between the mind body show that we may place our body on stress alert quite unconsciously, because of our psychological and emotional attitudes to stress. Anticipatory emotions like impatience, anxiety, and anger can produce the same nerve impulses and chemical reactions as being faced with a concrete challenge. So when faced with a stressful situation, we must either use up the energy created by the body to challenge or learn how to turn off, the response using a conscious relaxation technique.

* Jamal M. Job stress-prone Type A behavior, personal and organizational consequences, Canadian Journal Administration Sciences, 1985. pp 360-74.Brief. A. P and J. M. Atieh, Studying job stress: Are we making mountains out ofmolehills? Journal of occupational behavior, 1987 pp115-26. Hans Seyle, the endocrinologist, whose research on General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS), for the first time, revealed how human beings adapt themselves to emotional strives and strains in their lives. According to him emotional stress occurs in three important stages. 1. Alarm reaction stage 2. Resistance stage 3. Exhaustion stage.Alarm reaction is caused by physical or psychological stressors. Resistances arebrought about by ACTH hormone of the body. Exhaustion follows when ACTH dwindles as a result of continual stress. (ACTH-Aprinocorticotropic) According to Stephen .P. Robbins*, stress related headaches are the leading cause of loss of work time in U. S. industry.Cooper and Marshall* visualize stress as characteristics of both the focalindividual and his environment.

They designate the internal and external consultive forces as pressures or stressors and the resulting stalk of the organism on stress.

ObjectivesPrimary objective:To undergo an in-depth study about the stress among the employees of public sector banksSecondary objective:-To identify the factors causing stress among the employees.-To find out the level and kind of stress among the employees of different agegroups.-To study about the effects of stress on employees in Public Sector Banks.-To identify the coping strategies to manage stress.

SCOPE OF THE STUDYThe present world is fast changing and there are lots of pressures and demandsat work. These pressures at work lead to physical disorders. Stress refers to individuals reaction to a disturbing factor in the environment. Hence this study would help the organization to know the factors of stress and to reduce the stress in employees. Since it is a well known fact that healthy employee is a productive employee.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

In spite of the precautions, vigilance and scrupulousness taken by the investigator to make the study objective, it cannot be denied that there are certain limitations.-The employees were reluctant to give correct information.- Even though the employees gave correct information during the unstructured interview conducted, they gave positive answer while answering the questionnaire.- The investigator intended to cover only few areas of stress relevant to the proposed study.- As the study was done within a limited time, investigator could not select a sufficiently large sample for the study.

Research Objective : -

Stress is a dynamic condition in which an individual is confronted with an opportunity, demand or resource related to what the individual desires and for which the outcome is perceived to be both uncertain and important. This is a complicated definition.Stress is not necessarily bad in and of itself. Although stress is typically discussed in a negative context, it also has a positive value. Its an opportunity when it offers potential gain. Consider for example, the superior performance that an athlete or stage performer gives in clutch situations. Such individuals often use stress positively to rise to the occasion and perform at or near their maximum. Similarly, many professionals see the pressures of heavy workloads and deadlines as positive challenges that enhance the quality of their work and the satisfaction the get from their job.But it is different in the case of bank employees. The bank employees are the people who also have to achieve the certain target and so for the non achievement of target the employees remain stressed and tensed. The employees who have the simple table work also have to face the problem of stress. Due to recession the banking sector is also facing the problem of employee cut-offs and so the work load of the existing employees increases and the feel stressed.

The types of stress are named as eustress and distress. Distress is the most commonly-referred to type of stress, having negative implications, whereas eustress is a positive form of stress, usually related to desirable events in person's life. Both can be equally taxing on the body, and are cumulative in nature, depending on a person's way of adapting to a change that has caused it. Stress management is the need of the hour. However hard we try to go beyond a stress situation, life seems to find new ways of stressing us out and plaguing us with anxiety attacks. Moreover, be it our anxiety, mind-body exhaustion or our erring attitudes, we tend to overlook causes of stress and the conditions triggered by those. In such unsettling moments we often forget that stressors, if not escapable, are fairly manageable and treatable.Stress, either quick or constant, can induce risky body-mind disorders. Immediate disorders such as dizzy spells, anxiety attacks, tension, sleeplessness, nervousness and muscle cramps can all result in chronic health problems. They may also affect our immune, cardiovascular and nervous systems and lead individuals to habitual addictions.

Like "stress reactions", "relaxation responses" and stress management techniques are some of the body's important built-in response systems. As a relaxation response the body tries to get back balance in its homeostasis. Some hormones released during the 'fight or flight' situation prompt the body to replace the lost carbohydrates and fats, and restore the energy level. The knotted nerves, tightened muscles and an exhausted mind crave for looseness. Unfortunately, today, we don't get relaxing and soothing situations without asking. To be relaxed we have to strive to create such situations.

This research is to carry out the study that how much stressed the employees of the banks are and how do their stress affect their work life, social life, output etc. so a sample of 14 to 15 employees are selected from all the three banks for the research of stress among them.

Sampling : -

Sample: I have taken the sample of 35 employees from three different banks of kurukshetra. All the employees were of the same designations.

Reason: As we find the employees of the bank to be more stressful as more and more employees are taking VRS and are dismissed because of inflation. I have selected only those three banks which are affiliated to the public and are specialized in consumer needs fulfillment.It is incumbent on the researcher to clearly define the target population. There are no strict rules to follow, and the researcher must rely on logic and judgment. The population is defined in keeping with the objectives of the study.

Sometimes, the entire population will be sufficiently small, and the researcher can include the entire population in the study. This type of research is called a census study because data is gathered on every member of the population.

Usually, the population is too large for the researcher to attempt to survey all of its members. A small, but carefully chosen sample can be used to represent the population. The sample reflects the characteristics of the population from which it is drawn.

Sampling methods are classified as either probability or non probability. In probability samples, each member of the population has a known non-zero probability of being selected. Probability methods include random sampling, systematic sampling, and stratified sampling. In non probability sampling, members are selected from the population in some nonrandom manner. These include convenience sampling, judgment sampling, quota sampling, and snowball sampling. The advantage of probability sampling is that sampling error can be calculated. Sampling error is the degree to which a sample might differ from the population. When inferring to the population, results are reported plus or minus the sampling error. In non probability sampling, the degree to which the sample differs from the population remains unknown.

Random sampling is the purest form of probability sampling. Each member of the population has an equal and known chance of being selected. When there are very large populations, it is often difficult or impossible to identify every member of the population, so the pool of available subjects becomes biased.

Systematic sampling is often used instead of random sampling. It is also called an Nth name selection technique. After the required sample size has been calculated, every Nth record is selected from a list of population members. As long as the list does not contain any hidden order, this sampling method is as good as the random sampling method. Its only advantage over the random sampling technique is simplicity. Systematic sampling is frequently used to select a specified number of records from a computer file.

Stratified sampling is commonly used probability method that is superior to random sampling because it reduces sampling error. A stratum is a subset of the population that shares at least one common characteristic. The researcher first identifies the relevant stratums and their actual representation in the population. Random sampling is then used to select subjects from each stratum until the number of subjects in that stratum is proportional to its frequency in the population. Stratified sampling is often used when one or more of the stratums in the population have a low incidence relative to the other stratums. Convenience sampling is used in exploratory research where the researcher is interested in getting an inexpensive approximation of the truth. As the name implies, the sample is selected because they are convenient. This non-probability method is often used during preliminary research efforts to get a gross estimate of the results, without incurring the cost or time required to select a random sample.

Judgment sampling is a common non-probability method. The researcher selects the sample based on judgment. This is usually and extension of convenience sampling. For example, a researcher may decide to draw the entire sample from one "representative" city, even though the population includes all cities. When using this method, the researcher must be confident that the chosen sample is truly representative of the entire population.

Quota sampling is the non-probability equivalent of stratified sampling. Like stratified sampling, the researcher first identifies the stratums and their proportions as they are represented in the population. Then convenience or judgment sampling is used to select the required number of subjects from each stratum. This differs from stratified sampling, where the stratums are filled by random sampling.

Snowball sampling is a special non-probability method used when the desired sample characteristic is rare. It may be extremely difficult or cost prohibitive to locate respondents in these situations. Snowball sampling relies on referrals from initial subjects to generate additional subjects. While this technique can dramatically lower search costs, it comes at the expense of introducing bias because the technique itself reduces the likelihood that the sample will represent a good cross section from the population.

Research Instrument : -Checking Yourself for BurnoutBurnout occurs when passionate, committed people become deeply disillusioned with a job or career from which they have previously derived much of their identity and meaning. It comes as the things that inspire passion and enthusiasm are stripped away, and tedious or unpleasant things crowd in. This tool can help you check yourself for burnout. Introduction:This tool can help you check yourself for burnout. It helps you look at the way you feel about your job and your experiences at work, so that you can get a feel for whether you are at risk of burnout.Using the Tool: Work through the table on paper and calculate values manually. Fill in values appropriately on the sheet. This will automatically calculate scores for you and interpret these scores, showing the score and interpretation in row 30. If you choose to use the manual method, then calculate the total of the scores as described in the instructions (note that this uses a slightly different scoring method from the spreadsheet). Apply the score to the scoring table underneath to get the interpretation.

QuestionnaireChecking Yourself for Burnout

NoQuestionsNot at allRarelySometimesOftenVery often

1Do you feel run down and drained of physical or emotional energy?

2Do you find that you are prone to negative thinking about your job?

3Do you find that you are harder and less sympathetic with people than perhaps they deserve?

4Do you find yourself getting easily irritated by small problems, or by your co-workers and team?

5Do you feel misunderstood or unappreciated by your co-workers?

6Do you feel that you have no-one to talk to?

7Do you feel that you are achieving less than you should?

8Do you feel under an unpleasant level of pressure to succeed?

9Do you feel that you are not getting what you want out of your job?

10Do you feel that you are in the wrong organization or the wrong profession?

11Are you becoming frustrated with parts of your job?

12Do you feel that organizational politics or bureaucracy frustrate your ability to do a good job?

13Do you feel that there is more work to do than you practically have the ability to do?

14Do you feel that you do not have time to do many of the things that are important to doing a good quality job?

15Do you find that you do not have time to plan as much as you would like to?

Total

AnswerNumber Weight Weighted Total

Not at all0

Rarely1

Sometimes2

Often3

Very often4

Instructions: For each question, put an 'X' in the column that most applies. Put one 'X' only in each row. Please write the total number of x at the space given at the bottom of each column.>=

-1No sign of burnout here!

5Little sign of burnout here, unless some factors are particularly severe

18Be careful - you may be at risk of burnout, particularly if several scores are high

35You are at severe risk of burnout - do something about this urgently

45You are at very severe risk of burnout - do something about this urgently

NoQuestionsYesNo

1Are you satisfied with the performance you give at your work?

2Do you think that you are suffering from depression?

3Do you worry about your colleague's opinion about you?

4Do you discuss your problem with your spouse or friend or any other close to you?

5Do you work more than 8 hours?

6You have an important function at your home and your boss asks to give a 4 hour over time, what will be your response?

7Do you regularly spend time for entertainment?

8Is your social life balanced?

9Do you plan your work before doing?

10Do you fear about the quality of your performance?

11Are you a heart patient?

12Do you get tensed at your non achievement of your target?

13Do you feeling stress some times?

If the answer of the above question is Yes then answer the following:

a)Is the reason of your stress your work load?

b)Are you stressed because of your family problems?

c)Do you get stressed when your boss scolds You?

d)Do you try to find any solution for the problem of your stress?

e)(IF YES) Do you practice yoga or any other ayurvedic therapy for reducing stress?

To make the survey report more clear the above questionnaire was also filled. As a result the employees have given proper response and the report of the questionnaire is presented in the project.

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONData analysis and InterpretationThe project report shows the information of the level of stress which the employees are facing in recession period,which is going to cut-off employees and turnover ratios are found to be high so the workload for the existing employees are high. So they are facing the problem of work overload and thus they get stressed. Lets have a watch on the basic data of the survey:1.The report of a bank>=Response

-1No sign of burnout here!0

5Little sign of burnout here, unless some factors are particularly severe6

18Be careful - you may be at risk of burnout, particularly if several scores are high8

35You are at severe risk of burnout - do something about this urgently0

45You are at very severe risk of burnout - do something about this urgently0

2. The Report of a Bank>=Response

-1No sign of burnout here!0

5Little sign of burnout here, unless some factors are particularly severe3

18Be careful - you may be at risk of burnout, particularly if several scores are high10

35You are at severe risk of burnout - do something about this urgently0

45You are at very severe risk of burnout - do something about this urgently0

3. The report of a Bank>=Response

-1No sign of burnout here!0

5Little sign of burnout here, unless some factors are particularly severe5

18Be careful - you may be at risk of burnout, particularly if several scores are high3

35You are at severe risk of burnout - do something about this urgently0

45You are at very severe risk of burnout - do something about this urgently0

It is seen from the above data that the employees working in the banks are at the risk of two levels that is a little sign of burn out and be careful. Taking a look on the data of all the three banks, it is seen that the employees working in SBI are found less stressed out compared to other banks. This can be because its a public sector. If all the graphs are compared, it is seen that the ratio of stressed employees in AXIS banks are high as compared to all the other banks.

Lets have a look on the overall result of the survey>=Response

-1No sign of burnout here!0

5Little sign of burnout here, unless some factors are particularly severe14

18Be careful - you may be at risk of burnout, particularly if several scores are high21

35You are at severe risk of burnout - do something about this urgently0

45You are at very severe risk of burnout - do something about this urgently0

From the above graph it can be seen that maximum employees of all the banks are at a moderate level of risk of burnout while the employees who were found with a little sign of burnout is less. So the ratio of little sign of burnout and moderate level of burnout is 2:3.

1. Are you satisfied with the performance you give at your work?YesNoNo response

2780

From the diagram it is clear that 77 % of the employees are satisfied with the performance they give in the work while 23 % of the employees are not satisfied.

2. Do you think that you are suffering from depression?YesNoNo response

7280

20 % of the employee feel that they are suffering from depression while 80 % of the employee feel that that they are free from the depression

3. Do you worry about your colleague's opinion about you?YesNoNo response

9260

26% of the employees worry about their colleagues opinion about them while 74% of the employees are not concern with the opinion about their colleague.

4. Do you discuss your problem with your spouse or friend or any other close to you?YesNoNo response

3230

91% of the employees of the bank discuss their problem and share their feelings with their spouse or friends or others while 9 % of the employee is not concerned with it.

5. Do you work more than 8 hours?

YesNoNo response

3140

89% of the employees work for more than 8 hours which is the starting point of the stress while 11 % of the employees dont work for more than 8 hours.

6. You have an important function at your home and your boss asks to give a 4 hour over time, what will be your response?YesNoNo response

14192

40 % of the employees are proved to be work dedicated and they are ready to miss the important function at their house while 54 % of the employees said no and 6 % of the employee did not gave any answer.

7. Do you regularly spend time for entertainment?YesNoNo response

20150

57% of the employee spent regular time on entertainment which helps us to remain stress free while 43 % of the employees dont do that.

8. Is your social life balanced?

YesNoNo response

19142

54 % of the employees find their social life to be balanced while 40 % of the employees dont have their social life balanced. 6% of the employees remain silent.

9. Do you plan your work before doing?YesNoNo response

3140

It is a good habit to plan the work you do. 89 % of the employees plan their work before doing while 11 % of the employees dont plan their work.

10. Do you fear about the quality of your performance?YesNoNo response

1340

63% of the employees fear the quality of performance which they give while 37 % of the employees dont fear the quality of their work.

11. Are you a heart patient?YesNoNo response

22130

Here 3 % of the employees are heart patient which is partially the result of stress.

12. Do you get tensed at your non achievement of your target?YesNoNo response

25100

71% of the employees get tensed at the non achievement of the target while 29 % of the employees work casually.

13. Do you feeling stress some times?YesNoNo response

2861

80% of the employees feel stressed sometimes while 17 % of the employees are not feeling stressed. 3 % of the employees did not respond.

If the answer of the above question is Yes then answer the following:a) Is the reason of your stress your work load?YesNoNo response

14147

57% of the employees find themselves to be stressed by their work over load. 26 % of the employees are not stressed because of the work overload. 17 % of the employees did not answer.

b) Are you stressed because of your family problems?YesNoNo response

2096

40 % of the employees are stressed because of their family problems 40% by other problems while 20% of the employees did not responded.

c) Do you get stressed when your boss scolds you?YesNoNo response

10187

20% of the employee did not responded when they were asked weather their get stressed because of the scolding of their boss. 51% of the employees dont get stress because of the scolding of their boss. 29 % of the employees get stressed because of the scolding of their boss.d) Do you try to find any solution for the problem of your stress?YesNoNo response

2465

69 % of the employees try to find the solution of their stress.

e) (IF YES) Do you practice yoga or any other ayurvedic therapy for reducing stress?

YesNoNo response

11186

31% of the employees try the yoga and other ayurvedic techniques to reduce their stress while 51 % of the employees use other techniques to reduce stress.

Employees opinion about how to reduce stress

This project consist of the information about the employees undergoing from stress who are working in the banks. So considering this factor this topic becomes one of the most important part of the project as it consists of the opinion of the employees who work in the banks. In short it was a direct interview of the employees who gave their opinion about how to reduce stress. The response of employees in the major banks of kurukshetra like State Bank of India, The AXIS Bank, and The HDFC bank was marvelous and they have given their valuable opinion about reducing stress as a result of the last question included in the questionnaire 2. So the opinion if the employees were as follows:

Just smile away An employee- HDFC Bank Just believe in your self and just do what your heart wants An employee- HDFC Bank -Talking to family members,- Watching TV or listening good music, - Going for a walk or long drive An employee- HDFC Bank Believe in God An employee- HDFC Bank Respect yourself and give time to yourself An employee- HDFC Bank Working in environment welfares, lot of positive attitude. Positive attitude is only that reduces stress and achieves success. Most of the people frustrate due to lack of positivity and stress level climbs up due to that. So get positive attitude about work, about life, and forget the stress An employee- AXIS Bank We should do such activities from which we get happiness and also make others happy. Pass your time with your close friends and relatives. An employee- AXIS Bank Play and watch cricket An employee- AXIS Bank Listen music and spend time with family An employee- SBI Bank Get adjusted with others, Find and spend time for prayer, Study the scriptures, See oneness in all, All are manifested of the supreme GOD An employee- SBI Bank

These opinions are seemed to be valuable and effective as one of the effective things has been noticed that the employees who have got less than 18 marks in the Burnout test have given their opinions about reducing the stress.

It is also noticed that in the AXIS bank Bhavnagar in the time of afternoon slow instrumental music are been played so that the employees can work stress free. This is one of the positive things which are seen in the organization who is caring for their employees. This will help the organization to boost up the productivity.

From the certain sample of employees selected for the research, only 10 employees have given their opinion how to reduce stress. So we can understand that how overloaded the employees of the bank are.

Research Flowchart : -Questionnaire research design proceeds in an orderly and specific manner. Each item in the flow chart depends upon the successful completion of all the previous items. Therefore, it is important not to skip a single step. Notice that there are two feedback loops in the flow chart to allow revisions to the methodology and instruments.

Design Methodology Determine Feasibility Develop Instruments Select Sample Conduct Pilot Test Revise Instruments Conduct Research Analyze Data Prepare Report

Limitation of the survey

The questionnaires were filled be 35 employees working in the three major Banks of Bhavnagar i.e. Axis Bank, HDFC Bank and SBS Bank. So the scope of sample findings was less. The questionnaire was filled by 35 employees of different designations. So the point of view of employees differs as per their designations. The employees from whom the questionnaires are filled are in a heavy workload so some of the questionnaires filled by the employees who are in stress cannot be called reasonable. The responses of the employees cannot be accurate as the problem of language and understanding arises. (These problems are not in all cases.) One of the other problems of questionnaire is the cost. Some times it may be possible that even by spending so much the result may not be reasonable. Many a times the employees may not be really conscious or may not be bothered about the questionnaire. This may create a problem in the research.

Advantages of Written Questionnaires Questionnaires are very cost effective when compared to face-to-face interviews. This is especially true for studies involving large sample sizes and large geographic areas. Written questionnaires become even more cost effective as the number of research questions increases.

Questionnaires are easy to analyze. Data entry and tabulation for nearly all surveys can be easily done with many computer software packages.

Questionnaires are familiar to most people. Nearly everyone has had some experience completing questionnaires and they generally do not make people apprehensive.

Questionnaires reduce bias. There is uniform question presentation and no middle-man bias. The researcher's own opinions will not influence the respondent to answer questions in a certain manner. There are no verbal or visual clues to influence the respondent.

Questionnaires are less intrusive than telephone or face-to-face surveys. When a respondent receives a questionnaire in the mail, he is free to complete the questionnaire on his own time-table. Unlike other research methods, the respondent is not interrupted by the research instrument.

Disadvantages of Written Questionnaires One major disadvantage of written questionnaires is the possibility of low response rates. Low response is the curse of statistical analysis. It can dramatically lower our confidence in the results. Response rates vary widely from one questionnaire to another (10% - 90%), however, well-designed studies consistently produce high response rates.

Another disadvantage of questionnaires is the inability to probe responses. Questionnaires are structured instruments. They allow little flexibility to the respondent with respect to response format. In essence, they often lose the "flavor of the response" (i.e., respondents often want to qualify their answers). By allowing frequent space for comments, the researcher can partially overcome this disadvantage. Comments are among the most helpful of all the information on the questionnaire, and they usually provide insightful information that would have otherwise been lost.

Nearly ninety percent of all communication is visual. Gestures and other visual cues are not available with written questionnaires. The lack of personal contact will have different effects depending on the type of information being requested. A questionnaire requesting factual information will probably not be affected by the lack of personal con

tact. A questionnaire probing sensitive issues or attitudes may be severely affected.

When returned questionnaires arrive in the mail, it's natural to assume that the respondent is the same person you sent the questionnaire to. This may not actually be the case. Many times business questionnaires get handed to other employees for completion. Housewives sometimes respond for their husbands. Kids respond as a prank. For a variety of reasons, the respondent may not be who you think it is. It is a confounding error inherent in questionnaires.

Finally, questionnaires are simply not suited for some people. For example, a written survey to a group of poorly educated people might not work because of reading skill problems. More frequently, people are turned off by written questionnaires because of misuse.

SUGGESTIONS- The employees must give importance to time management techniques there by they can complete their work within the specified time.- Many tasks can be delegated to subordinates without losing effectiveness so that we can reduce the overload of work.- Adopt the work to home transition strategy. It means instead of carrying thepressures of the work to home, the suggestion is to start the unwinding processduring the work day and enter the home in a relaxed and peaceful mind.- Giving counseling to the employees when they face problems, because counseling is the discussion of a problem that usually has emotional content with an employee in order to help the employee cope within better.- The organization must introduce Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) and stress control workshops accordingly to the level of employees, because there is a strong relation between the level of stress and level of employees. EAP includes counseling employees who seek assistance on how to deal with alcohol and drug abuse, managing personal finances, handling conflicts at the work place, dealing with marital and other family problems, and coping with health problems.- Engaging the bored employee in aerobic exercise, because it stimulates the brain and the body. Also the employee must do meditation and yoga in their daily life.

CONCLUSIONStress in the work place has become the black plague of the present century.Much of the stress at work is caused not only by work overload and time pressure but also by lack of rewards and praise, and more importantly, by not providing individuals with the autonomy to do their work as they would like. Most of the employees were not satisfied with the grievance handling procedure of the organization which was found by the unstructured interview. Organization must begin to manage people at work differently, treating them with respect and valuing their contribution. If we enhance the psychological well being and health of the employees, in the coming future the organization would make more revenue as well as employee retention. Because it is said that, A Healthy Employee is a Productive Employee

Questionnaire

NoQuestionsYesNo

1Are you satisfied with the performance you give at your work?

2Do you think that you are suffering from depression?

3Do you worry about your colleague's opinion about you?

4Do you discuss your problem with your spouse or friend or any other close to you?

5Do you work more than 8 hours?

6You have an important function at your home and your boss asks to give a 4 hour over time, what will be your response?

7Do you regularly spend time for entertainment?

8Is your social life balanced?

9Do you plan your work before doing?

10Do you fear about the quality of your performance?

11Are you a heart patient?

12Do you get tensed at your non achievement of your target?

13Do you feeling stress some times?

If the answer of the above question is Yes then answer the following:

a)Is the reason of your stress your work load?

b)Are you stressed because of your family problems?

c)Do you get stressed when your boss scolds You?

d)Do you try to find any solution for the problem of your stress?

e)(IF YES) Do you practice yoga or any other ayurvedic therapy for reducing stress?

BIBLIOGRAPHYBOOKS1. Ahuja. K.K- Industrial psychology and organizational behavior,Khanna publishers, New Delhi, 1991.2. Biswanath Ghosh- A new look organizational behavior, Himalaya PublishingHouse New Delhi, 1994.3. Finemann- A Psychological Model of Stress and its application to managerialunemployment, Human relations, 1979.4. Ghosh P.K. and Ghorpade M.B. - Industrial and Organizational Psychology,Himalaya Publishing House, Bombay 1991.5. Kapur S.K, Punia B.K.-Organizational Behavior and Management,S.K.Publishers, New Delhi

JOURNALS AND MAGAZINES

1. Business line, The stress is beginning to show, Financial Express published byHindu, Trivandrum, 1989.2. Brief A.P. and Atieth J.M., Studying Job Stress: Are we making mountains outof mole Hills? Journal of occupational behavior, 1987.3. Jamal M., Job Stress-Prone Type A behavior and personal and organizationalconsequences, Canadian Journal of Administrative.