Effective Stress Management: Its Impact on Organisational Growth, Continuity, Increase Productivity, HR Good Health, and HR Planning

Abstract

This paper look at effective stress management as a gateway to sustaining organisational economic growth, business continuity, increase productivity, employee’s health and human resource planning. Stress is a fact of life. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, you cannot avoid stress, but you can learn to manage it so it doesn’t manage you. Human resources, noted as the most valuable asset of any organisation are human and not machines, and as such are subject to stress. Timely recognition of stress symptoms, however, can invariably help both the organisation and the individual employees as well. At the same time, we tend to think that stress as something to avoid. Stress is a natural and adaptive response that serves a protective function. At moderate level, therefore, stress helps alert us to potential threats in the environment and enables us also to focus our attention in resolving the threat. Stress also provides us with the energy needed to confront or retreat from the threat via the “fight-flight” response. Over the years, most executives in Nigerian-private or government institutions pays less attention to the impacts of stress in enhancing, and or otherwise factors and its effects in workplaces. Moreover, the efficiency and effectiveness of stress management depend on the techniques, skills, attitude and capabilities employed to ensure effective management. However, the findings from sampled company executives, and individuals over the years revealed that most employees do not care, or think about stress as a potential health hazard. It is the opinion of the author to recommend that certain areas be improved, that is, regular checkups by visiting hospitals and clinics, management support; total commitment of management, sufficient fund, provision of feedback to employees and the conducting of employee health checkups on a continuous basis, which undoubtedly will improve employee’s performance in the organisation if properly implemented.