AN INVESTIGATION ON THE IMPACT OF STRESS MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON PRODUCTIVITY IN CAMEROON

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the study 

A number of academics and business executives from around the world contend that organisations are social entities whose success or failure is contingent on their capacity to maximise the utilisation of scarce resources, including money, human capital, raw materials, and machines. The importance of human resources as a fundamental element has increased significantly in recent years (Cooper 2019). The increasing acknowledgement of the myriad performance-enhancing factors that contribute to an organization's success has elevated the significance of human resource management in successful or effective organisations.

As Dean (2018) asserts, employees remain the essence of the organisation. Human resources are the most dependable and trustworthy asset of the organisation, capable of contributing significantly and meaningfully to the achievement of organisational objectives. The human element of organisational resources is of utmost importance due to the fact that it drives production processes that generate products or services for clients and potential customers (Celik, 2020). As stated by Celik (2020), their significance in the organization's overall operation cannot be overemphasized. Then, they elaborated that the manner in which employees are managed and utilized can either establish or destroy a business. When employees are treated without consideration, it compromises the goals and objectives of the organization.

The demand for high employee productivity has emerged as a critical criterion for organisations' personnel, given that businesses are inherently goal-oriented and strive to accomplish various objectives, including sustaining goodwill, increasing market share, and generating profits. This is because employee productivity is the determining factor in whether or not the overall objectives of an organisation are achieved. Underperforming employees are the fundamental cause of a company's subpar performance. To illustrate, the effectiveness of a public or corporate entity is significantly impacted by the optimal utilisation of its human resources, as stated by Ibua (2019). He believes that the assistance of employees is crucial for the success of a business. Research has demonstrated that stress management, when combined with rewards, compensation, and promotions, serves as an enduring strategy to enhance and sustain employee productivity. This exemplifies the contemporary labour market, wherein individuals are required to put in more time due to increased obligations and the expectation that they perform at a higher standard (Ibua, 2019). As stated by Janssen (2018), stress is an adverse response that entities or organisms undergo when subjected to excessive pressure or additional requirements.

Stress has emerged as a ubiquitous concern in the contemporary, fast-paced workplace, exerting an impact on the productivity and general welfare of personnel. Employees of private higher education institutions in Ethiopia encounter considerable stressors as a result of the arduous nature of their positions. Therefore, it is imperative to identify stress management strategies that are efficacious and have the potential to improve the performance of personnel. There are numerous potential causes for an individual to be experiencing extreme tension. Other stresses were categorised by Chigozie (2021) as self-inflicted stressors, employee stressors, household stresses, and macroenvironmental stresses. Self-imposed pressures include a preoccupation with the outside world, a false sense of security, the pressure to succeed, solitude, and business preoccupation. Overpromotion, underpromotion, tokenism, organisational structure and climate, work-under-load, responsibility for others, unfair performance appraisal, lack of participation in decision-making, poor working conditions, technical issues, discrimination, sexual harassment, and so forth, are some of the organisational stressors that employees face.

Effective stress management is of the utmost importance for boosting employee productivity, especially in the current volatile work environment characterised by frequent shifts in the operational logic of organisations. Because stressed-out employees pose a greater risk to the organization's overall welfare than to its initial competitive advantage, the failure to implement effective stress management practices can result in significant and multifaceted challenges for a business. Employees may exhibit counterproductive behaviours such as tardiness, absenteeism, lack of attention to detail, negative conduct, and substandard service provision when confronted with elevated levels of stress. Staff behaviours such as malingering, intentional or unintentional attrition, disinterest, inefficiency, and low morale may emerge due to reduced commitment induced by stress (Folkman, 2017). Weak behavioural tendencies are detrimental to the achievement of organisational objectives and must be addressed expeditiously via effective stress management to prevent the organisation from degenerating prematurely; thus, this study is necessary.

1.2 Statement of the problem

Managers ought to make the change process as pleasurable and stimulating as feasible, since it is an inevitable aspect of an organization's existence cycle (Chigozie, 2021). Consequently, they will be simpler to manage if alterations in role definitions are perceived as opportunities rather than challenges. Dean (2018) contends that organisations must adopt equitable employment practices to recruit and retain personnel possessing diverse skill sets, including stress management, in order to remain competitive in the contemporary business landscape. Utilising a variety of prognostic factors, this environment has witnessed an abundance of efforts to increase employee productivity. In contrast, Cameroon is not the subject of the extant literature on stress management practices in business organisations, which focuses on other nations. It on this note that this study will investigate the impact of stress management practices on productivity in Cameroon.

1.3 Objectives of the Study 

The aim of this study is to carry out an investigation on the impact of stress management practices on productivity in Cameroon. Specifically the study seeks to:

Examine the sources of stress in business organizations in Cameroon.

Find out whether there is a relationship between stress management practices in Cameroon.

Assess the effects of stress on employees in business organizations in Cameroon.

Investigate the stress management practices carried out in business organizations in Cameroon.

1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions will be answered in this study:

What are the sources of stress in business organizations in Cameroon?

Is there a relationship between stress management practices in Cameroon?

What are the effects of stress on employees in business organizations in Cameroon?

What are the stress management practices carried out in business organizations in Cameroon?

1.5 Research Hypothesis

The following null hypothesis will validate this study:

Ho1: There is no relationship between stress management practices in Cameroon.

1.6 Significance of the study

The study's relevance stems from the fact that its findings may assist managers and staff of business organizations in Cameroon in determining the most effective techniques for managing stress in the workplace. The study's findings will assist employees in determining how they might enhance their job-related mental health without jeopardizing performance/productivity. That is, an organization can reduce workplace stress without lowering real work load by boosting employee authority or decision-making certainty. Additionally, it will assist managers in fine-tuning their administrative structure in order to decrease employee stress and safeguard employees' mental health—all without sacrificing productivity. Perhaps the findings will encourage organizations to place a greater emphasis on training, support, and counseling, as well as on organizational structure and job design.

1.7 Scope of the study

The study aims to carry out an investigation on the impact of stress management practices on productivity in Cameroon. Empirically, this study will examine the sources of stress in business organizations, find out whether there is a relationship between stress management practices, assess the effects of stress on employees in business organizations and investigate the stress management practices carried out in business organizations.

This study will be carried out in Cameroon.

1.8 Limitation of the study

The researchers encountered slight constraints while carrying out the study. The significant constraint was the scanty literature on the subject owing that the impact of stress management practices on productivity in Cameroon discourse is vast thus the researcher incurred more financial expenses and much time was required in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection, which is why the researcher resorted to a limited choice of sample size covering only residents of Cameroon. Thus findings of this study cannot be used for generalization for other regions within Cameroon. Additionally, the researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work will impede maximum devotion to the research. Howbeit, despite the constraint encountered during the research, all factors were downplayed in other to give the best and make the research successful.

1.9 Definition of terms

Impact: A change which is a result or consequence of an action or other cause.

Stress: Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It can come from any event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. Stress is your body's reaction to a challenge or demand.

Employee: A person employed for wages or salary, especially at non-executive level.

Performance: The action or process of performing a task or function.