Managing Individual Stress

Presentation & Case Studies

Presented by:
Ahmed A. Khedr
Ashraf K. Marey
Wael Barakat
Wael El Sayed

Supervised by:
Prof. DR. Aly Mosalam
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Alleviating Employee Stress

Through Financial Education
Case Study

Abstract:
By the year 2007-2008 economic crisis near total collapse of the financial
and housing market ,what happened not only affect businesses but also
affected most employees, and effect still to this day.

Employees try to find better way to manage their finances.

The poverty rate increase around 2.6% between 2007 till 2010, from
statistics employees have been affected due to decreasing wage growth,
hiring rate and turn over.
Other side they have been affected with increasing in health care, education
expenses, child care and housing.

Cont.
By the year 2011 survey done by (SHRM) found that credit card
and student loans reached huge number more than trillion US
dollars, in addition they suffering stressors from daily life
such relationship, workload, work life balance and community
which must be affected overall on productivity at work.
Some companies thinking what can be done to remove
stresses and itll affected directly on productivity, they conduct
financial educations seminars in many financial applications,
seminars conducted through free workshop or community
organization such as (YMCA) and to be more extensive training
sponsored by third-party financial institutions.

Cont.
The programs vary in their presentation methods
some offered weekly during evenings, lunchtime or on
weekend to be away from work or own schedules,
others interested to join online program and get the
training without additional stress.

There are two examples conducted this programmed

in united states:

Cont.
First example:
McLeod Health of Florence, South Carolina, They
implement 12 weeks of classroom and online program, it
made positive impact for employees and company.
A third party analysis found that 6.6$ return for each 1$
invest, decreasing turn over, and trained employees
encourage employees to organize there budget and
remove stresses.

Cont.
Second example:
At Therm-O-Disc manufacturing company in Ohio,
employees took company advantage of financial
education programs, they able to save fund 1000$
each and pay off a portion of their debt.
The company financial education coordinator find
that "experienced participant encourage those who
are having a lot of difficulties which help to build
team work across lines and department
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Cont.
Finally we found that financial education
program is positive for both sides (win win
situation) employees can reduce stress and
focus more about their job.
While companies show they care about
their employees by set of tools to manage
they earning and remove their stresses.

Question No.1
Company have obligation to provide financial education since the financial stress affected the
employees and the company as well. employees under financial stress will have lost of
productivity, lack of concentration, low performance ,uncertainty from the organization future and
dissatisfaction of the job.
In addition to non-work stressors (economy effect, mobility, quality of life and health problems)
addition to some physiological out come with stress like increased blood pressure, high
cholesterol, coronary heart disease. so company have organization to provide financial education
program to employees since that become threat to company business .

From survey in 2011 conducted by (SHRM) found that living expenses ,medical bill and debt were
among the top financial concerns of employees.

Question No.2
Employee work in organization suffering financial stressors non-work like
economy and quality of life.

That lead to organization stressor level like layoff, management styles and
politics and downsizing .

That leads to group level stressors like lack of cohesiveness ,intragroup

conflict and status incongruence and individual stressors like role conflict and
over load and responsibility of people ,role ambiguity , harassment and pace of
change. That depend on problem focused coping or emotion focused coping.

Question No.2 (Cont.)

All above stressors that leads to outcome in
behavioural (di satisfaction ,performance
reduction ,absenteeism ,turnover, accident,
health care claims )and from cognitive point
(poor decision ,lack of concentration ,frustration
,apathy) and physiological outcome(increased
blood pressure, immune system, high
cholesterol and coronary heart disease).

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Question No.3
From real experiment in both medical health company
and manufacturing company both companies
implemented financial education program in 2008.the
program yielded a positive financial impact on both
the company and its employees.
A third party analysed the results of the financial
education program and found that the health care
company had a return on investment of $6.60 per $1
invested in the program.

Question No.3 ( Cont.)

The data showed a significant decrease in turnover ,lost work time and absenteeism of employees enrolled
in the class while their job performance increased for a total return of 569,133.in the other manufacturing
company also by conducting the financial support program were able to create a saving fund of $1.000
each and pay off o portion of their debt.

That indicated positive result of finance program for employees to manage their finance stress a trend that
continue to this day.

Financial education offers companies and employees a proactive method to cope with the challenging
economic condition that continue to confront employees in many business.

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Question No.3 ( Cont.)

Financial education program create a win-win
situation that employees can reduce stress and
focus more on their jobs by improving how they
manage their personal finance debt.
While companies show they care about their
employees by providing them with useful set of
tools to manage their earning and ultimately their
stress.

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Practical Case Study

Work to Death!!!

Presented by:
Ahmed A. Khedr
Ashraf K. Marey
Wael Barakat
Wael El Sayed

Supervised by:
Prof. DR. Aly Mosalam
15

This case is real, happened in 2002.

Our previous company management
culture that time was not a blaming
culture style.
In contrary, they were seeking a
perfection and looking for achieving
all organizations goals.

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Introduction
At Plant, inside a CCR (Central Control Room) every body is focusing in
his console and our shift manager is standing in center of control room
at time we are entering CCR, he seems to be arrived very early before
us (His Shift Crew).

At the hand over, we handed over the plant from previous

Shift is shutdown due to instrumentation failure.

Our management was in

hurry to start up the plant and
this was obvious in hand Over
instructions.
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Clear Goal Is: Start UP FAST.

9 hours from continuous working of cross
check procedure to start up the plant.
Mr. Shankar was Panel Operator focusing in his
console and he was in charge for Boilers
console.
He was doing hard to start up the Boilers as it
is first equipment to be started during plant
start up sequence.
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Nielsen & Shankar

Mr. Shankar was recently promoted and heavy smokers.

And everybody inside our Shift crew know he is always

in tension.

Even in his driving inside the plant when he was a Plant

Operator he panned from driving Plant vehicles for 6
months because of a car accident inside the plant.

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Nielsen & Shankar

( Continued.1)

Also the oldest Panel Operators knew that

he still need a lot of training.
He just promoted cause of shortage of
Panel Operators inside Shift Crew.
Our Shift Manager Mr. Nielsen is a kind of
resolute, grumpy and untiring manager.

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Nielsen & Shankar

( Continued.2)

Wants to accomplish all of his

instructions fast and quickly.
Looking after a quick and precise
feedback for every and each things,
even for tiny issues which should be
handled by Shift supervisors.
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RED Panel & Siren Alarm!!!

During the start up sequence for the boiler suddenly Mr.
Shankars console blinking in RED and Alarm siren

RED Blinking and Siren heard was an announce for Boiler trip
again.

Every one inside Control room came to understand that the

plant will not start again during our shift (not less than another
10 Hrs).

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RED Panel & Siren Alarm!!!

Boiler Trip means that all activities has been
done for last 10 hrs. will be restarted again.
Suddenly phone ring on central desk inside
control, our shift manager (Mr. Nielsen )was
stand in Mr. Shankar Back at this time.
Mr. Nielsen hurry to pick the phone and we
all of us knew who is calling normally at this
case was a Plant Director on the phone.
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RED Panel & Siren Alarm!!!

Mr. Nielsen pick the phone with a very
aggressive tone and he said:
Yes sir, boilers tripped again.
Yes sir,
Yes Sir,
three times and closed the phone.

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At mean time, Other Panel operator next to Mr. Shankar start to

shout at Public Address.

Mr. Shankar lost ability to talk and his eyes is flashing dull and
became unconscious.
One of our colleagues back Mr. SHANKAR up to cover his panel
activity, as per Shift Manager instructions.

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Plant paramedic and plant doctor arrived.

Mr. Shankar had been checked by doctor and transferred to

hospital as he suffer from heart attack need to be in ICU Now

In the way to Hospital,

Mr. Shankar Passed Away,

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Here is block diagram illustrate the relation between stressor and

stress outcome as process

Stress Process

Stressors

Employee
Perceptions
/ Stress

Emotion
Focused

Outcomes
of Stress
Physiological

Moderator
- Personality Trait
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1-

Organizational

Individual

Responsibility of
subordinates who
execute his instruction
locally on Field

STRESSORS

Role Overload as he
was working
continuous for last 10
Hrs and has a many
tasks to do and time
not sufficient

Quantitave

Since he is just promoted

and should his manager
give an assist and long
technical training

Inadequate Career
Development
Opportunities

Stress to abide by rules

Stress to live up to
expectations of
Management

Group

Inter-Group Conflict:
He was usually sitting
alone, when he need a
help usually not ask for
it.

Manager Style: as Mr.

Nielsen is resolute, need
everything should be
done now, and untiring
Manager

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Mr. Shankar
personality trait as we
can describe as TABP.
This is a big moderator

to exceed the stress

and how to deal with
stressors.

2.
Stress
Moderator

He had a low self-efficacy

and as per internal locus of
control as when the things
went wrong at he cannot
control

Here we can add employee perception

about his job task and role as a stress

moderator as well

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Outcomes of Stress

As a consequences of
previous inputs the
outcome is:

Physiological (heart
Attack) then Death.

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Recommendation
Management teaches
and trains its employees
on the following:

a) Good timemanagement
techniques, never to
delay work for the last
minute, etc.

b) Change employees
attitudes and encourage
positive self-talk

Managers give positive

reinforcement.

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Recommendation
The organization provides
specialized training courses
on any topic required for work
advancement

The organization encourages

communication and always
asks for feedback, as the HR
manager should be always
directly accessible to any
employee to listen to.

Following up with all

corporate and business news,
in addition to new studies
published regarding work
stress, to be applied.

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Recommendation
The organization applies the technique of
Improved personnel selection and job
placement which states that it is not only
enough to assign a task to a person only
according to his technical skills, but also his
personality, specific type of stress tolerance
should be taken into consideration.

The organization implies the

Redesigning of jobs concept.

The organization also tries its

best to set realistic goals and
priorities. Means that goals must
be difficult, but specific and
attainable, and not impossible.
Encourages employees to take
responsibility for their own job
and for their contribution to
the success of the company as
a whole.

Increased employee involvement

in decision making, and sharing
information.
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Conclusion
People are the core base of any organization, so, caring and concerning
about their individual issues is a pillar for success, and that is what
stress management fulfils, where it is new a day a clear declaration that

An individuals health is the overall

health of any organization.
All in an attempt to reduce levels of stress as possible, which means
improving work productivity and this is the main Target.

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Thank You

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