A Study on gh Stress Among Employees Working in BPOs With Special Reference to Coimbatore

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The IUP Journal of Management Research, Vol. VIII, No. 11, 200928

2009 The Icfai University Press. All Rights Reserved.

A Study on Stress AmongEmployees Working in BPOs withSpecial Reference to Coimbatore

Introduction

The Indian IT industry has been steering the growth of the Indian economy in

the past one decade unlike any other industry by generating jobs, pushing up

exports, increasing FDI, creating wealth, thereby bolstering the forex reserves

and also other umpteen visible and invisible ways. This sterling performance of

the IT industry was largely on account of its human resources. It is a people-

centric industry, where human resources are great strategic advantage to IT

companies. The tremendous growth of the IT industry is propelled by the easy

availability of competent English knowing professionals with computing knowledge

at a relatively low cost due to massive unemployment in the country.

Literature Review

Stress is the reaction that people take due to excessive pressure or other types of

demand placed on them. It arises when they worry that they cannot cope. Stress

is a demand made upon the adaptive capacities of the mind and body. According to

Selye (1996), stress is a scientific concept which has suffered the mixed blessing

of being too well-known and too little understood. According toThe Oxford Dictionary

(2003), stress is strain, especially worry and nervous tension. According to Pollock(1998), stress is something which is not naturally occurring but is a manufactured

concept which has now become a social fact. Strenberg (2000) opines a person's

* Associate Professor, Department of Management, Karpagam University, Coimbatore

641021, India. E-mail: [email protected]

N Kathirvel*

Since the BPO industry is dependent on knowledge workers, they may be

considered as the raw material of the industry. Hence, any dilution in the quality

of the workforce will result in many operational hitches in the industry. While

there are several problems that affect the workforce in the BPO industry, stress

has emerged as the most significant problem, causing the employees to

underperform and thereby leading to productivity loss. This study takes a close

look at the stress related issues facing the employees working in various BPO

companies and analyzes the factors responsible for the same.


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29A Study on Stress Among Employees Workingin BPOs with Special Reference to Coimbatore

response to the presence of something in the environment that causes him to feel

challenged in some way called stress. Mclann and Pearlman (1999) have found

that stress of IT professionals can result in revictimization of individuals who often

have limited environments in which telling their story is safe and acceptable. Cordes

and Doherty (1998) found that healthcare workers who have frequent intense or

emotionally changed interactions with others are more prone to burnout. It is

found that most popular approaches for reducing stress in the workplace were

educational and consultation programs for each individual worker.

Statement of the Problem

Call center (BPO) is one of the most useful scientific developments in the modern

world. Many professionals are working in this field. This field needs more

concentration, sharpness and intelligence. The work load may be more in this field

compared to other fields, because more mental energy is needed to work as it

deals with manipulating and processing of data.

Recently many suicides have occurred in this field. The stress they face during

the working hours may cause problems in their family and work. Compared to

men, women are vulnerable to emotions and feeling. The lengthy working hours,

stereotyped work and fatigue they face may lead to negative consequences. The

employees have to use mind relentlessly. The long working hours, nature of job,

level of income, family circumstances and such other variables create problems

for people in BPOs. Hence, the researcher attempts to probe into the manifestation

of problems faced by the respondents working in BPOs.

Objectives

The following are the objectives of this study:

To study the socio-demographic factors of the respondents;

To study the relationship between educational qualification and monthly

income of the respondents in BPOs;

To study the relationship between marital status and level of stress among

the respondents working in BPOs; and

To contribute valuable suggestions to improve the conditions of the

respondents working in BPOs.

MethodologyThe research design chosen is descriptive as the study reveals the existing facts.

Descriptive research is the study which describes the characteristics of a particular

individual, or a group. This study is about selected variables of stress. It is also not

concerned with specific predictions, with narration of facts and characteristics relating

to an individual, a group or a situation.


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This study is based on the BPOs in Coimbatore city. The research concentrated

on ten BPOs comprising 500 people and the researcher collected 100 samples.

The researcher used convenience sampling for the study. The questionnaire was

circulated among the respondents of BPOs of 10 various companies.

The researcher prepared a questionnaire using Job Stress Scale for data

collection for this study. The questionnaire, which included questions on personal

profile, problems faced by the BPO employees, employment, stress and job

satisfaction. Primary data were collected through the questionnaire directly fromthe respondents and the secondary data were collected from books, journals

and the Internet.

Results and Analysis

The researcher used a questionnaire for collecting the data, which were transferred

to simple table. Then data were tabulated and analyzed. The researcher used simple

tables for the analysis, chi-square test, ANOVA and correlation.

From Table 1, it is evident that majority (70%) of the respondents were in 20-

25 age category and the remaining 30% of the respondents were in the 26-30

age group. Table 2 presents that both Hindus and Christians share an equal

percentage, i.e., 48%, and Muslims share only 4%.

Table 1: Age of the Respondents

S. No. Age Frequency Percentage

1. 20-25 70 70

2. 26-30 30 30

Total 100 100

Table 2: Religion of the RespondentsS. No. Religion Frequency Percentage

1. Christian 48 48

2. Hindu 48 48

3. Muslim 4 4

Total 100 100

From Table 3 it is clear that more than half (52%) of the respondents were

married and the remaining 48% of the respondents were unmarried.

Table 3: Marital Status of the Respondents

S. No. Marital Status Frequency Percentage

1. Married 48 48

2. Unmarried 52 52

Total 100 100


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From Table 4 it is clear that most (62%) of the respondents belong nuclear

family and the remaining 38% of the respondents belong to joint family.

Table 4: Type of Family of the Respondents

S. No. Type of Family Frequency Percentage

1. Nuclear 62 62

2. Joint 38 38

Total 100 100

Table 5: Educational Qualification of the Respondents

S. No. Educational Qualification Frequency Percentage

1. Postgraduation 14 14

2. Pre-Degree 12 12

3. Undergraduation 74 74

Total 100 100

Table 6: Designation of the Respondents

S. No. Designation Frequency Percentage

1. Data Entry Job 58 58

2. Computer Operator 30 30

3. Networking 6 6

4. Transaction Processing 6 6

Total 100 100

From Table 5 it is clear that majority (74%) of the respondents were

undergraduates while 14% of the respondents were postgraduates and the

remaining 12% of the respondents completed pre-degree.

Table 6 shows that more than half (58%) of the respondents were data entry operators

while 30% of the respondents were computer operators whereas 6% of the respondents

were working in networking department and the remaining 6% of the respondents

were working in transaction processing.

Table 7 shows that most (68%) of the respondents had monthly income below

Rs. 5,000 while 24% of the respondents had Rs. 5,001-10,000, 6% of the

respondents had Rs. 10,001-15000 and the remaining 2% of the respondents had

above Rs. 15,001. of monthly income.

Table 8 confirms that 24% of the respondents rarely took occasional break from

their job while 20% of the respondents agreed, 20% of the respondents disagreed,

22% strongly agreed and the rest 14% of the respondents strongly disagreed.

Table 9 states that 36% of the respondents strongly disagreed that they do

not have authority to do their job, 36% of the respondents strongly disagreed,


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Table 7: Monthly Income of the Respondents

S. No. Monthly Income Frequency Percentage

1. Below Rs. 5,000 68 68

2. 5,001-10,000 24 24

3. 10,001-15,000 6 6

4. Above 15,001 2 2

Total 100 100

24% of the respondents agreed, 20% of the respondents strongly agreed and the

remaining 8% of the respondents disagreed that they do not have authority to do

their job well.

Table 10 shows that 34% of the respondents rarely disagreed that they feel

discomfort to work during night shifts, 24% agreed, 16% rarely agreed, 14% of

the respondents strongly disagreed and the remaining 12% strongly agreed to

the same.

Table 11 shows that 32% of the respondents rarely agreed that they are

standstill in their career, 28% strongly agreed, 20% of the respondents strongly

disagreed, 12% of the respondents agreed and the remaining 8% of the

respondents disagreed about the same.

Table 9: Respondents Opinion About Authority to do Their Work Well

S. No. Opinion Frequency Percentage

1. Strongly Agree 20 20

2. Agree 24 24

3. Rarely 36 36

4. Disagree 8 85. Strongly Disagree 36 36

Total 100 100

Table 8: Respondents Opinion About Taking Occasional Break from Their Job



2. Agree 20 20

3. Rarely 24 24

4. Disagree 20 20

5. Strongly Disagree 14 14

Total 100 100


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Table 10: Opinion of the Respondents to be on Night Shifts



2. Agree 24 24

3. Rarely 16 16

4. Disagree 34 34


Total 100 100

Table 11: Respondents' Opinion About Their Career



2. Agree 12 12

3. Rarely 32 32

4. Disagree 8 8


Total 100 100

Table 12: Respondents Opinion About Their Job as Too DifficultS. No. Opinion Frequency Percentage


2. Agree 28 28

3. Rarely 16 16

4. Disagree 24 24


Total 100 100

Table 12 shows that 28% of the respondents strongly agreed that their jobs

are too difficult, 28% of the respondents agreed that their job as too difficult, 24%

of the respondents disagreed, 16% of the respondents rarely agreed and the

remaining 4% of the respondents strongly disagreed that their jobs were too

difficult to accomplish.

Table 13 exhibits that nearly than half (48%) of the respondents strongly agreedthat their job are monotonous, whereas 22% of the respondents rarely agreed

the same, 20% of the respondents disagreed, 8% agreed and the remaining 2%

of the respondents strongly disagreed to the same.

It is evident from Table 14 that 36% of the respondents strongly agreed that

they themselves are responsible for changing many jobs, 30% of the respondents


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Table 15: Respondents Opinion that Their Job Forces

to Finish the Work on Time



2. Agree 22 22

3. Rarely 12 12

4. Disagree 24 24


Total 100 100

Table 13: Respondents Feelings Towards Their Job are Too Monotonous



2. Agree 8 8

3. Rarely 22 22

4. Disagree 20 20


Total 100 100

Table 14: Respondents Admit that They Change Too Many Jobs on Their Own



2. Agree 20 20

3. Rarely 30 30

4. Disagree 10 10


Total 100 100

rarely agreed, 20% of them agreed while 10% disagreed and the remaining 4%

of the respondents strongly disagreed.

From Table 15, it is clear that 26% of the respondents strongly agreed

that their job forces to finish the work on time, while 24% disagreed, 22% of

the respondents agreed, while 16% disagreed and the rest 12% of the

respondents rarely agreed to the same.

Table 16 shows that 34% of the respondents rarely agreed that their job involves

pressure and constant deadlines while 24% of the respondents strongly agreed,

18% of the respondents agreed while 12% of the respondents disagreed and the


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Table 16: Respondents Opinion that Their Job Involves Pressureand Fixed Deadlines



2. Agree 18 18

3. Rarely 34 34

4. Disagree 12 12


Total 100 100

remaining 12% of the respondents strongly disagreed that their job involves pressure

and fixed deadlines.

Chi-Square Test

H0: Null HypothesisThere is no significant relationship between educational

qualification of the respondents and monthly income of the respondents.

H1: Alternative HypothesisThere is a significant relationship between educational

qualification and monthly income of the respondents (Table 17).

Table 17: Relationship Between Educational Qualificationand Monthly Income of the Respondents

Monthly Income

Rs. 10,001 Rs. 15,001 Above Below-15,000 -10,000 Rs. 15,001 Rs. 5,000 Total

Pre-Degree Count 0 0 0 12 12.0

Expected Count 0.7 2.9 0.2 8.2 12.0

Postgraduation Count 2.0 2.0 0 10.0 14.0

Expected Count 0.8 3.4 0.3 9.5 14.0

Undergraduation Count 4.0 22.0 2.0 46.0 74.0

Expected Count 4.4 17.8 1.5 50.3 74.0

Total Count 6.0 24.0 2.0 68.0 100.0

Expected Count 6.0 24.0 2.0 68.0 100.0

Educational Qualification

The result of the chi-square test reveals that the calculated chi-square value isless than the table chi-square value at 5% level of significance and, therefore, the

relationship between educational qualification of the respondents and monthly

income of the respondents is not significant (Table 18). The relationship between

educational qualification and monthly income of the respondents does not hold

good. Thus the null hypothesis is accepted.


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Table 20: FTable Value

Calculated Value Table Value Degrees of Freedom Significant Level

3.699 9.488 4 5%

H0: Null Hypothesis: There is no significant relationship between marital status

of the respondents and taking decision on respondents' career to satisfy

their expectations.

H1: Alternative Hypothesis: There is a significant relationship between marital

status of the respondents and taking decision on respondents career to

satisfy their expectations (Table 19).

Table 18: F Table Values

Calculated Value Table Value Degrees of Freedom Significant Level

9.713 12.51 6 5%

The result of the chi-square test reveals that the calculated chi-square value is

less than the table chi-square value at 5% level of significance. Therefore, the

relationship between marital status of the respondents and taking decision on

respondents career to satisfy their expectations is not significant (Table 20). Thus,

the relationship between marital status of the respondents and taking decision on

respondents career to satisfy their expectations does not hold good. Thus the

null hypothesis is accepted.

The calculated F Value 5.993 is less than the table value 1.65 at 0.05 level of

significance for degrees of freedom (3.99) (Table 21). Hence the null hypothesis is

rejected. Thus, there is no significant difference in monthly income of the

respondents and the opinion about their work area.

Table 19: Relationship Between Marital Status of the Respondents and

Taking Decision Regarding Their Career to Satisfy Their Expectations

Opinion

Strongly Agree Rarely Disagree Strongly TotalAgree

Married Count 26.0 10.0 8.0 2.0 2.0 48.0

Expected Count 22.1 10.6 8.6 3.8 2.9 48.0

Unmarried Count 20.0 12.0 10.0 6.0 4.0 52.0

Expected Count 23.9 11.4 9.4 4.2 3.1 52.0

Total Count 46.0 22.0 18.0 8.0 6.0 100.0

Expected Count 46.0 22.0 18.0 8.0 6.0 100.0

Marital Status


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Table 21: Monthly Income of the Respondents and TheirOpinion About the Work Area

Particulars Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

Between Groups 16.684 3 5.561 5.993 0.001

Within Groups 89.076 96 0.928

Total 105.760 99

The calculated F Value 3.003 is less than the table value 1.65 at 0.05 level

of significance for degrees of freedom (4.95) (Table 22). Hence the null hypothesis

is rejected. Thus, there is no significant difference in monthly income of the

respondents and acceptance of the respondents about themselves responsible

for changing many jobs.

Findings

It is clear that majority (70%) of the respondents were in the age group

of 20-25 years.

More than half (52%) of the respondents were married.

Most (62%) of the respondents were nuclear.

Majority (74%) of the respondents were undergraduates.

More than half (58%) of the respondents were data entry operators.

Most (68%) of the respondents were having salary below Rs. 5,000.

Most (60%) of the respondents were residing in urban area.

Most (66%) of the respondents strongly agreed that their objective of

the job was not clear.

40% of the respondents disagreed that their job is boring.

36% of the respondents rarely agreed that they are not sure about their

job objectives.

Half (50%) of the respondents strongly agreed that their work is too hard.

38% of the respondents agreed that their work is a never ending process.

Particulars Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

Between Groups 11.871 4 2.968 3.003 0.022

Within Groups 93.889 95 0.988

Total 1,05.760 99

Tables 22: Monthly Income of the Respondents and Acceptance ofChanging Many Jobs Themselves


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28% of the respondents rarely agreed that they feel depressed about

their working environment.

More than half (50%) of the respondents rarely agreed that they do many

unnecessary works.

Nearly half (46%) of the respondents strongly agreed that they take

career decision on their own to satisfy their expectations.

46% of the respondents strongly agreed that they feel they should change

their present job and 22% rarely agreed with the same.

As high as 32% each of the respondents strongly disagreed and rarely

agreed that their job is too easy to accomplish.

30% of the respondents strongly agree that they were independent and

can obtain enough opportunity in their present job.

38% of the respondents strongly agreed that they were having good

chance to get ahead in their life and to become likely well in their present

profession.

28% of the respondents strongly agreed that their job was too difficult,

another 28% of the respondents agreed that their job is too difficult.

Nearly half (48%) of the respondents strongly agreed that their jobs were

monotonous. It is evident from the above table that 36% of the

respondents strongly agreed that they themselves were responsible for

changing many jobs.

26% of the respondents strongly agreed that their job forces them to

finish it on time.

As high as 34% of the respondents rarely agreed that their job involved

pressure and fixed deadlines.

32% of the respondents strongly agreed that their work area was very

stuffy and smelly.

24% of the respondents rarely agreed that they hardly have time to take

an occasional break from their job.

36% of the respondents strongly disagreed that they do not have authority

to do their job well.

34% of the respondents rarely disagreed that they feel discomfort to

work during night shifts.

32% of the respondents rarely agreed that they are standstill in their

career.


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Suggestions

Talking and hearing throughout the day may result in deafness in future

to the respondents. Management should take this matter seriously to

protect the employees' welfare and provide some other alternative

techniques to overcome this current problem.

Twelve-hour shift shall be changed to eight hours to facilitate the

employees.

Understand and solve their problems through proper counseling and

guidance through awareness programs.

Active promotion and positive relation among co-workers and supervisory

class is a must.

A formal and informal, vertical and horizontal communication channel is

required for the relaxation of the employees.

More importance to recreational activities by conducting outing and mind-

refreshing sessions, organizing workshops and discussions are essential

to enable the employees to get more acquaintance related to their nature

of job.

Management should consider the women jobholders and avoid night-

shift duties.

Grievances should be redressed then and there to keep the employer

and employee relationship intact.

Relaxation techniques like yoga and meditation should be arranged by

the organization.

Conclusion

Science and technology are advancing day-by-day in the society. Today's society is

accepting all these changes. These changes cause different problems in the society.

The researcher conducted a study on stress among employees in IT enabled

(BPO and call centers) service (ITES) sector. In this competitive field, they are facing

a lot of stress. This study came out with certain findings and few suggestions

based on that. The researcher found that nearly half of the respondents were

having problems working in the ITES sector. This can be avoided through counseling,recreational activities and relaxation techniques. Most of the respondents did not

have any problem at all. This is a positive result obtained from the respondents.

The ITES sector is considered as an emerging field, but the problems of employees

are affecting their health and prospects. So a conflicts of any kind should be

eliminated.


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Some of the respondents revealed biased facts due to the fear that their

employment status will be affected. Since the time is limited, the researcher had to

limit the sample size to 100. The study was performed among the respondents

working in BPOs who are always busy in their work. It was very difficult for the

researcher to meet them at their convenient time. HR managers in some of the

BPOs denied permission to collect the data from the respondents.

Bibliography1. Blum M L and Naylor J C (1984), Industrial Psychology: Its Theoretical and Social

Foundations, CBS Publishers and Distributors, Delhi.

2. Jayakumar P (2000),Job Satisfaction, Job Stress and Quality of Life of IT Employees,

Coimbatore (not published).

3. Kelly (1997), Issue Theory and Research in Industrial and Organizational

Psychology, pp. 313-319, Elsevier BV, North Holland.

4. Kenneth C London, Carol Guerico Traver and Jane Price London (1994),

Information Technology and Society, Wadsworth Publishing Company, New York.

5. Pesfanjee and Singh (1983), Information Technology, Opportunities and

Challenges, Kalpaz Publications, Delhi.

6. Sarson Irwin G (2002), Abnormal Psychology: The Problem of Maladaptive

Behavior,pp. 220-240, Prenticle-Hall of India, New Delhi.

7. Sathyanarayana R (1996), Information Technology and Its Facts ,

Manak Publication Pvt. Ltd., pp. 95-102, New Delhi.

8. Vital N and Mahalingam S (2001), Information Technology: Indias Tomorrow,

Manas Publications, New Delhi.

9. www.cio.com; www.cioljobs.com; and www.computing.co.uk

10. www.computerweekly.com

11. www.computerworld.com

12. www.dfmag.com

13. www.lucent.com; www.att.com; and www.businessweek.com

14. www.vnunet.com


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Appendix

Questionnaire

Socio-Demographic Factors

1. Name :

2. Age : (a) 20-25 (b) 26-30

(c) 31-40 (d) 41-50

3. Religion : (a) Christian (b) Hindu (c) Muslim

4. Marital Status : (a) Married (b) Unmarried

5. Type of Family : Nuclear/joint

6. Education Qualification : Pre-degree/UG/PG

7. Designation : (a) Data entry Job (b) Computer operator

(c) Networking (d) Transaction process

8. Monthly Income : (a) Below 5000 (b) 5001-10,000

(c) 10001-15000 (d) Above 15001

9. Place of Residence :

Stress of Working People in BPOs

You have to tick any one against each answer which is described as Strongly

Agree, Agree, Rarely, Disagree, Strongly Disagree in accordance with your range

of agreement or disagreement of the statement given.

1. My job objectives are unclear to me

Strongly Agree Agree Rarely

Disagree Strongly Disagree

2. My job is boring



3. I am not sure what is expected of me




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4. I feel, I am working too difficult



5. Each day of work appears as though it will never end



6. I am depressed by my working environment



7. I work on many unnecessary job activities



8. I must take decisions on my career, so that it satisfies my expectations



9. I feel that I should charge my present job



10. My job is too easy



11. I have enough opportunity for independent thought and action in my job



12. I have good chance to get ahead in my life and to become likely wellin the present profession



Appendix (Cont.)


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13. My job is too difficult



14. My job is too routine



15. I am responsible of too many jobs



16. My job pushes me hard to finish on time

Strongly Agree

Agree

Rarely


17. My job involves pressure constant deadlines



18. My work area is very staff or smelly



19. I dont have time to take an occasional break from the job



20. I do not have authority to do my job well.



21. I feel discomfort to work during night shifts



Appendix (Cont.)


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Reference # 02J-2009-11-03-01

22. I am of stand still in my career



23. I have enough opportunities to advance in this organization



24. I think that the communication channel is very poor in my working place



25. I am responsible for helping others by solving their problems



26. I feel that I am not rightly accepted by my co-workers



27. I receive conflicting request from two or more people



28. I find it difficult to delegate work to someone else while I get busy



29. I have job activities that are accepted by one person and not by others



30. I am responsible for people



Appendix (Cont.)


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A Study on gh Stress Among Employees Working in BPOs With Special Reference to Coimbatore

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