STRESS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AT PROCTER AND GAMBLE

Introduction
The rise in globalization has led to the diversification of workforce. With the concept of employee diversification, people from different backgrounds have been brought together. This therefore means that the rate of stress in the work environment is also bound to rise. Most contemporary employees worry too much about the problem they experience at
work. This could include coping up with change, meeting targets and deadlines, attending meetings on time, and learning among others (Buicu & Stoica, 2010). All these factors are potential stress initiators and catalysts. The level of stress will differ though depending on the cause (Cummings & Worley, 2005). Some of the factors that have been attributed to stress are poor management, poor decision making by the management, excess working hours, uncertainty of future employment, and  pressure of the job by the management and repetitive tasks (Buicu & Stoica, 2010). The result of stress has been absence from work and poor performance (Buicu & Stoica, 2010). To its worst, stress has a direct influence on competitiveness of an organization as well as increase in medical and health insurance costs (Buicu & Stoica, 2010). Employers should consider different stress management strategies that are likely to curb stress at the same time ensuring the well being of the employees. This paper evaluates the stress management strategies that are applied by Procter and Gamble as one of the organizations that has well handled this management enigma.
Stress management Strategies at Procter and Gamble
Stress management in any organization takes two levels: organizational and personal stress management. As the names suggest the former means that the organization arranges for effective strategies, while the latter means that the employee is the one that makes arrangements to manage stress. For the scope of this paper both will be considered since they are influenced by the management at different levels in one way or the other. Organizational stress management strategies are aimed at preventing, relieving and at the same time mitigating stress at the workplace through an array of measures. The measures could include job design and fostering of a healthy work environment. The strategies always have a long term goal to ensure the performance of the organization is boosted through time (EU-OSHA, 2013). On the other hand personal stress management strategies could includes programs initiated by the management to help stressed individuals come out of that situation to normalcy. Procter and gamble has invested in the two levels of stress management in different ways using a plethora of strategies.
Procter and Gamble’s history can be traced back to the USA and it has more than 150000 employees worldwide (EU-OSHA, 2013).  The company has offices in over 180 countries worldwide. Procter and Gamble has been the leading international company that promotes the well being of its employee (Procter and Gamble, 2014). Some of the strategies used by the organization will be discussed below.
Procter and Gamble views the employees as the most important asset in the organization. Pursuant to this the organization has invested in the well being of the employees through a well being or vibrant living program (Procter and Gamble, 2014). This program is mostly concerned with dealing with problems of increased cost of health, aging population, and corporate social responsibility (EU-OSHA, 2013). This program covers the mental health at work as well as promotion of safety lifestyles (Business Health Consultancy, 2014). The program was founded by employee ambassadors, works council, human resource department and prevention department. The program is a holistic approach that addresses all aspects that are geared towards driving the work-life balance as well as the individual well being of the employees (Procter and Gamble, 2014). The employees are motivated to participate in the program through forums and online platform. The employees also choose representatives that represent them in work groups that come up with strategies (Cummings & Worley, 2005). There are also online employee surveys that are conducted by P&G so as to evaluate the level of employee satisfaction as well as get suggestions on how to improve the program (Procter and Gamble, 2014).
The well being program is a mission that is initiated by the Brussels Innovation Center. The program is an integral part of the action plan by the organization. P &G has written the health promotion at work as a policy.  The policy is founded on three core pillars, all under the umbrella of the wellbeing program. The pillars include physical health, mental health and organizational simplification. These are actually the key pillars of stress management strategies (Buicu & Stoica, 2010).
P&G defines the jobs in the organization (Procter and Gamble, 2014). In this way the organization has been able to keep stress in check. The organization sets specific tasks and evaluates the employees’ ability to handle them then effectively allocate them (Procter and Gamble, 2014). Through job definition, an organization is able to work effectively since they will do a task they are comfortable with. As a result, the element of danger of conflicting and ambiguous functions that often leads to stress, is kept at bay.  When the employees are being recruited, there is an evaluation of the range of skills they have for this purpose. The result of this has been an independent workforce that is more satisfied with their job.
P & G also sets objectives and standards that have to be met by the employees (Procter and Gamble, 2014). The targets set are normal and achievable thus mobilizing the employees without overburdening them. One way to reduce stress due to overburdening is to carefully frame the positions with people who are skilled for such (Muyleart, 2014). P & G also offer its employees flexible working time. The time when the employees are not working, they are able to participate in well being activities during office hours as long as there is no conflict with the daily schedule (Muyleart, 2014). The company has the management by objective approach where the performance of the employees is assessed through achieving of the set targets rather than the more hours spent (Muyleart, 2014). The employees are also allowed to work at home and are able to take sabbatical leaves as well as free for child care. This has been attributed to the organization emerging as an employer of interest (Cummings & Worley, 2005).
There are three anti-stress strategies in organizations; primary, secondary and tertiary strategies (Elkin, 2013). Primary strategies are radical and usually expensive and are rarely adopted. However, in profound organizations they are applied (Buicu & Stoica, 2010; Elkin, 2013). At P & G the strategy has been used including the provision of resources such as office tables, board rooms, and arrangement of work place, adequate filing, and technology among others (Cummings & Worley, 2005). The secondary strategies are those that are aimed to reducing stress level by giving the employees access to some facilities such as gyms, free space for meditation, yoga and other forms of exercise (Weinberg, Sutherland, & Cooper, 2010). P & G allows all its employees to have access to the free rooms so that they can engage in various activities that are to some extent occasionally planned by the organization itself. As per the tertiary programs include those programs aimed at assisting the workforce deal with stress through advising them (Weinberg, Sutherland, & Cooper, 2010). The wellbeing program initiated by p & G is an example of the latter (EU-OSHA, 2013).
P & G also organizes for professional advice for the employees as well as the management team. This has significantly combated occupational stress. The organization also encourages communication where the employees are able to share information about their counterparts whom they feel need intervention (EU-OSHA, 2013). The organization organizes offsite bonding programs where the employees are encouraged to break the office bond between them and the management. In these events, professionals who deal with stress are invited to raise the awareness of stress and personal stress management techniques (Procter and Gamble, 2014). The employees are also usually encouraged to be their brother’s keepers through evaluation of the wellness of their immediate employees in the work environment.
The organizational structure itself is also a strategy in stress management (Business Health Consultancy, 2014). P &G has employee ambassadors, the human resource departments, Occupational Health and Safety Department and the Works council, that ensures the well being program rolls out effectively (Procter and Gamble, 2014). This group and subgroups among the members have an action plan where the employees engage in activities aligned with the three pillars (Business Health Consultancy, 2014). There are different topics covered in these activities such as promotion of mental health, stress information sessions, stress coping sessions, interactive self and group assessments, promotion of employee assistance program (EU-OSHA, 2013). Other activities include health nutrition, sports and social activities as well as physical health to promote a healthy life style.
The line managers and the employee ambassadors have the task of stimulating the employees to participate in the Vibrant living activities and take part in the program activities in person (Muyleart, 2014). They also mentor the employees where they discus personal level issues that fall in the domain of stress at work. The organization also has an established wing of persons of trust to whom the employees can confidentially discuss their issues (Muyleart, 2014). Most importantly, the organization has invested well in prints and electronic media to ensure that all the employees are satisfied and have the information concerning stress management issues.
Conclusion
Stress at work still remains a challenge in most organizations. Well formulated strategies such as those of Procter and Gamble should be instituted to keep stress levels at check. The management and the employee fraternity should all be included in these programs because stress knows not the position or role. There are various agencies that can be outsourced, in case the internal stress management programs fail to meet their objectives. Procter and Gamble’s approach has helped save millions of money that otherwise would be lost due to employee turnover. The sum total result has been increase in performance and the achievement of the organizational goals.

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