Stress Rockets in Asian Corporate World

As Asian economies have rocketed in the past years, so have the stress levels of those making the booms possible. Almost six in every ten corporate employees in India and China say they have experienced stress at their workplace.

Pankaj Jain, who is employed by a leading IT company in India, is currently in Germany on an assignment. Like most of his colleagues, he feels more stress when working in India than in Germany.

"In India, we work more hours than in Germany. Here we are here from 9.00 to 6.00. There we reach the office by 9.00 but we don’t know when we will go home," says Jain.

A good working atmosphere is important

For Sucheta Kerkar, an IT professional who has worked abroad and is now back in India, the working atmosphere is important.

"If you get a project with a lot of work pressure, then obviously you will be stressed out, whether you’re in India or abroad. One good thing about working abroad is the managers, the mentality, and the working environment, which are far much better than in India."

Human resources experts say that companies in India and China should start training managers to reduce corporate stress.

It is important to “encourage people to find joy in the work they are doing,” says Professor Abhishek Kumar from the Bhartidarshan Institute for Management in Bangalore. “This can only be done by bosses and managers.”

“If boundaries of time and personal space were respected in India and China, it would also contribute to a reduction of stress.”

Fear exacerbates stress

Saurabh Lapalkar, a software engineer at a US-based technology firm in India, says the stress is exacerbated by the fear of not being able to advance in one’s career or of losing one’s job.

His company has a gym and ping-pong tables to reduce stress but there is one slight hitch: “You don't get any time to go there and play or go for a workout."

In China, too, many corporate employees have a tough time managing private and working life and battling the workplace stress.

However, Liu Li, a systems operator at Citi Corp Software Technology Services in Shanghai, says regular working hours help her: “We have two shifts and one hour for lunch time. Sometimes we also need to work on weekends but we can take off other work days."

Good communication can lower stress

If the work is well-organised, stress levels seem to be lower. Ferdinand Braun, a senior manager with a leading telecom company in Germany says that proper communication between management and staff also plays an important role.

"If you give a clear task as well as some freedom and liberty to fulfil it and give constructive feedback then I don't see any reason for stress,” he says.

Experts say that corporate stress has grown with the global crisis. Some managers might think that it’s about the “survival of the fittest”, but others believe that only somebody who feels comfortable at work will be able to perform well for the company.

Author: Debarati Mukherjee
Editor: Thomas Bärthlein