Exploring perceptions and experiences of occupational stress stimuli present in a Gauteng based, small manufacturer

Abstract

This case study explored the occupational stress stimuli perceived and / or experienced by employees in a small Gauteng based manufacturing Company. The research was aimed at assisting the Company‟s management to devise and implement strategies to prevent and/or reduce stress and its consequences. The key theoretical concept is that employees who are frequently exposed to stress stimuli within a work environment can incur stress. In turn, the consequences of stress (i.e. stress related illnesses) can be harmful to employees as well as to the organisations at which they work. The starting point for preventing the debilitating consequences of stress is to explore whether stress stimuli are prevailing within a workplace and also to discover the types of stress stimuli that may exist. Once this is known the Company‟s management team can implement stress reduction and prevention interventions to mitigate undesirable consequences of stress stimuli in the working environment. This research was done by means of a qualitative case study using one organisation and a number of sources of data. The Researcher made use of secondary data which were qualitatively analysed. As a result of the research the Researcher was able to discover a broad range of workplace stress stimuli in the workplace. This will assist the participating Company's management team to devise and implement plans/strategies to prevent and/or reduce stress and its consequences. This study also lays a foundation for future research to take place, specifically regarding the development and implementation of stress reduction and prevention measures within an occupational environment.