Non-work related stress : the workplace response

Abstract

In today’s global competitive market, business owners, managers and team leaders are highly taken up with issues related to objectives, targets, productivity, efficiency and return on investment. Although this reality might leave little space for managers or team leaders to identify certain mental health issues among their subordinates, their role is imperative. It’s a fact that one of the functional roles of management is that of responsibly managing the individuals entrusted to them by safeguarding their wellbeing, while at the same time helping the business organization in increasing its profitability. Inevitably, at times these two roles do collide, and as a result several ethical dilemmas are created. Managing people who are experiencing non-work related stress can bring about several challenges and dilemmas as each case is unique, and therefore different interventions are needed. This study explores how realistic this problem is in four different sectors of the Maltese economy: the manufacturing sector, the financial services sector, the telecommunications sector, and the educational sector. Through in-depth interviews, the emotional and ethical struggles of four managers in their search for the ‘correct way to act’ in certain specific situations were uncovered. From these interviews four themes were explored: identifying the problem, relationships with and among subordinates, support available, and care for oneself. Other aspects were also explored and are treated in this study, including the role of the business organization in offering help and support structures to all employees, and the need for more study and awareness within local society.