A STUDY ON STRESS MANAGEMENT AND COPING STRATEGIES WITH REFERENCE TO IT COMPANIES

Stress has become significant due to dynamic social factor and changing needs of life styles. Stress is man‘s adaptive reaction to an outward situation which would lead to physical, mental and behavioral changes. Even though stress kills brain cells, not all stresses are destructive in nature. Appropriate amount of stress can actually trigger passion for work, tap latent abilities and even ignite inspirations. The study throws light on the wide spread silent problem by name Stress‘, which gave rise to acute dysfunctions and are called many diseases, increase divorce rates, and other harassments. The work stress is found in all professions. IT professionals are very stress because they are highly target driven and highly pressured on results. ―Athletes experience the strength that comes from eu-stress right before they play a big game or enter a big competition. Because of eu-stress, they suddenly receive the strength that is required to perform to the best of the ability‖. Stress can make a person productive and constructive, when it is identified and well managed. The focus of the paper is to study the stress level among IT employees and to suggest the coping strategies. A survey of 200 IT employees in the IT companies situated in and around Chennai is done. Some of the stress coping strategies identified by this study includes stress management programs, physical activities planned in job design, life style modification programs, finding triggers and stressors, supportive organization culture, stress counseling programs, and spiritual progress.