1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background of the study
Different people have different feelings to the same event, some negative and some positive. According to cook, Honaker and emotional and physiological responses to any demand that is viewed as threatening to a persons well being. Stress is a natural phenomenon that started right from the existence of man.
These are natural changes that a person has to cope within certain environment conditions either by confronting them (fight) or by avoiding them (fight). Stress is created by a multitude of overlapping factors such as over whelming work load, time pressure and deadline demands of work on one's relationship family, keeping up with new technology, sickness or death of a loved one, close friend or family member, marital problems change in job responsibility conflicts among staff and turnover.
However according to Bootzein, bower and Crocker (1991) about four (4) million years ago, violent collision of rock and ice along with dust and gas led to the formation of a new planet earth. The planet survived more than hundred million years of melt down to give birth to microscope life. These first organisms endured the harshness of conditions such as lack of oxygen, explosive to sun in order to survive. Brinier (1991) opined that stress can sometimes stimulates us but too much stress for too long a time has negative effects on both the quality of work and personal life of an individual.
The work of secretary in the commercial bank is very challenging. She performs roles such as production and dispatch of letters, typing of statement of account of the bank numerous customers, preparing of voucher for payment of workers salary, writing and typing of minutes of meetings. Herbal contribution is required to perform these duties effectively stress can be caused by personal problems which can one way or the other create hindrances to the secretary's performance of these challenging roles. As a matter fact, Feldman (1989) observed that many factors have been traced to be the effect of stress these stressors are grouped into different categories they are.
Personal / physiological stressor which is connected with a persons mind and the ways in which it works. Example, anxiety, depression and threat to self esteem environmental/philosophical stressor which involves nature and meaning of human life. It also involves a particular system of believed for knowledge about life and the universe. Organizational / sociological stressors which has to do with nature and development. Examples are stress that secretaries are phone to in the offices and banks in Owerri. Other factors which can contributed to stress on the performance of secretaries are: material, conflicts, sudden lay – off from a job motivating dept, sudden change in responsibilities, commitment to crime and angry reactions.
1.2 Statement of the problem
Psychological and behavioural problems to the secretary. Most often , these symptoms may not be obvious at first but gradually, they develop to create hazards to life. The secretary who is passing through a period of stress is prone to suffer some psychological consequence of stress such as elevated blood pressure, increased heart beat rate. Profuse sweating heart disorder and headaches; these could lead to serious health problems that may stop the secretary form working for a long time.
Psychological consequences of stress on the secretary include boredom, anxiety, depression, tension and irritability. All these district the feelings of well being and contribute to proconcentration, indecision and decreased attention span. If the secretary is unable to altar or escape these stressors, she may resort to psychological substitutes such as anger, negativism, criticism, feelings of persecution, displacement regression, procrastination, defense mechanism apathy and forget fullness.
Behavior consequences or stress includes sleeping disorder changes in eating habits, fidgeting, redness to others etc. In other words it is obvious that some people are more prone to stress than others, some people do react to stress with a high psychological reaction which takes a toll to their health. These people often get angry, anxious and depressed easily. These problems will make the secretary to produce unity works, have problems with co–workers her boss and loose interest in their jobs. Finally stress contributes to the secretary lower output and makes her less attentive to feeling of others with all these organizational objectives will be difficult to achieve.
1.3 Purpose of the study
The major objective of this research work is to determine the effects of stress on the performance of secretaries in selected banks in Owerri metropolis Imo State. Especially, the paper attempted to achieve the following objectives.
- Analyze the secretarial functions that are most stressful.
- Explain the various kinds of stress.
- Discuss the effects of stress on the secretary performance
- Identify the effects of stress to the secretary.
1.4 Research questions
To achieve the purpose of the study, the following research questions were formulated as a guide
- What are the secretarial functions that are most stressful?
- What are the various kinds of stress?
- What are the effects of stress on the secretary's performance?
- What are the effects of stress on the secretary?
1.5 Significance of the study
It is clear that what constitutes stress depends on the individuals in question and stressors may vary from one moment to another in the same individual.
However the study will help the secretaries to devise strategies for turning those situations that might be viewed as stressful onto pleasant ones.
The study will be beneficial to prospective secretaries to identify the symptoms of stress, know how to avoid them and manage them if they accidentally surface.
The study will be beneficial not only to the secretaries, but to the employees of labour, student, lecturers, curriculum planners and employers on the method or procedures of managing or coping with stress since the word “ stress” is a general phenomenon, that is inevitable.
The study will also help practicing secretaries to identify and know how to manage such roles which in one way or the other unfold the effects of stress on the secretary's office function and establish ways of eliminating them.
The study will be beneficial to different business organizations on the greater effects of stress on their workers / secretaries and their function that are most stressful which will help their positive decision making to their secretaries and the entire organization as a whole.
It is essential for the overall improvement of the business enterprises because this study will narrates step by steps procedure of managing stress in the business enterprises.
Finally the study will provide areas of further research to other students.
