The business environment of the mid-1990s in the United States, together with the business environment that is emerging as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) begins to be implemented, places American business firms under tremendous competitive pressures. To survive in this dynamic era, the level of performance must be improved by all American firms.
As firms implement initiatives designed to improve competitiveness, however, disputes between management and employees tend to increase. Dispute resolution frequently involves formal hearings. Thus, firms such as the Frick Company experience workload increases while they are attempting to introduce efficiencies within their own organizations. One outcome of these developments is an increase in the levels of job-related stress within firms such as the Frick Company.
The purpose of this study is to identify and assess alternative strategies that may be pursued by the Frick Company to more effectively manage job-related stress within the organization. The objective of effectively managing job-related stress is to both preserve and improve productivity levels within the organization.
When performance efficiency suffers, the quality of the overall organizational environment deteriorates, and organizational productivity deteriorates. If stress is a significant contributor to these personal and organizational problems, effective stress management within the organizational environment may be one of the most cost-effective programs which can be implemented by organizations.
The workload of the Frick Company has increased substantially over the past two years. A shortage of qualified and experiences hearings examiners and hearings coordinators, together with bottom-line pressures within the organization, has placed constraints on the expansion of the company's employee strength. As a consequence, levels of organizational conflict, absenteeism, employee-related medic...