Influence Of Gender And Job Status On Employee Stress Among The Nigerian Police Force

Influence Of Gender And Job Status On Employee Stress Among The Nigerian Police Force

Chapter One

Preface

It’s thus no magnification to say that people moment the world over are being assaulted by stress in their colorful job conditioning. Job stress is thus a common concern among numerous countries of the world both developed and industrialized. This has led these countries to have a lot of concern on it and its adverse effect on workers health especially among the Nigerian police force worker to which this design will substantially emphasize.

Job stress in general perspective is relate to the discomfort, pressure and difficulty endured by workers in their process of work. By cerebral terms, it’s the cerebral and physical strain or pressure generated by physical, emotional, social, profitable, occupational circumstances, events or gests that are delicate to manage or endure by workers.

According to experimenters or authors, hand’s stress is a critical factor in the determination of hand’s performance and well- being, it also has important recrimination for organizational at effectiveness. Contributors to the idea of stress at work are in hail number, some experimenters emphasized that stress is a multi dimensional conception that includes stress stimulants the processing of system, and the long stress response. This conception was asserted by Steven and Mary( 2002) who defined stress as a Perce wed as grueling or hanging for a person’s well being.

According to Ivancerich and Malterson( 1980) they conceptualized stress at work as an adaptive response intermediated by individual characteristics and or cerebral processes that’s a consequence of any external action, situation or event that places special demand on a person.

also, Krant, Gruenberg and Baum( 1998) captured the meaning of hand stress as an internal state of the existent who perceive pitfalls to physical and or psychic well being. The description emphasized a person’s perception and evaluation of potentially dangerous stimulants and considers the perception of trouble to arise from a comparison between the existent’s capability to manage with these demands.

Also, an Australian- born experimenter, Selye( 1974, 1983) defined stress as the wear and tear and gash on the body due to demands place on it. He used the general adaption pattern( GAS) as a term for the common goods on when demand are place on it. The( GAS) he uses consists of three stages the alarm stage, resistance stage and the prostration stage.

In the alarm stage, the perception of a trouble on grueling situation causes the brain to shoot biochemical communication to colorful part of the body, performing in increased respiration rate, blood pressure, heart beat, Muscle pressure and other physiological responses. The individual energy position and managing effectiveness incontinently decreases in response to the original shocks. In utmost situations, the alarm response cautions the existent to the environmental condition and prepares the body for coming stage.

In the resistance stage of Selye’s( GAS), the person’s capability to manage with the environmental demand rises above the normal position because the body has actuated colorful biochemical’s, cerebral and behavioral medium, for case there are an increased position of adrenaline more than the normal position which gives energy to overcome or remove road source. still, resistances is directed to one or two environmental demands so that the individual becomes more vulnerable or weak to the sources of stress and individualities at this stage are prone to catch cold wave or other illness.

The final stage which is the prostration stage occurs when people have a limited resistance capacity and if the sources of stress persist, they will ultimately move into it as it diminishes. At this point, the wear and tear and gash on the body takes its risk the person collapses in a state of prostration, and vulnerability for conditions increases.

still, the stress position of a worker increases when the Job don’t meet their anticipation( Rabasca 1999). When workers find their work tête-à-tête satisfying, they’re better suitable to handle stress at their work place than when the work isn’t satisfying.

Stress at work emanates form deferent sources. It could be form over work, Job instability, information load, part related stressors etc. Steven and Mary( 2000) distributed implicit work- related stressors as physical or environmental, part- related, interpersonal and organizational stressors. According to them, physical or environmental stressors similar as inordinate noise, poor lighting and safety hazard physical stressors are also getting apparent in office settings similar as inadequately designed office, space, lack of sequestration and poor air quality.

Environmental or physical stress at work according to Steven( 1999) includes environmental misgivings similar as profitable misgivings which occurs when the frugality of the country is constricting, political misgivings which occurs when there are political pitfalls and challenges, incipiently technological misgivings which occurs when there are new invention or preface of new ideas which can make the chops and experience of workers obsolete or no longer used in a veritably short time. similar new ideas are hang and they include robotization, robotics, computers etc these and analogous other forms of technological inventions are a trouble to numerous people and beget them stress.

The alternate work- related stressors is the part related stressors which include conditions where workers have delicate in understanding, coordinating or performing the colorful places in their lives. There are four main places related stressors which are part conflicts, part nebulosity, work cargo and task characteristics. part conflict occurs when people face contending demand. There are several types of part conflict in organizational setting, similar are inter part conflict which occurs when an hand has too numerous places that are in conflict with each other.

Intra part conflict occurs when the individual receives antithetical massages from different people. For case, when one’s master wants one as a platoon leader and expects him to take lesser control in the decision timber, where as the workers on the platoon would anticipate the person to give them freedom. similar situation could contribute to stress to the leader. Person part conflicts as form of part conflict occurs when associations values and work. scores are inharmonious or not respectable with particular values.

Michael( 1992) also maintains that part nebulosity results from an unclear understanding of the specific liabilities that constitute a part. This query can affect when it’s unclear how important authority an existent has in making an organizational decision and carrying out his or her duties effectively. This tends to occurs when people enter new situation similar as joining the association or taking a foreign assignment. In this case they’re uncertain about tasks and social prospects. They can’t calculate on once routine, so they concentrate on their conduct and precisely cover responses from others.

Work loads according Michael( 1992) as another part- related stressors is likely do when associations reduce their pool and restructure work, leaving remaining workers with move task and smaller coffers or time to complete them. Work that’s under cargo can also beget stress and it occurs when workers admit too little or are given tasks that don’t make sufficient use of their chops and knowledge.

Eventually, it’s the task characteristics that occurs when work involves decision timber, covering outfit or swapping information with others. Matterson and Ivancevich( 1982), stated that whatever the causes, the incapability to go on with others workers is one of the most common sources of stress in the work place. still inter particular stress results from difficulties in interpersonal relationship on the Job. similar interpersonal stress stems form difficulty in developing and maintaining relationship with other people in the work setting. This type of stressors could be informed of sexual importunity, work place violence and aggression.

The organizational factor is another source of stress, it shouldn’t be there frontward surprise that major change in a work association tend to beget stress, according to be( Leiter and Marvie, 1998). therefore, people tend to grow habituated to certain work procedures and work structures and they repel change. utmost people prefer effects to remain stable and predictable. similar stability in the working terrain seems comforting and reassuming, thus, when there is a restructuring, people tend to be stressed because there will be new demands from the work.

still, there arenon-work stressors that affect works effectiveness similar as fiscal difficulties, relationship problems, loss of loved bones , birth of a child and mortgages. These problems are good of citation because people don’t situate them at the door when they enter the work place. They carry over and literately these affect workers geste affect to low productivity.

Accordingly, there are also heaths pitfalls that are associated with work- related stress which in troubles the health condition of a worker. Stress has both physiological and cerebral confines. The predictable result of lesser work related stresses are increased threat of cerebral and physical health problem.( Micguine, 1999, Nelson, Quick; Simmons 2001)

Cerebral stress can beget dissatisfaction in the Job, this Job- related stress lead to Job- related dissatisfaction. piecemeal form this common consequence, it can also lead to pressure, anxiety, perversity, tedium and procrastination Stephen( 1998), asserts that when people are placed in Jobs that make multiple and disagreeing demands or in which there’s a lack of clarity to the incumbents duties, authority and liabilities, both stress and dissatisfaction are increased. also the lower control people have over the space of their work, the lesser the stress and dissatisfaction.

Stressed workers also witness what we called Job Burnout that’s the process of emotional prostration, depersonalization and reduced particular accomplishment performing from dragged exposure to stress. So Job collapse is a complex process that includes the dynamics of stress, managing strategies and stress consequences. This means that it’s a complex demand made on people who serve or constantly interact with others. Stress also has behavioural effect or recrimination on workers. This substantiation in Job performance and work place accidents. High stress situations at work vitiate one’s capability to flash back information, make effective decision and take applicable action when demanded. While over stressed-out workers also tend to have advanced situations of absenteeism. Absenteeism is a managing medium because an hand temporally with draws from stressful situation so that he or she’d have the occasion tore-energized.

Physiologically, stress takes it risk on mortal body. According to experimenter, health has been intertwined in stress. it’s liked with conditions similar as cardiovascular conditions, cancer and the destruction of the vulnerable system, for illustration, stress can contribute to cardiovascular conditions in several ways( Fogoras, 2001), people who have major life challenges similar as loss of job and loss of loved bones have advanced incident of cardiovascular conditions and early death( Taylor, 2003). The body’s internal responses to stress aren’t only parlous, people who lives in a chronically stressed condition are likely to take up smoking, start over eating and avoid excise. All these stress affiliated geste are linked with the development of cardiovascular conditions( Shineiderman, 2001). Also, the vulnerable system is intertwined in stress. Three line of exploration support the conclusion that the vulnerable system and stress are linked( Anderson, 2002) they’re acute stressors which are unforeseen on time line events than can produce immunological changes. For case, in fairly healthy Hiv- infected individualities, as well as individual with cancer, acute stressors are associated with proper vulnerable system performing( Reberts, Anderson and Lubarof, 1994). habitual stressors are those that are long lasting, which are also associated with an adding down turn in vulnerable system responsiveness rather than adaption( Irwin, 2002).

The third which is positive social circumstance and low stress are associated with increased capability to fight cancer. For case having good social relationship and supports the conclusion that the vulnerable system and stress are naked( Anderson, 2002) they’re acute stressors which are unforeseen on time line events than can produce immunological changes. For case, in fairly healthy HIV infected individualities, as well as individual with cancer, acute stressors are associated with proper vulnerable system performing( Roberts, Anderson and Lubarof, 1994) habitual stressors are those that are long lasting, which are also associated with an adding down turn in vulnerable system responsiveness rather than adaption( Irwin, 2002).

The third which is positive social circumstance and low stress are associated with increased capability to fight cancer. For case having good social relationship and support is frequently linked with advanced NK- cell position( NK stands for “ Natural Killer ”), whereas a high degree of stress is frequently related to lower NK- cell position( tax, 1990).

In a more recent study, combination of particular and job factor placed individualities at threat for getting side( Shanbroeck, Jone, Xic, 2001). Each member of an organisation has his or her own style of carrying. workers who perceived they had control over the job liabilities but did n’t have confidence in their problem- working capacities or who criticized themselves for bad outgrowth were the likeliest to witness stress. These types of situation place workers at threat of getting infection.

Hand’s stress is ineluctable in associations, including the Nigerian police force. The managing strategies espoused by the stressed-out thus makes that consummate different in its effect on mortal( Passer and Smith 2001). Although men and women both use problem- concentrated managing, but men are more likely to favour it as the first strategy they use when they defy a stressor at work. On the other hand, women, who tend to have larger support network and advanced requirements for cooperation than men are more likely than men to seek social support( Billing and Moos 1998, Schwarzer 1998), but if there’s a insufficiency in this support, it becomes disastrous to women. Women also are kindly more likely than men to report using emotional concentrated managing. This general, pattern of responding to stress is harmonious with socialization that boys and girls traditionally witness. In utmost societies, boys are pushed to be more independent, assertive and tone- sufficient, whereas, girls are anticipated to be more emotionally suggestive, probative and dependent( Passer and Smith, 2001).

According to( Nolen- Hoeksema 2001) she observed that women are more prone than men to stress and by extension, they’re more susceptible to all known anxiety diseases. Compared to men, women have two or three times the rate of fear with agoraphobia, three or four times further specific phobia, one and a half times further social phobia and two times further generalized anxiety complaint( Kessler & Nelson, 1995). All the below diseases are convinced by stress. The question now is, why would women be more likely than men to witness stress and latterly develop these diseases?

Nolen- Hoeksema suggest that women have a lesser threat of stress at plant, less managing strategy and by extension a lesser threat of anxiety complaint because of their relationship with others. This idea by Nolen- Heeksema was supported by Chodorow, 1978, Horney, 1934, Miller, 1986 who mention that women generally have lower power in organisation than men do and their status are generally tied to the men they’re related to. this causes women to ching to others, play unresistant and subservient places in relationship, express a sense of being vulnerable and helpless and be hyperactive watchful to any sign of problems in their connections. For case in the Nigeria police force, women are generally less in power, indeed the duties they perform and well specified, therefore, secretarial duties, orderly, receptionish and other messelnious duties that may not prone them to tention. Indeed if she be to be involve in some adhoelc duties, she must ching to a manly canterpart. It has been insolvable to have in Africa and world over a woman inspector general of Police, indeed if there are, it may be many. In Nigeria we’ve noway witness one, not that they aren’t intelligent to administer, direct or control their subjects unlike the manly canterpart, but when the job involves functional in nature which the leader must be physically present it becomes insolvable for a woman to repel the pressure.

In another study by Bruch and Cheek( 1995). Women were set up to witness lesser position of exposure to stress than men in associations. This also explains that these stressors could be intertwined in mood complaint frequently endured by women. According to Bruch and Cheek, men feel it’s socially inferior to express stress and this may be further prone to defy their stressed situations and thereby extinguish their anxiety.

Secondly, men appear more likely than women to seek medical help for anxiety symptoms, especially fear attacks. Men may view these symptoms as annoying medical problem rather than signs of anxiety in their personalities. As a result, organizational men may be more likely than women do admit effective treatment in the early stages of possible anxiety complaint. Not all women who have stress symptoms seek applicable help for them, still.

likewise, women in numerous societies face pitfalls in their diurnal life that relatively nicely would lead them to be chronically anxious and more prone to all of the anxiety diseases. In particular, women are more likely than men to be target of physical and sexual abuse.

Girls and women who have been physically or sexually abused are at increased threat for utmost anxiety diseases. In turn, women who have been abused are more likely to come jobless, to have reduced income and come separated therefore, these women suffer a host of circumstance that are delicate to control, may be changeable and this contribute to anxiety. Indeed women who haven’t been victimized may be chronomically anxious due to conclusive trouble of violence at work places( Nolen – Hoeksema, 2001).

Both high and low status individualities, while at work place are been prone to stressors in one way or the other, but the data lies on the question to know at which extent a inferior officer are been affected with stress and to his elderly.

The substantiation thus explain that in any organizational section also is a great difference between the employer and hand in all aspect of work conditioning. Organizations take as its high job status individualities to be managing directors, directors, administrators etc while low job status individualities as Forman, Couriers, Labourers etc. In the Nigerian Police Force, for case the high job status individualities are called the Superior Police Officers(S.P.O.’s) which start from the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police overhead while the Junior Officers are called the Rank and train which start from the rank of bobby to an Inspector. The determination of the effect of stress on these two orders of personals in any organisation depends on their compass of responsibility which each group take over.

The high job status individualities precisely have a lesser part or task to do as against the lower job status canterpart. In an organisation, it’s the duty of the employer to retain, elect and place its, hand’s in colorful work position.

In order to enhance effectiveness in association, the employer tries to direct, supervise, advice, control and instruct hand’s in the job conditioning to achieve lesser result, all these chain of liabilities contribute to stress on the side of the high job status individualities.

In the Nigerian Police Force, the Superior Police Officers( SPO’s) suffer further stress than the inferior police officers due to their compass of responsibility, large content and span of control.

They take charge and control the Inferior Police Officers on their colorful duties, visit them at their separate beat posted, supervise them administratively and be at the frontward front of any functional duties. The time expression for the superior police officers are unlimited in the aspect of work conditioning where as the Junior Police Officers are limited to eight hours( 8 hrs) depending on the nature of duty performed.

Statement Of Problem

Dealing with stress is a concern both for the individualities and for the organisation. For individualities, it’s important because life, health, productivity and income can be affected while for organisation, it’s important not only for philanthropic reasons but also performance in all aspect. It thus follows that organizational effectiveness can be affected if workers are prone to stress.

thus the substance of this study is to probe, how stressful the police job poses on the workers.

The influence of gender on stress of officers in the police force.

The influence of job status on stress of officers in the police force.

Purpose Of Study

This study aims at probing the influence of Gender and Job Status on workers stress among the Nigerian Police Force. In precise terms, it’s planed to

Find out the responses of bobbies and policewomen to stress, in order words, the effect of gender on stress in the Nigerian Police Force.

Find out how elderly police officers and inferior police officers respond to stress, that’s the influence of job status or rank on stress in the Nigerian police force.

Functional Description Of Terms

Gender This is the natural, social and artistic division into which man is classified. In this study, gender is used to mean being manly or womanish actors.

Job Status This is used in the study to mean inferior police officers and elderly police officers.

Job or Hand Stress This is pertaining to the discomfort, difficulty and pressure experience by workers in the process of work.