Introduction
Over the past decade, there has been a growing interest in stress management as a means to enhance overall health. This interest has led to the development of various programs designed to help individuals manage their stress levels and enhance their overall well-being. Various factors, including work pressure, relationship issues, and financial difficulties, cause stress. These factors can lead to anxiety and depression, which can lead to substance abuse or other risky behaviors that put the person at risk for several health problems.
According to Shechter et al. (2020, p. 6), stress has been linked to heart disease and high blood pressure. Stress can also lead to depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. Additionally, stress can affect one’s ability to sleep at night (Shechter et al., 2020, p. 7). It can lead to chronic fatigue syndrome or even obesity and other physical ailments such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, cancer, and autoimmune diseases.
It is essential to manage stress to maintain good health and overall well-being. The problem at York Teaching Hospital is that staff members are experiencing stress and burnout, leading to a high turnover rate (Kassymova et al., 2018, p. 49). It is a problem because it negatively affects patient care and retention rates.
Purpose of the Study
This proposal aims to address this issue by developing a program that will help improve stress management among employees at York Teaching Hospital. The study will further outline the needs of staff by using an online platform that supports self-care activities and provides access to resources that can help reduce stress levels. It will help improve morale, increase retention rates, and enhance patient satisfaction ratings.
Research Gaps
It is essential to note that there has been limited research on the effectiveness of stress management programs specifically designed for York Teaching Hospital (YTH) employees. This proposal aims to address this gap by providing an overview of existing research on stress management programs at YTH, evaluating current practices regarding stress management training, identifying gaps in existing training, and recommending solutions to address those gaps.
Research Questions
The research questions that will be addressed in this review are:
- What are the most common stress management methods used by employees at York Teaching Hospital?
- What are some of the challenges employees face when managing stress independently?
- How effective are these methods in reducing employee stress levels?
Hypothesis
This study hypothesizes that the stress management program at York Teaching Hospital will help reduce the number of patients who experience psychological distress. The second hypothesis is that these patients will experience fewer quality-of-life issues. The third hypothesis is that individuals who participate in the program will experience increased levels of psychological well-being and lower levels of stress.
Aims and Objectives
Stress management programs are designed to help individuals cope with stressful situations. They are often taught in conjunction with other types of therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy or yoga classes (Lin et al., 2019, p. 117). These programs are effective in reducing depression and anxiety levels as well as improving the overall quality of life for those who participate. When stress becomes consistent and unremitting, it hinders normal functioning and causes serious problems. This descriptive study aims to explore the implications of stress on development in the workplace.
Thesis Statement
This review examines the most common stress management methods employed by employees at York Teaching Hospital and the challenges they encounter when managing stress independently. We will also explore the effectiveness of these methods in reducing employee stress levels, helping York Teaching Hospital return to normal operations.
Literature Review
Stress is a major factor in employee burnout. With the increasing demands of today’s job market, individuals are more likely to experience stress-related health problems. If stress becomes prolonged and excessive, it can have a negative impact on one’s health. When this occurs, the body responds with physical symptoms, including headaches, muscle tension, high blood pressure, an upset stomach, and heart palpitations (Børøsund et al., 2018, p. 9954).
The study of stress management is a growing field in the medical, psychological, and social sciences. Stress management programs provide employees, employers, and fellow employees with information about stress. These programs are designed to help employees cope with stressful situations (Verweij et al., 2018, p. 431; Ribeiro et al., 2018, p. 39).
Stress management programs are developed to help individuals cope with stress by teaching them how to identify their stressors and develop effective strategies to manage them. It helps people manage their lives more effectively by reducing or preventing the adverse effects of stress on their health (Stahl and Goldstein, 2019, p. 34). They improve patient satisfaction and reduce the risk of workplace violence against employees or patients.
There are various types of stress management programs available, including mindfulness practices such as meditation or yoga, physical exercise like running or swimming, and psychological therapies like dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) (Romas and Sharma, 2022, p. 67). These methods help improve overall health and well-being by reducing stress levels in the body.
In addition to these techniques, other important factors can be considered when managing stress levels, including nutrition, sleep hygiene, and organizational support systems such as employee assistance programs (EAPs) (Bianchi, Schonfeld, and Laurent, 2019, p. 36). Hospital administrators need to consider what type of program would work best for their specific needs before implementing one so that they can get the most benefit from it possible.
Stress management programs designed specifically for YTH employees have been shown to have numerous positive effects. For example, Shechter et al. (2020, p. 8) showed that employees who participated in a stress management program reported an improvement in their overall health as well as a decrease in symptoms related to depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. This finding aligns with past research (Martin et al., 2018, p. 28).
In addition to improving physical health outcomes, participation in stress management programs has also been shown to improve cognitive function. For example, Aldag, Kim, and Warner (2019, p. 1290) found that participants could focus more effectively on tasks after participating in a stress management program. This finding suggests that implementing such programs could help improve productivity levels among YTH employees.
Methodology
Research Design
The research design involves a study conducted in the form of a survey. The participants will be York Teaching Hospital employees and will be given questionnaires to answer. This will also involve interviews with managers and executives at York Teaching Hospital (Sileyew, 2019, p. 8).
The data collected from the survey will be analyzed to inform the development of recommendations for managing stress in the workplace. The participants will be selected randomly from all hospital sections. The surveys will be administered during working hours, so as not to affect their productivity or interfere with their daily activities. To ensure anonymity, no names are required on any surveys submitted by employees who choose to participate in this research project.
Variables
Several variables need to be considered when designing a stress management program at York Teaching Hospital. The first variable is the type of stress being experienced by the employees. There are various types of stress, including work-related, family-related, and financial stress (Song and Baicker, 2019, p. 1497). Each type of stress can have different effects on people’s health, so it is essential to understand the type of stress prevalent in the organization before initiating any program.
The second variable is the effectiveness of existing programs for managing stress in the organization (Jebelli, Hwang, and Lee, 2018, p. 319). If there are no programs currently in place for managing employee stress, this will be an important consideration when designing any new program.
The third variable is how well employees feel they can cope with their current stress level and how much support they feel they need from their employer or manager to improve their ability to manage their own stress levels. This information can help individuals determine how much support they need from management to ensure that their program successfully reduces employee distress levels through improved coping skills or increased self-awareness of the sources of stress that affect them most regularly throughout their daily work activities.
Sample Selection
The sample size of this study will comprise 100 employees, with 50 males and 50 females. The study will be conducted at York Teaching Hospital in the HR department. The employees participating in this study have worked at the company for more than six months and have been assigned to a specific project.
The reason for choosing these employees is that they are under stress due to their workload, which can lead to poor performance, absenteeism, and even attrition from the company. As such, they need to learn how to manage their stress levels so that it does not affect their work performance. All participants will complete questionnaires assessing their knowledge of stress management techniques. The results will indicate whether there are significant differences in the levels of stress management skills between men and women who are employed by York Teaching Hospital in New York City.
Study Instruments
The materials needed are computers with internet access, printers, paper, data collection forms and surveys, and any other materials needed for administering surveys. The instruments for this study will include an online survey, which will be sent to all 100 employees in the hospital so they can complete it anonymously. It will also include any materials used during recruitment, such as posters or flyers advertising our availability for interviews or other questions/concerns regarding this project, as well as other materials that might be useful during data collection, such as pens.
Procedure
The program is flexible, allowing it to be adjusted to meet the demands of the participants. It includes breathing techniques, visualization techniques, and guided relaxation exercises; these techniques have been shown to help reduce stress levels in adults who have undergone stressful experiences (Busetto, Wick, and Gumbinger, 2020, p. 5). The program also includes several written exercises that encourage participants to reflect on their personal experiences with stressors in their lives and how those stressors might affect them physically and mentally (Lindsay et al., 2018, p. 67). In addition to these written exercises, participants are encouraged to engage in physical activities such as yoga or meditation to help them manage their emotions by getting them out of their heads (McKinley et al., 2019, p. 145). They can also use self-reflective tools, such as journals or diaries, when not engaged in other activities.
Analysis
The research will initially focus on gathering data from employees at York Teaching Hospital, including their age, sex, experience, and job title within the organization. It will help determine if there are any trends or patterns between these variables and levels of stress among employees. The second phase of the study will focus on measuring stress levels among employees using a standardized test that has been proven effective at measuring stress levels in the workplace (Chesak et al. 2019, p. 290). Once the data has been collected, it will be analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Limitations
The main limitation of this study is that one cannot guarantee that all participants will respond honestly to the questions asked, as they may feel pressured or uncomfortable in doing so. Another limitation is the study’s small sample size, which comprises only staff members who volunteer to participate in the program. The researcher believes that this limitation can be overcome by adding more participants and extending the study period to a longer term.
Overall, this study suggests that stress management programs can positively impact employee satisfaction and productivity. However, it could also find no correlation between these factors. Additionally, it may reveal that employee healthcare costs do not decrease after participating in such programs.
Feasibility
The study of stress management will be feasible at York Teaching Hospital (YTH) since it employs a large number of staff. About 1,200 employees work for YTH, and most experience stress during their work hours (Song and Baicker, 2019, p. 1498). Based on the number of employees who work for YTH, many are experiencing stress.
The survey by Janssen et al. (2019, p. 0191332) revealed that 78% of employees experienced job-related stress. It indicates that the hospital needs to implement a stress management program to help those experiencing stress feel better during work hours and perform more effectively. Different types of stressors cause people to experience stress, including both personal and professional life problems (Ackley et al., 2019, p. 12). Some examples include death or illness in the family, financial problems, and relationship issues.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a stress management program is needed at York Teaching Hospital. The findings of this study will ultimately lead to the development of more effective stress management programs at York Teaching Hospital. It means that both patients and hospital staff will benefit.
The analysis and subsequent adjustments in programming would positively affect the patient’s experience from admission through recovery and, perhaps most importantly, after discharge from the hospital. Given the increasing stress levels among patients and staff, it is essential to assess their stress levels. Therefore, the researcher recommends implementing stress management for patients and staff.
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