ABSTRACT
Studying stress is for the most part a process which involves observation of behaviour. It is by no means an easy task; as with most processes there are a variety of actions and responses which are not always predictable. The body under stress, enters the ‘fight and flight’ response. The nervous system secretes the hormones adrenalin and noradrenaline to prepare the other systems of the body to react efficiently. In his study of stress and behaviour in organizations, J. McGrath identified a relationship between stress and job performance in terms of the underload/overload continuum. The work environment has been identified as one of the main sources of stress. Its most marked affects occur if: employees have no degree of influence and control over their work; employees perceive the work to be meaningless and not worthwhile; and employees fail to develop an affinity with fellow workers as a social support system and fail to identify with it through their work.
