Recession ke side-effects

For those who have lost jobs, there is a logical stress. but for those whoare in jobs, the fear of losing job and an uncertain future haunts them


Work stress during recession is hitting employees hard. Take the case of Manya Kumar (name changed), a 30-year-old senior executive working in media, buying a house in Gurgaon. Manya returned home feeling feverish last Friday. Just after an hour, her heartbeat fastened and she had breathing problems. There were also allergic reactions in her body. After going through a complete check-up, Manya was diagnosed with too much of work stress and thus had suffered from a panic attack. Doctors have advised her to take rest for two months which she cannot. Manya is still a regular at work. “I am on probation. If I take rest for two months, I will have to quit. And quitting job in times of recession is hara-kiri. I hope to survive this ordeal,” she says.
Only five months ago, Manya joined a new company in Gurgaon. She was unhappy here as she had to settle with much less work than she was promised. She tried looking for options which was nearly impossible during the recession. That’s how her problems began.
Manya is not alone. Ahana (name changed), 25, a junior executive in a public relations firm, is also battling with recession-related stress. A Gurgaon resident, she joined this new organisation in Delhi seven months ago. Due to a freeze on hiring, her company extended her probation. Now, she has been working on weekends, too. With no rest and too much of work pressure, stress took its toll on her. Ahana suffered an attack last Sunday and doctors found her BP on the lower side, low calcium and high levels of sugar in her body. To add to her woes, she has been diagnosed with a straightened spine. She has again been advised rest and physiotherapy, but Ahana, too, is regularly attending office.
“If I tell this to bosses, I can lose my job. Another stress factor now is the kind of medical expenses I will have to bear. On top of it, parents’ pressure on me to get married is another stress factor,” she says.
Dr Deepak Raheja, consultant psychiatrist at Paras Hospital, says, “Cases related to work pressure in offices have shot up. The problem is that people are going through real stress and perceived stress. This imagined threat is bothering them more, and it is even more damaging.”
Dr Vinita Malhotra Jha, a consultant psychiatrist, says, “For people who have lost jobs, there is a logical stress. But for those who have their jobs intact, the fear of losing job and uncertain future haunts them. It is this group which is very difficult to treat.”
According to Dr Jha, to battle work-related stress, I suggest them to think rationally, exercise and do yoga, stay calm and stable and work harder.
Dr Raheja feels there’s a positive side to recession also. “Recession will make people more adaptable. You can’t leave a job as there are no jobs in market. So, whatever reason they had for quitting, they have to adapt to it. Recession is also giving an opportunity to feel happiness and pleasure. Almost two generations have seen boom in the markets. The present condition will help people to adapt to real situations and face real life. It’s all about differentiating real stress and perceived stress and still be happy,” he says.
The impact of recession stress has hit hard on employees from BPOs, IT industry, real estate firms and those who have taken huge loans for house and cars. Due to stress, their coping mechanism can also affect their health. Stress leads to irregular food habits and increased cases of smoking and drinking alcohol, which is bad for health, Dr Jha says.
“Comparatively employees from health, pharma and telecom sectors are the most secure as there are no lay-offs here. However, they are also on a quiet mode and working harder as they know in times of recession they won’t get good hikes and perks,” she adds.