Journal Press India®

A Study of Workplace Behavior of Knowledge Workers with Respect to Gender, Marital Status and Humor Quotient

Vol 15 , Issue 1 , January - June 2014 | Pages: 53-66 | Research Paper  

https://doi.org/10.51768/dbr.v15i1.151201405


Author Details ( * ) denotes Corresponding author

1. * Pooja Khatri, Associate Professor, Department Management, University School of Management Studies, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University,, Delhi, India (pujakhatri12@gmail.com)
2. Yukta Ahuja, Assistant Professor, Jagan Institute of Management Studies, Delhi, India (yukti7884@gmail.com)

In a knowledge economy the knowledge workers earn their living with mental strength. The skill set required for the job, makes it immensely stressful and demanding. This has led to augmenting rates of emotional disorders, frustration, and exasperation among the employees. The turbulent corporate environment, expects the knowledge workers to cope with the anxiety and demonstrate resilience in order to sustain. The study is an endeavor to study the workplace behaviour of knowledge workers with respect to gender, marital status, and humor quotient
Design/Methodology/Approach: A self constructed questionnaire was used for the purpose of the survey. The questionnaire had items related to the perception of professionals regarding key factors in an organizational environment. The universe comprises IT organizations. The technique of multi stage sampling has been used, at the first stage area sampling has been adopted and the IT organizations in Delhi and NCR were chosen. At the second stage stratified sampling has been used in which the corporate professionals of each organization were further divided into three cadres namely top management, middle management, and low level of management this has been used to attain a representative sample of respondents. Out of 150 questionnaires sent to the respondents we received
114 completed questionnaires.
Findings: It was found that both gender and marital status are key variables making a difference in the way people behave and conduct when they are at work. It was also found that personal life has a lot to do with professional performance. The priorities, discipline, commitments are handled differently with respect to gender and marital status. Another, significant variable that this study addresses is humor which is found to have correlations with recession and layoffs.
Research Limitations: The study is restricted to National Capital Region (NCR).
Practical Implications: It has valuable takeaways for HR professionals, policy makers, and academicians.
Originality/Value:  It’s a unique study in which element of humour has been studied as a key variable with stress at work place and the interplay of these variables give researchers several dimensions to ponder upon.

Keywords

Employee Behavior, Knowledge Workers, Workplace Stress, Gender, Marital Status, Humor Quotient.

  1. Allen, T.D., Freeman, D.M., Reinzenstein, R.C., and Rentz, J.O. (1995), Just Another Transition? Examining Survivors’ Attitudes Over Time, Academy of Management Proceedings, Best Papers, pp.78-82.
  2. Antoniou, A.S., Polychroni, F., and Vlachakis, A.N. (2006), Gender and Age Differences in Occupational Stress and Professional Burnout between Primary and High-School Teachers in Greece, Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 21, No.7, pp.682-690.
  3. Armstrong-Stassen, M. (1993), Survivor’s Reactions to a Workforce Reduction: A Comparison of Blue-collar Workers and their Supervisors, Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, Vol. 10, No. 3, pp.34-43.
  4. Armstrong-Stassen, M., and Latack, J.C. (1992), Coping with Workforce Reduction: The Effects of Layoff Exposure on Survivor Reactions, Academy of Management Review, Best Papers, pp.207-211.
  5. Brockner, J. (1988), The Effects of Work Layoffs on Survivors: Research, Theory and Practice.
  6. Burke, R.J. (1988), Some Antecedents and Consequences of Work-Family Conflict, Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, Vol.3, pp.287-302.
  7. Cartwright, S., Cooper, C.L., and Murphy, L.R. (1995), Diagnosing a Healthy Organization: A Proactive Approach to Stress in the Workplace, Research in Organizational Behavior, Vol 10, No. 2, pp.13-55.
  8. Cisco (2009), The Future of Business: Preparing to Meet its Challenges, Accessed on September 30, 2013, http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/collateral/ns340/ns856/ns870/ns917/C11-516630-00_entVision_wp.pdf.
  9. Chan, S.Y. (2011), Yoga Therapy to Relieve Job Stress http://media.wix.com/ugd/605d37_7cf3bdc494b67460ee99f 7a0e6d3380d.pdf, retrieved on September 30, 2013.
  10. Comish, R. and Swindle, B. (1994), Managing Stress in the Workplace, National Public Accountant, Vol. 39, No. 9, pp.24-28.
  11. Cooper, C.L. and Payne, R. (Eds.). (1988), Causes, Coping, and Consequences of Stress, Chichester, UK: Wiley.
  12. Erkutlu, H.V. and Chafra, J. (2006), Relationship Between Leadership Power Base and Job Stress of Subordinates: Example from Boutique Hotels, Management Research News, Vol. 29, No. 5, pp.285-297.
  13. Guest, D.E. (2001), Perspectives on the Study of Work-Life Balance, ENOP Symposium, Paris, The Management Centre, King’s College, London, Accessed on September 30, 2013, http://pendientedemigracion.ucm.es/info/Psyap/enop/guest.htm.
  14. (HRPAP, 2004), Human Resources Professional Association of Peel, Accessed on September 30, 2013, http://www.hrpa.ca/ HRPAChapterSites/Peel/Documents/PeelJune2004Newsletter.pdf.
  15. Holmlund-Rytkönen, M. and Strandvik, T. (2005), Stress in Business Relationships, Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, Vol. 20, No. 1, pp.12-22.
  16. Hugh Downs, Accessed on September 30, 2013, http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/hughdowns104191.html. Lu, L., Cooper, C.L., Kao, S.F., and Zhou, Y. (2003), Work Stress, Control Beliefs and Well-Being in Greater China – An Exploration of Sub-Cultural Differences between the PRC and Taiwan, Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 18, No. 6,pp.479-510.
  17. Making Humour Work, What is Stress, Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Accessed on September 30, 2013, http:// www.hse.gov.uk/stress/furtheradvice/whatisstress.htm.
  18. Making Humour Work (2013), Humour in the Work Place, shepell.fgi, Accessed on September 30, 2013, http:// www.shepellfgi.com/EN-CA/Employees%20and%20Families/Wellness%20Articles/Healthy%20Living/_Lighten+Up+ Humour+In+The+Workplace.asp.
  19. Murphy, L.R. (1995), Managing Job Stress – An Employee Assistance/Human Resource Management Partnership, Personnel Review, Vol. 24, No.1, pp.41-50.
  20. Nunnally, J.C. (1978), Psychometric Theory (2nd ed.), New York: McGraw-Hill.
  21. Palmer, S, Cooper, C., and Thomas, K. (2003), Creating a Balance: Managing Stress, London: The British Library.
  22. Rees, W.D. (1997), Managerial Stress – Dealing with the Causes, not the Symptoms, Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 29, No. 2, pp.35-40.
  23. Rise in Chronic Disease and Stress Impacting on Workplace Productivity, the Oxford Health Alliance, (2007), Accessed on September 30, 2013, http://archive.oxha.org/alliance-alert/2007-q3-july2013sept/alert.2007-09-14.3738647193/.
  24. Sauter, S.L., Murphy, L.R., and Hurrell, J.J. (1990), A National Strategy for the Prevention of Work-Related Disorders, American Psychologist, Vol. 45, No. 2, pp.52-61.
  25. Singh, A.K. and Dhawan, N. (2013), An Empirical Analysis of Organizational Stressor in the Banking Sector, The Indian Journal of Commerce, Vol. 66, No. 3, pp.255-270.
  26. Singh, A.K. and Sharma, V. (2011), Key Attributes of Successful Knowledge Management: An Empirical Study in Telecommunication and Software Industries, International Journal of Business Information Systems, Inderscience Journal, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp.78-92, Geneva, Switzerland, ISSN: 1746-0972, EISSN: 1746-0980; http://www.inderscience.com/search/ index.php?action=record&rec_id=37298.
  27. Singh, A.K. and Sharma, V. (2011), Knowledge Management Antecedents and its Impact on Employee Satisfaction: A Study on Indian Telecommunication Industries, Learning Organization, The – TLO, Emerald Journal, United Kingdom, Vol. 18, No. 2 pp.115-130, Accessed on September 30, 2013, http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/09696471111103722.
  28. Singh, A.K. and Sharma, V. (2008a), Antecedents of Knowledge Management and its Impact on Employee Satisfaction: A Study on Indian Telecom Sector, in Sahay, B.S., Ranjan, J., Thakur, R.R., and Nicholas, S. (Eds) Redefining Business Horizons, Proceedings of the International Conference on Innovation and Redefining Business (IIRB) – 2008, IMT, Ghaziabad, India, 18-19 December, 2008, McMillan Advance Research Series, McMillan Publications, First Edition, 2008, pp.570-581.
  29. Singh, A.K. and Sharma, Vandna (2008b), A Study on Implications of Culture Driven Knowledge Management on Employee Satisfaction in Indian Telecom Sector, Published in Management and Behaviour in Organizations, Vol. 2, Selected Proceedings of the First International Conference on Social Sciences, Organized by Social Sciences Research Society on August 21-22,
  30. 2008, at Izmir, Turkey, Edited by Coskun Can Aktan and Ozkan Dalbay, pp.15-28, ISBN: 978-605-5741-16-3.
  31. Singh, A.K. and Sharma, V. (2008c) Key Attributes of Successful Knowledge Management: An Empirical Study in Telecom and Software Sector, Proceedings of the International Conference on Data Management-2008, (February 25-26) at IMT, Ghaziabad, McMillan Advanced Research Series, Data Management, McMillan Publications, First Edition, 2008, pp.495-502, ISBN 10: 0230-63469-9; ISBN 13: 978-0230-63469-5.
  32. Singh, A.K. and Sharma, V. (2008d), Knowledge Management and Organisational Learning: An Empirical Study of its Implications on Employee Satisfaction in Telecom Sector, Proceedings of the National Conference on Management-2007 (November 23-24) at GGS Indra Prastha University, New Delhi, Corporate Strategies and Innovations in the Emerging Global Economy, Wisdom Publications, First Edition, 2008, pp.302-318.
  33. Singh, A.K. and Kumar, M. (2013) Organizational Leadership in India, Published in Proceedings of National Conference on Transformational Leadership and Beyond, Ed. Sharma, C.S. and Singh, R.K. (2013), New Delhi: Excel India Publishers, pp.53-67, ISBN – 978-93-82880-26-4.
  34. Stress...at Work (1999), CDC, NIOSH Publications and Products, Accessed on September 30, 2013, http://www.cdc.gov/ niosh/docs/99-101/.
  35. Stress at Work (2013), Accessed on September 30, 2013, http://www.lifepositive.com/mind/psychology/stress/stress-at- work.asp.
  36. Wichert, I. (2002), Job Insecurity and Work Intensification: The Effects on Health and Wellbeing.
  37. Live Mint (2007), Workplace Stress, Lifestyle Diseases Threaten India’s Hi-tech Growth, Accessed on September 30, 2013,http://www.livemint.com/Industry/SIJQv1fRYJWXHH8m8HQQjM/Workplace-stress-lifestyle-diseases-threaten- India8217s.html?facet=print.
Abstract Views: 12
PDF Views: 251

Advanced Search

News/Events

Institute of Managem...

Deccan Education Society Institute of Management Development and Re...

S.B. Patil Institute...

Pimpri Chinchwad Education Trust's S.B. Patil Institute of Mana...

D. Y. Patil IMCAM, A...

D. Y. Patil Institute of Master of Computer Applications & Managem...

Vignana Jyothi Insti...

Vignana Jyothi Institute of Management International Conference on ...

Department of Commer...

Department of Commerce, Faculty of Commerce & Business, University...

Birla Institute of M...

Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH) 3rd Pritam Singh M...

OP Jindal University...

OP Jindal University, India 4th International Conference on  ...

Department of MBA, N...

Department of MBA, Narayana Engineering College Nellore International...

Vignana Jyothi Insti...

Vignana Jyothi Institute of Management Conference Proceedings,...

Online Proceedings R...

Conference Proceedings, March 2023 ISBN: 978-81-956810-6-8 ...

By continuing to use this website, you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.