Stress and Work Life Balance among the

Employees of MRF Ltd. Kottayam

Visakh Soman
S4 MBA, CET
Objectives of Study:

General Objective:

 To study the level of stress and work life balance among the workers of MRF Ltd.
Kottayam.

Specific Objectives:

 To study the various sources of stress among the employees of MRF Ltd.

 To identify the organizational factors that causes stress.

 To study the relationship between good interpersonal skills and stress management.

 To study the various methods through which stress can be minimized.

 To find out how a balance can be maintained in the work life without being affected
by stress.

About the topic:

Stress: A condition or circumstance, which can disturb the normal physiological and
psychological functioning of an individual. Signs of stress may be cognitive, emotional,
physical or behavioural. The events that provoke stress are called stressors. Stress may be
positive or negative, i.e.; it may be constructive or destructive.

Workplace stress is the harmful physical and emotional response that occurs when there is
a poor match between job demands and the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker.
Stress-related disorders encompass a broad array of conditions, including psychological
disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder) and other types of
emotional strain (e.g., dissatisfaction, fatigue, tension, etc.), maladaptive behaviours (e.g.,
aggression, substance abuse), and cognitive impairment (e.g., concentration and memory
problems). In turn, these conditions may lead to poor work performance or even injury. Job
stress is also associated with various biological reactions that may lead ultimately to
compromised health, such as cardiovascular disease, or in extreme cases death.
Work life and personal life are the two sides of the same coin, and a balance has to be
maintained between the two. Stress management is important to maintain this balance.

About the company:

MRF Ltd. Is the leader in the category of tyre manufacturing and holds the No.1 position for
the last 21 years. Established as toy-balloon manufacturing company in 1946 by KM
Mammen Mappillai, MRF quickly emerged as the leading maker of tread rubber. MRF,
Kottayam Plant is the second manufacturing unit of MRF. Unit had started in 1969 with a
small rubber mixer and seven employees. There after the plant expanded with addition of
facilities to produce Tread Rubber, Inner Tubes, and Tyres etc. Present employee strength is
2350.

Scope of Study:
All organizations are comprised of individuals having different personalities, attitudes,
values, perceptions, motives, aspirations and abilities. Individual responsibilities to work
environment are varied and their behaviour is unpredictable. Despite the complexity of
factors affecting behaviour, a fair degree of understanding of people working around him can
develop employee competencies. This study will help to identify the factors inducing stress in
the employees of MRF Ltd. and also to find reasonable solutions to maintain a balance
between their work life and personal life.

Sampling Framework:
The population for the study includes all the employees of MRF Limited. The researcher tries
to identify all the factors causing stress and affecting the work life balance of MRF by
conducting an interaction with 50 employees of different categories with the help of a
structured questionnaire.

Limitations of the Study:

 Sample size has been limited to 50 due to lack of time and personal constraints.

 There may be errors due to the bias of the respondents.