Occupational Stress in the Industrial Workforce: Nature, Causes, and Distribution at Gadoon Amazai Industrial Zone

Abstract

Occupational stress not only affects the production and quality of work in industries it also generates long term sickness affects the wellbeing of workers. Current study explores different aspects of stress in the workers of Gadoon Amazai Industrial zone situated in Swabi District of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa. This industrial zone is the project of government of Pakistan to provide an alternative for the poppy cultivation economy of the surrounding population. A qualitative research method is used to understand different the circumstances and conditions responsible for occupational stress in the locale. the data is collected from three groups, unskilled labor, skilled labor and supervisors. The study uses the Job Demand-Control Model. (Portoghese et al., 2020) and finds that the central place and cause of stress changes quite clearly as one moves up the industrial administration ladder, from the existential and somatic struggle of the body at the unskilled workers to the identity-based and relational struggle of the mind at the top.  The discussion shows that occupational stress at GAIE is not a homogeneous phenomenon; on the contrary, it is heavily stratified according to where a worker lies in the organizational structure. It is found that both cultural and structural causes and conditions are causing stress among factory workers. These includes struggle for dignity and survival, kinship expectations and high-stake duties, boundary spanning and identity crisis, failure of instrumental social support etc. It is also observed that causes of stress for different cadres are mostly not identical.