Innovative Perspectives on Organizational Stress: Exploring theMeaning-Making Process and Employee Wellbeing in HighPressure Work Environments – A Phenomenological Approach

Abstract

High pressure work environment affects the employee's physical and psychological wellbeing both positively and negatively. Organization stress in a high pressure work environment has a significant impact on each individual. Every individual makes a different perception of their surroundings in a high pressure work environment. Based on an interpretative phenomenological methodology, this study aims to investigate the nature of organization stress in high pressure work environment and its significance with employee wellbeing and how an employee constructs meaning within the news industry, law enforcement agencies and medical Industry in Pakistan. The qualitative methodology of our study involved interviewing 12 respondents using snowball sampling in order to obtain a better understanding of their actual experiences with organizational stress in high pressure work environment and employee wellbeing. After the analysis of these interviews, finding reveals that the perception which respondent drew from high
pressure work environment vary from 1 extreme to other ranging from some attribute it as knowledge seeking where as many of them attributed it to be a form of arrogance or humility. It has also been observed that employees who are in power positions tend to take high pressure environment as a source of exhilaration or excitement, whereas the similar environment becomes a source of depression or destitution for lower level employees.