Inquiry Based Learning and Stressful Workplace: A Comprehensive Report

This report delves into the concept of inquiry-based learning and its relevance to understanding and addressing stressful workplace environments. It defines inquiry-based learning as an active approach that encourages questioning, research, and investigation to foster critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The report uses the example of a stressful workplace, exploring its background, causes such as heavy workloads and tight deadlines, and symptoms including physical, psychological, and behavioral manifestations. Methodologies used for gathering evidence, including primary and secondary sources, are discussed. A case study of Marks and Spencer illustrates the impact of workplace stress and the implementation of various treatments, such as flexible work schedules and wellness programs. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of inquiry-based learning and the negative effects of workplace stress on individuals and organizations.

Inquiry Based Learning

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................1
Background..................................................................................................................................1
Methodology................................................................................................................................3
Case study....................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
An active learning which initiates through posing questions, scenarios along with issues is
said as inquiry based learning. It engrosses problem solving learning that is used for small scale
investigations, research along with projects (Voet and De Wever, 2016) It is closely interrelated
with development together with practice of problem solving and critical thinking capabilities. To
understand inquiry based learning, selected topic is “Stressful workplace”. When an organisation
performs activities or operations in pressurize state then it is said as stressful workplace.
Stressful workplace can impact in positive and negative ways on the company as positive stress
results in higher productivity and negative stress can decline in business revenues and employee
performances. It also results in high staff turnover, poor workplace relationships, poor decision
making and increases number of mistakes leading to huge complaints from clients or customers.
Stressful workplace has knockout impacts on relationships at company and also effects physical
together with mental health, wellbeing and so on. Some kinds of stressful workplace are good
while too much workplace stress is bad for individuals, businesses and economy. There are
various number of issues recognised as possible stressors at work which involves organisational
culture, job content, management policies and hence forth. The project discusses about
background information about the topic, methodologies to collect evidence and case study.
MAIN BODY
Background
Stressful workplace is high pressure environment in which an individual perform activities
or practices as per the directions given by superiors. Stress is the state of physiological imbalance
which arises from disparity among situational demand along with individual ability or motivation
for meeting the needs. Stressful workplace can either results in positive impacts or shows
negative impacts on business. It is seen that stress is not that bad as little stress can keep
organisational people focused, energetic as well as productive for meeting challenges in
workplace. However, when stress extends particular level then it causes harms and damages
individual mind, soul and even job satisfaction (Ashkanasy, Zerbe and Hartel, 2016). For
example, Marks and Spencer being large retailer faces situation of stressful workplace because of
various reasons. Stressful workplace is caused due to various reasons. One is overtime or heavy
workload. It is analysed that when there is shortage of employees or cutbacks of staff then it
1

causes stressful workplace. Heavy workload pressurises employees to work for more time
without being paid more and sue to this various manpower takes decision to leave the company
which puts burden on the workforce that is available at workplace. The next cause is tight
deadlines. When organisational managers mandates deadline for critical workings and puts huge
load on employees to complete the workings as per tough deadline. For instance, managers of
Marks and Spencer has set tight deadlines for marketing team in order to meet sales demand and
this puts huge pressure on the employees and workplace. Another workplace stress is caused by
discrimination or biasness (Beirne and Ramsay, 2018). It is perceived that when supervisors
discriminates in allotting tasks, resources and so on among male and female employee or the
employee that just joined in current period to that of employee that is part of the company from
huge years that results in stressful situation at workplace.
Stressful workplace is main issues worldwide which impacts on well being together with
health of an individual addition to organisational productivity (Blomberg and Et. Al., 2016).
Common symptoms of stressful workplace are categorised in physical, psychological along with
behavioural symptoms. In context to physical symptoms, some includes sleeping difficulties
among employees, dermatological disorders, fatigue and headaches. Aggression, depression,
discouragement, irritability and anxiety are some of psychological symptoms at stressful
workplace. Moreover, behavioural symptoms are critical in nature. One of behavioural
symptoms is absenteeism. It is analysed that when more number of employees gets absent in the
company at the peak time then it shows that the company is going through huge stress. Another
symptom that shows stressful workplace is interpersonal relationship issues. For example, in
Marks and Spencer when manpower has issues in performing some work with other personal or
refuses to make relation with others then its reflects that the entity is facing huge stress.
Organisational managers implement various actions that act as treatment for stressful
workplace (Copeland and Henry, 2017). For example, one of treatment is setting boundaries or
limits under which individual will perform working. It is seen that managers of Marks and
Spencer has set boundaries or limits in terms of workings of an employee which resulted in stress
at workplace. The next treatment is reaching stress through reaching out. In this, managers turns
towards co-workers of subordinates for support to build effective support team that can buffer
out the stress and results in managing tough pressures. Through building satisfying interpersonal
relationships also treats stressful workplace.
2

Stressful workplace causes huge burden on society as well as economy. It is so because
when companies face stress then they are unable to make huge revenues or profits. Moreover,
when fewer revenues are generated then an entity is unable to fulfil its responsibilities towards
uplifting society and developing economy. An organisation that is facing huge stress fails in
meeting responsibilities for making employment for society people and also unable to provide
them products on time that creates huge burden on government to meet needs of its citizens. For
example, Marks and Spencer acquires resources from society and also makes promises in
uplifting economy level. At the time, when huge stress is faced by the business then it becomes
burden on society as it is unable to use its resources optimally and no promises are fulfilled for
improving economic positions (Gilstrap and Bernier, 2017).
Methodology
From the research, the evidence about stressful workplace is collected through primary and
secondary sources. The main evidence for the topic is collected from primary source that
includes first hand information as collected by investigator. The accuracy and originality of data
collected by the method is high. In gathering required information about stressful workplace,
methods of primary sources used are personal examination, questionnaires, telephonic
investigation and collection via investigators. The other source is secondary sources that include
information that is already used by others (Gordon, 2018). The information available through
secondary sources is collected as well as published by others and is used for completing
investigation. The evidence in information collected through primary source is higher than the
secondary sources methods. In the investigation, it is seen that obesity is the cause of stressful
workplace as it sis the mental condition in which an individual carries excess pressure that
results in drastic impacts on the company and it causes stress. It is collected that there is possible
relationship among obesity, working stress along with behaviour at work in Marks and Spencer.
Moreover, it is also seen that BMI is used by managers to calculate the impacts of stress on
manpower. Obesity and BMI are closely linked to psychological stress responses, especially
tension and results in stressful workplace.
Case study
Stressful workplace generally has impacts on population of company and country. In case
with Marks and Spencer, it has around 80000 staff members that work in its stores at different
nations (Marks and Spencer, 2020). The main employee population of Marks and Spencer is
3

based on UK that manages its critical tasks and operations. In present era, various issues are
faced by the employees of the company that are resulting in stress at workplace. The company is
going through huge losses because of fierce competition and ineffective supply chain
management. The impacts of the issue are clearly visible among its population that are
employees as they are going through sleepless nights, social withdrawal and many more issues.
The employees are also facing reduction in their confidence level and are becoming more angry
and irritable.
In order to deal with the stressful workplace, managers implemented a treatment that is
innovative marketing, wellness programs, flexible work arrangement and managing standards.
The company has made sudden changes in flexibility in workplace timing that that helps its
employees to meet changing choices or preferences of its customers. Improved workplace
timings that benefitted the company in managing stressful conditions properly and providing job
satisfaction to its people (O'Neill, 2016). The other example in the mechanism includes part time
schedules, sharing of jobs, telecommuting and more on. With these programs, situations like
huge pressure and stress at workplace are managed for providing proper work life balance to
organisation population. It is also observed that there are some employees that give productive
results through working from home, so flexible schedules are offered to them that results in less
stressful workplace. Moreover, it also improved staff morale, commitment and reduced absence
level. The next treatment is wellness program executed by human resource manager of Marks
and Spencer. The program helped the company in managing internal population lives through
eliminating stressful workplace (Philpott, 2019). Furthermore, it is seen that effective stress
management policy are tailored for saving individual durations in facing pressure or stress in
company. Management of standards is other treatment for stress as it reduces bridging gap
among employees and management. In an organisation, human resource department has
responsibility to treat situations including stressful workplace. By analysing stressors, managers
collude with superiors in order to offer strategies concerned with managing stress effectively. All
this are done with proper planning, organising along with outsourcing suitable feedbacks to
management.
The effects of stressful workplace are analysed on all ages group of population that works
with the company. In case with marks and Spencer, its employs people between ages of 18 years
to 55 years. Stressful workplace has huge effects on these age groups. This hampers thinking
4

abilities of people between the age of 18 years to 25 years as when the ideas provided by these
people to manage stress do not turn effective then it damages their cells and make them de-
motivated (Sonnenstuhl, 2019). Moreover, stressful workplace affects health of adults through
lowering their immune system. Adults have likely experience a duration in the life in which they
are more stressed out as well as become sick. The circumstance that creates stresses the time
when adults hold to allow themselves towards recovery mode. Adult population do not realise
that stressful workplace is the reason of their illness and it suppresses their immune system
making them more vulnerable to illness. Chronic stressful workplace also contributes in
developing various number of diseases in body parts of population. For example, chronic stress
results in Alzheimet’s disease and many more. Higher stress load can drive brain of people
towards faster aging concerned reductions. Along with this, stressful workplace also has chances
of contributing unhealthy lifestyle of an individual as population that is facing huge stress at
work are known to exercise less, rely on medication, eat more poorly and drink more (Stringer,
2016). Stressful workplace effects population of all ages in certain manner that not only hampers
their professional lives but also impacts on their personal lives as well.
CONCLUSION
The mentioned discussion concluded that inquiry based learning plays important role in
learner’s life. It is open minded approach in which learners are guided through research,
questioning and investigation. The learning concept increases motivation, foster curiosity of
learning, makes investigation or research meaningful, deepens understanding for going beyond
facts as well as content and many more. Stressful workplace is the situation in which an
organisation performs activities in huge pressurise state. Few of causes of the situation include
heavy workload, tight deadlines, discrimination and many more. Symptoms of stressful
workplace are sleeping difficulties among manpower, fatigue, depression, anxiety, absenteeism
and interpersonal relationship issues. Research methodologies used for getting evidence or
information for the topic includes primary methods and secondary methods. Stressful workplace
affects population of different age group in different manner. It is treated through various
activities or policies implemented at workplace that is flexible work schedules, wellness
programs and managing work with standards.
5

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Ashkanasy, N. M., Zerbe, W. J. and Hartel, C. E., 2016. Managing emotions in the workplace.
Routledge.
Beirne, M. and Ramsay, H. eds., 2018. Information technology and workplace democracy (Vol.
6). Routledge.
Blomberg, K. and Et. Al., 2016. Work stress among newly graduated nurses in relation to
workplace and clinical group supervision. Journal of nursing management, 24 (1),
pp.80-87.
Copeland, D. and Henry, M., 2017. Workplace violence and perceptions of safety among
emergency department staff members: Experiences, expectations, tolerance, reporting,
and recommendations. Journal of trauma nursing, 24(2), pp.65-77.
Gilstrap, C.M. and Bernier, D., 2017. Dealing with the demands: Strategies healthcare
communication professionals use to cope with workplace stress. Qualitative Research
Reports in Communication. 18 (1). pp.73-81.
Gordon, A., 2018. Portraits of the Japanese workplace: labor movements, workers, and
managers. Routledge.
O'Neill, M. J., 2016. Measuring workplace performance. CRC Press.
Philpott, D., 2019. The workplace violence prevention handbook. Rowman & Littlefield.
Sonnenstuhl, W.J., 2019. Inside an emotional health program: A field study of workplace
assistance for troubled employees. Cornell University Press.
Stringer, L., 2016. The Healthy Workplace: How to Improve the Well-Being of Your
Employees---and Boost Your Company's Bottom Line. Amacom.
Snyder, B.H., 2016. The disrupted workplace: Time and the moral order of flexible capitalism.
Oxford University Press.
Thompson, N. and Lund, D. A., 2017. Loss, grief, and trauma in the workplace. Routledge.
Online:
Marks and Spencer. 2020. [Online]. Available through: < https://www.marksandspencer.com/>
6