Abstract:
Stress is an inevitable part of a person’s life. It is something that greatly
affects the individuals in an organization. But then, the stress management programs
offered in organizations may not always be enough to relieve stress and the employees
are forced to turn to their personal coping mechanisms to reduce stress. One of these
coping mechanisms that may be used is humor. The study then seeks to find out, what
is the perception of the employees of China Bank Corporation Parahaque-Sucat Branch
on the use of humor as a personal coping mechanism for stress in the workplace?
The main objective of the study to assess the perception of the employees of
China Bank Corporation Parafiaque-Sucat Branch on the use of humor as a personal
coping mechanism for stress in the workplace. It also aims to identify the common
manifestations of stress in the organization; assess the level of use of humor by the
respondents in terms of frequency of use and number of those who actually use it;
assess the type of humor prevalent in the workplace that is used as a coping
mechanism; and find out the perceived effectiveness of humor as a personal coping
mechanism for stress in the workplace.
The study was descriptive in nature. The data needed in the study was
gathered through interview and survey questionnaire. The study found out that the employees of China Banking Corporation
Paranaque-Sucat Branch had a Positive attitude towards the use of humor as a
personal coping mechanism for stress in the workplace. They also perceived it as
effective in reducing stress. The common manifestations of stress are employee
irritability and bad mood, something that will greatly affect overall employee
performance. The respondents frequently utilized humor to reduce stress in the
workplace. The most common humor type used is stories and anecdotes, and jokes.
Based on the findings and the attitude of the respondents towards humor, the
researcher concludes that humor is an effective personal coping mechanism for stress
in the workplace. It is also concluded that stress greatly affects the organization and is
therefore something that must be addressed.
The results of the study correspond with the popular view that humor is a great
way of coping. The study proved that humor applies not only in a medical or school
setting as previous studies claimed, but also in a serious organizational setting such as
banks.
