A Brief Analysis of Jamal Khawajas article, Workplace Stress
This 4-page undergraduate paper analyses the article “Workplace Stress” by Jamal Khawaja, and notes that Khawaja’s article is, overall, a good introduction to the topic of technologically-related workplace stress. Khawaja basic argument is that the computer technology inherent in office environments to disenfranchises workers, generating stress. While this argument is persuasive, it would be even more so if Khawaja considered other forms of technology, which produce differing forms of stress in the workplace. Khawaja does not really consider, for example, computer production in industry, or computer surveillance, or computer databases of clients, ech of which may impact employee stress in unique ways. The key problem with Khawaja’s article however, is his answer to the stress problem in the workplace. Khawaja suggests flexible working hours, increased telecommuting opportunities, greater diversity of job duties, and clearer guidelines governing the use of technology in the workplace as ways to empower employees and reduce stress. Many of Khawaja’s suggestions have the potential to generate more stress in the workplace. Nevertheless, Khawaja’s article has the potential to be very useful, especially regarding his casual reference to ethical implications of computer use. Khawaja’s brief mention of ethics has the potential to raise another discourse, one which suggests that it is the use of technology - and not just the technology itself - which creates the most stress, largely due to ethical dilemmas.
