SELF INFLICTED CATASTROPHE: BURDEN OF EXECUTIVE STRESS MANAGEMENT, IN ENUGU STATE UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

The high rate of health disorder, death and mental overload has become a source of worry in the work place in Nigeria today. This malady is more prevalent among the high level manpower (the executives), the university system being the worst hit. Therefore, this study investigates the burden of executive stress and management in Enugu State University of Science and Technology. Descriptive survey research was adopted. Data were elicited using questionnaire in-depth interview, focus group discussion guide. The researcher’s interacted with colleagues via focus group discussion. The questionnaire rate was very high. Major findings indicates that excessive work load and inability of the executives to implement stress management strategies has increased the rate of stress. This heightens the increase of ‘slump and die’ problem in the University. The stress generated maintained outside working hours correlated significantly with a lower quality of recovery during the workday. It is necessary to prioritize strategies that help improve stress management by executive through the improvement of tools and strategies that promote greater relaxation outside work hours