1:11 PM
The causes of stress in procurement are much the same as the causes of stress in other activities. What is new is that those engaged in procurement work are increasingly subject to stress. Why is this?
It is because procurement now has a higher profile in many organisations. Increased competition and low inflation have forced organisations to find better value for money and to spend less but get more. In the public sector, it is no longer possible to rely on inflation to provide the money and, in the private sector, low inflation and increased competition make it difficult to hide inefficiency, particularly inefficient spending.
An activity which had previously been seen as something of a backwater is now under pressure to generate real value. However, procurement is still not seen as a stressful occupation. Consequently, procurement practitioners are often quite ignorant of the sources of stress and how they may combat them. A problem which all organisations will be facing is how to keep their procurement practitioners active and keen to add value but protect them from the stress associated with their roles.
The obvious answer is for stress related to the working conditions of procurement professionals to be recognised and identified and for procurement professionals to understand the reasons for stress and how to avoid it.