on the basis of location. Reasons for absenteeism can be assessed upon return to work, and, so long as a confidential and non-punitive environment is created in which staff have full confidence, stress-related elements can be brought out and remedial action taken where required. Turnover may be harder to assess from this point of view but it should be tackled if possible. Properly structured exit interviews produce information and insights into reasons why staff leave particular locations or occupations. Many of these will have a stress element. Even where staff is moving on to greater opportunities at a larger organization or at a better location, it may have been frustration with the present set-up that caused them to look for new jobs in the first place. Reconstruction: problem indicators

• History of unresolved previous conflict

• Security issues egg presence of paramilitary, weapons inch landmines, ongoing human rights violations

• Geopolitical stability

• Unstable political system, little democratic experience, lack of legitimacy for government

• Housing and property rights

• Inadequate or corrupt police, courts

• Poor social cohesion, intercommoned disharmony

• Ethnic grievances, ‘religious’ tensions, “scapegoating”

• Declining, uncertain economy

• Financial dependency on drugs or arms

• Poor social infrastructure, undeveloped social services

• Unemployment esp. youth

• Lack of livelihood resources

• Crime, banditry, drugs, sex industry

The organizations need to understanding stress as a cultural pressures and work within cultural, social, and ethical constraints. Humanitarian interventions occur at the

The organization has set of mission and vision values to give the importance and respect to the employees and the values and standards generate the required support an acceptance Values and standards

• Important to have principles for standards of care especially in the difficult situations

• Degrees of prescription and description: standards guide reflection and legislative requirements

• Value of teams being innovative, adaptable, according to needs on the ground

• Independence of agency is useful in situations where national administration is weak

• What is needed for doing the right thing by the people, not just risk management liabilities of agency? Guidelines for staff care

1. Written plan for reducing staff stress

2. Screens staff before hiring & assignment

3. Pre-employment briefings & training

4. Ongoing support to deal with expectable stress

5. Ongoing monitoring of stress in the field

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6. Responds to critical incidents, unusual stress

7. Stress debriefing at end of assignment

8. Practical and emotional support after assignment

9. Written policy for what is provided to those adversely affected by work trauma Culture stress is the adjustment stage in which people accept the new environment, adopting new ways of thinking and doing things so that they feel like they belong to the new culture. This takes years, and some cross-cultural workers never complete it. This may go on and on.

What causes culture stress?

Many factors enter into the amount of culture stress one feels while living in another culture. Here are some of the major ones.

• Involvement. The more you become personally involved in the culture, the more culture stress you may feel. The tourist, the business person or someone from the diplomatic corps not committed to being the incarnation of Christ in that culture, may feel little culture stress.

• Values. The greater the differences in values between your home culture and your host culture, the greater the stress. Values of cleanliness, responsibility, and use of time may cause stress for years. Cultures may appear similar on the surface but have broad differences in deeper values.

• Communication. Learning the meanings of words and rules of grammar are only a small part of being able to communicate effectively. The whole way of thinking, the common knowledge base, and the use of non-verbal are necessary and come only with great familiarity with the culture.

• Temperament. The greater the difference in your personality and the average personality in the culture, the greater the stress. A reserved person may find it difficult to feel at home where most people are outgoing extroverts. An extrovert may never feel at ease in a reserved culture.

• Entry—re-entry. Most cross-cultural workers, unlike immigrants, live in two cultures and may never feel fully at home in either. Every few years they change their place of residence, never fully adapting to the culture they are in at the time.

• Children. The more your children internalize the values of your host culture and the more you realize that they will be quite different from you, the more stress you may feel.

• Multinational teams. Although effectiveness of the ministry may increase, working together in your organization with people from cultures other than your host culture often adds to the culture stress.

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