An Empirical Analysis of Factors Causing Stress to Cottage Industry Workers in India

Abstract

India is fast emerging as an economic super power, but still the heart of India resides in rural India. Though agriculture is the backbone of rural economy, less explored cottage industries support a large portion of the rural population of India. Cottage industries are responsible for preserving the cultural heritage of India. Cottage industries are the small businesses carried on at home involving very less number of people who manufacture goods involving traditional arts and crafts that they have inherited from their ancestors. Distinct goods produced by cottage industries have huge demand not only within India but also in International market. But in this golden era cottage industries are loosing its charm and are finding it difficult to retain its skilled artisans due to lack of proper human resource management. The artisans and craftsmen of cottage industries are the ignored lot. The problems faced by them are less explored. This paper is an attempt to understand work stress faced by these artisans and to single out the major factor that cause stress to these cottage industry employees.