HARMFUL STRESS ISN’T JUST THE LOOMING DEADLINE, OVERLOADED INBOX, BUDGET CRUNCH
OR COMMUTER TRAFFIC ON THE WAY TO WORK. STRESS INVOLVES HAVING TOO MUCH
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THOSE PROBLEMS IN THE WORKPLACE OVER WHICH WE HAVE TOO
LITTLE CONTROL.
than ever (three months per year lon-
ger than their German counterparts
and one month longer than workers in
Japan), according to the American Insti-
tute of Stress. That leaves more opportu-
nity for stress to develop.
Statistics from the American Psy-
chological Association Center for Or-
ganizational Excellence revealed that
65 percent of employees cited work
as a significant source of psychologi-
cal symptoms of stress, which may in-
clude depression, anxiety, agitation,
moodiness, anger, a feeling of being
overwhelmed, loneliness and isolation.
Even worse, more than a third experi-
ence chronic stress, which includes
physical symptoms such as low en-
ergy, headaches, upset stomach, tense
muscles, chest pain, insomnia, and fre-
quent colds and infections.
The APA also researched the causes
of stress in the U.S., finding “job pres-
sure” to be No. 1. That includes factors
such as coworker tension, bosses and
work overload. Money, which includes
loss of job and reduced retirement,
came in as the second factor. Health,
relationships and poor nutrition round
out the top five. Most of these stressors
seem to be outside of our control, re-
sulting in dangerously harmful stress
in our lives.
But are they really? Laurie Erdman,
a business coach, writer and speaker,
has a different take: Stress begins in
our minds via a thought or belief. Stress
doesn’t come from the environment
outside; it comes from inside. If that
definition sounds a bit simplistic, it al-
ludes to the fact that the job alone is
not the only stressor. The relationship
between the person and the environ-
ment also matters. Some people may
thrive in a time-urgent, pressure-cook-
er life, as long as they perceive them-
selves as in control. These same people
would become ill if forced to work on
an assembly line with no expectations
and no responsibility.
HOW EMPLOYEES CAN TAKE
OWNERSHIP OF THEIR STRESS
Every individual is different, and what
works for you might not work for your
peers, but here are some practical tips to
get you started:
1
Train yourself to neutralize stress
through understanding what it is and
from where it comes.
2
Practice stress. Repeated exposure to
stressful situations can change your
body’s biological response. When
your stress hormones become less re-
sponsive, you will handle stress better
when it inevitably arises.
3
Replace harmful thoughts with more
positive, gratitude-filled thoughts.
4
Meditate, exercise, eat healthy.
Taking care of your body makes
you more adept at handling the
psychological impact of stress.
also do what they can to increase their
employees’ sense of control.
1
Listen. The act of listening can help
increase an employee’s sense of
control.
2
Encourage workplace camaraderie by
making time for socialization during
and after business hours.
3
Help employees strategize workflow,
replacing multitasking with “serial
mono-tasking,” in which employees
dedicate their focus and attention to
one task at a time, therefore eliminat-
ing distractions and frantic thoughts.
4
Limit unplanned overtime.
5
Consider more flextime options so em-
ployees can work in various environ-
ments that allow them to reduce stress.
The stakes are high. Awareness that
“helplessness” and “lack of control”
are the villains in this scenario will
lead managers and employees to iden-
tify and alleviate at least some of the
causes. n
Jessica Kriegel, Ph.D., is an organiza-
tional development consultant and an
expert on generational issues. For more,
visit www.jessicakriegel.com.
The greatest tool is acknowledge-
ment that perhaps it’s not just your job
or your boss, but rather how well you
identify impossible demands and take
ownership of your responses to them.
HOW MANAGERS CAN HELP
Given the deleterious effects of stress in
the workplace on employee health, mo-
rale and productivity, managers must
How do you handle
workplace stress?
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