Unveiling Champions
LEADERSHIP
Stress At Work: Do You
Manage Or Cope With It?
By George Mbithi
I
recently wrote about how we are
dehumanizing
organizations.
In
that article, I elaborated how we can
reduce work-related stress, and stressed
how leadership of organizations bear the
biggest responsibility in humanization
of organizations. Most of the reviews
I received for that article were readers
explaining how stressful their work-places
are, and I thought… should I advise them to
cope with the stress or manage it? Is there a
way of fully eliminating work-related stress?
I don’t think the option of elimination is
humanly possible, but we can at least cope
and manage, right? term, you may experience pressure to
meet a deadline or to fulfil a challenging
obligation. But when work stress becomes
chronic, it can be overwhelming - and
harmful to both physical and emotional
health.
Before we go on, first understand this: any
job can have, and most likely will have,
stressful elements. It does not matter if
you love what you do; you will certainly
encounter stressful moments. In the short- Common Sources of Work
Stress
Unfortunately, such long-term stress is
all too common. In fact, several surveys
across the world have consistently found
that work is cited as a significant source
of stress by a majority of people across the
globe. You can't always avoid the tensions
that occur on the job. Yet you can take
steps to manage work-related stress.
Certain factors tend to go hand-in-hand
Any job can have, and most likely will
have, stressful elements. It does not mat-
ter if you love what you do; you will cer-
tainly encounter stressful moments. In
the short-term, you may experience pres-
sure to meet a deadline or to fulfil a chal-
lenging obligation. But when work stress
becomes chronic, it can be overwhelming
- and harmful to both physical and emo-
tional health.
66 MAL28/19 ISSUE
with work-related stress. Some common
workplace stressors are: Excessively high
workloads, with unrealistic deadlines
making people feel rushed, under
pressure and overwhelmed; Insufficient
workloads, making people feel that
their skills are being under-used; A
lack of control over work activities; A
lack of interpersonal support or poor
working relationships leading to a sense
of isolation; People being asked to do
a job for which they have insufficient
experience or training; and Difficulty
settling into a new promotion, both
in terms of meeting the new role's
requirements and adapting to possible
changes in relationships with colleagues.
The stressors string on with concerns
about job security, lack of career
opportunities, or level of pay; Bullying
or harassment; A blame culture within
your business where people are afraid
to get things wrong or to admit to
making mistakes; Weak or ineffective
management which leaves employees
feeling they don't have a sense of
direction.
Or over-management, which can
leave employees feeling under-valued
and affect their self-esteem; Multiple
reporting lines for employees, with each
manager asking for their work to be
prioritised; Failure to keep employees
informed about significant changes to
the business, causing them uncertainty
about their future; and A poor physical
working environment, e.g. excessive
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VOCAL COACHING)
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