ABOUT WORK RELATED STRESS

Statistics indicate that three out of four workers experience stress at their workplace. This could well be the reason as to why workplace stress has now been classified as a ‘global epidemic’. There is more to workplace stress than just physical and this is more than validated by the fact that time off due to stress and depression costs Europe over €94 billion a year. Thus it is scarcely surprising that reducing workplace stress is a priority focus of industries worldwide.

STRESS RELATED EXPENSES DECODED

Some common work related stress linked expense indicators include increased absenteeism, higher employee turnover, and medical insurance and even worker compensation.

STRESS MECHANICS

Contrary to popular belief stress is not always bad considering that a certain amount of stress is critical for optimal functioning and work related productivity. To elaborate the case in point it is not unusual for stress levels to stimulate creativity and hence enhance productivity. There can scarcely be an athlete or a working professional who has attained peak performance without being stressed to some level.

Conversely it is in instances where stress levels are inordinately high that it can become uncontrollable and could even lead to a significant drop in productivity and morale. Some of the more dominant triggers for stress from a personal perspective could well include buying a new house, marriage and even divorce. On the contrary workplace triggers may well include firings, change in role and responsibilities, assigned work unsuitable for skill set or experience, unpleasant interactions with the boss or even altered working hours.

Adopting some or all of these options would well help reduce stress levels in work environments significantly.

REDUCING WORK RELATED STRESS LEVELS

It is evident that unusually high workplace stress levels can lead to lowered efficiency and even impaired productivity at the workplace. Thus it is critical that you reduce stress at work by focusing on factors within your control.

The new age workplace is home to stress situations considering that layoffs, cost down and budget cuts are a rule rather than an exception. This could well lead to a fear of the unknown or an uncertain future which is best managed by controlling yourself. This is not surprising considering that it is motherhood knowledge that those who can control their personal anxiety levels invariably find it easier to handle stress from those around them.

COPING WITH WORK RELATED STRESS

When it comes to reducing stress levels in work environments there are an array of options:

1. Identifying stress triggers

Stress is essentially response behaviour to stimuli and while some may respond with a high degree of stress to a particular situation there would be others who might not be fazed by a similar situation. The cardinal rule is to identify situations or people at the workplace who are triggering stress and either modify or eradicate the source.

2. Mounting Responsibilities

To illustrate the case in point if you find that you are constantly behind on your work due to demanding work situations the trigger may be elsewhere. To elaborate you may evidently need to devote more time to your work which is best achieved by either starting your day earlier or even carrying work home and you would discover that you have taken an effective countermeasure to reduce stress at work.

3. Realistic Goals

A common cause of workplace stress is not attaining your goals. There could be more to it than mere inefficiency of operations. It could well be a viable proposition to work in close consult with your leaders and colleagues and set or modify your goals so that they are more realistic. This would invariably need to be followed up with close monitoring and progress reviews so as to ensure that you achieve your modified goals and targets.

4. Time Allocation

One of the most common causes of workplace stress is not having enough time for a particular project. While the number of working hours are limited your potential to use the time available is immense. It is not unusual to have projects at hand which are complex and would thus demand more time than others. Thus if you would like to reduce stress at work it is critical that you allocate your time strategically. This is simply about allocating more time for challenging projects thus making it evident that there is more to creating a task list than just dividing the time available equally amongst all your tasks.