Minimizing Stress

Minimizing Stress in Your Working Environment

The way in which your working environment is arranged can be a major source of stress.

An obvious case is where the people and resources you need are not immediately at hand. Here, physical barriers and distance stand in the way of being able to work efficiently. This obviously obstructs people's achievement of work goals and causes stress accordingly.

A less obvious source of stress comes with the difference between working in an open plan environment and working in individual offices. On one hand, it is much easier to work as a team in an open plan environment because walls and barriers get in the way of good team performance. On the other hand, open plan offices can be immensely distracting when you are doing a job that needs intense concentration. The noise of telephones and of people talking can significantly undermine performance in these jobs.

Open plan offices also lack privacy. This is important because it forces people constantly to “maintain appearances”, and to be constantly sociable when they may be more efficient focusing on the job in hand. This requirement for constant sociability can be a source of stress, as people really need to be able to control the level of social activity they participate in, and the way in which they interact.

Being pragmatic, the layout of your working environment may or may not be something you can control. If it is, try to arrange things so that people have easy access to the people and resources they need. This normally works best by organizing workspaces around the processes people operate, or the types of work that they do. The idea here is to make it as easy as possible for people to do their jobs.

If the layout of your workspace is not in your control, then consider making a well-thought-out suggestion to the person responsible as to how things could be improved. Emphasize the benefits of making the change.

If you need personal space but none is available, try blocking off areas with furniture, screens or blinds. If noise is an issue, then padded screens and plants can help to muffle it. Make sure that you explain to your co-workers why you are doing this; after all you don’t want them to think that you are avoiding their company!

Prevent Job Stress

Ensure that the workload is in line with staff members’ capabilities and resources.

Design jobs to provide meaning, stimulation, and opportunities for employees and volunteers to use their skills.

Clearly define roles and responsibilities.

staff members opportunities to participate in decisions and actions affecting their jobs.
Improve communications — reduce uncertainty about career development and future employment prospects.

Provide opportunities for social interaction among staff members.

Establish work schedules that are compatible with demands and responsibilities outside the job.

Even if we feel secured in a habituated life, the truth remains that changing with the times makes one's position more secure. In today's business climate, you must continually be prepared for changes to avoid stress and survive in the competitive world.

Find and protect whatever time you get to refresh, re-energize and re-motivate yourself. Spend quality time with your family. This can be an excellent source of emotional and moral support

Avoid giving in to alcohol, smoking and other substance abuses while under constant stress.

Develop positive attitudes towards stressful situations in life. Give up negative mental traits such as fear, anger and revengeful attitudes, which actually germinate stress. Try to revert to holistic relaxation and personal growth techniques such as meditation, breathing and exercises, to remodel your lifestyles.

Job Stress and Health

Cardiovascular Disease

Many studies suggest that psychologically demanding jobs that allow employees little control over the work process increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

On the basis of research by NIOSH and many other organizations, it is widely believed that job stress increases the risk for development of back and upper- extremity musculoskeletal disorders.

Psychological Disorders

Several studies suggest that differences in rates of mental health problems (such as depression and burnout) for various occupations are due partly to differences in job stress levels. (Economic and lifestyle differences between occupations may also contribute to some of these problems.)

Workplace Injury

Although more study is needed, there is a growing concern that stressful working conditions interfere with safe work practices and set the stage for injuries at work.
Suicide, Cancer, Ulcers, and Impaired Immune Function

Some studies suggest a relationship between stressful working conditions and these health problems. However, more research is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.

— Encyclopaedia of Occupational Safety and Health

Warnings of Job Stress

Warnings of Job Stress

Headache
Sleep disturbances
Difficulty in concentrating
Short temper
Upset stomach
Job dissatisfaction
Low morale

Reason Of workplace Stress

Job stress may be caused by a complex set of reasons. Some of the most visible causes of workplace stress are:

Job Insecurity

Organized workplaces are going through metamorphic changes under intense economic transformations and consequent pressures. Reorganizations, takeovers, mergers, downsizing and other changes have become major stressors for employees, as companies try to live up to the competition to survive. These reformations have put demand on everyone, from a CEO to a mere executive.

High Demand for Performance

Unrealistic expectations especially in the time of corporate reorganizations, which, sometimes, puts unhealthy and unreasonable pressures on the employee, can be a tremendous source of stress and suffering. Increased workload, extremely long work hours and intense pressure to perform at peak levels all the time for the same pay, can actually leave an employees physically and emotionally drained. Excessive travel and too much time away from family also contribute to an employee's stressors.

Technology

The expansion of technology—computers, pagers, cell phones, fax machines and the Internet—has resulted in heightened expectations for productivity, speed and efficiency, increasing pressure on the individual worker to constantly operate at peak performance levels. Workers working with heavy machinery are under constant stress to remain alert. In this case both the worker and their family members live under constant mental stress. There is also the constant pressure to keep up with technological breakthroughs and improvisations, forcing employees to learn new software all the times.

Workplace Culture

Adjusting to the workplace culture, whether in a new company or not, can be intensely stressful. Making oneself adapt to the various aspects of workplace culture such as communication patterns, hierarchy, dress code if any, workspace and most importantly working and behavioral patterns of the boss as well as the co-workers, can be a lesson of life. Maladjustment to workplace cultures may lead to subtle conflicts with colleagues or even with superiors. In many cases office politics or gossips can be major stress inducers

Personal or Family Problems

Employees going through personal or family problems tend to carry their worries and anxieties to the workplace. When one is in a depressed mood, his unfocused attention or lack of motivation affects his ability to carry out job responsibilities. Job Stress and WomenWomen may suffer from mental and physical harassment at workplaces, apart from the common job stress. Sexual harassment in workplace has been a major source of worry for women, since long. Women may suffer from tremendous stress such as 'hostile work environment harassment', which is defined in legal terms as 'offensive or intimidating behavior in the workplace'. This can consist of unwelcome verbal or physical conduct. These can be a constant source of tension for women in job sectors. Also, subtle discriminations at workplaces, family pressure and societal demands add to these stress factors.

Symptoms of Stress

Stress at work is a relatively new phenomenon of modern lifestyles. The nature of work has gone through drastic changes over the last century and it is still changing at whirlwind speed. They have touched almost all professions, starting from an artist to a surgeon, or a commercial pilot to a sales executive. With change comes stress, inevitably. Professional stress or job stress poses a threat to physical health. Work related stress in the life of organized workers, consequently, affects the health of organizations.

Workplace stress can be defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the employee or volunteer. Workplace stress results from the interaction of the staff member and the conditions of work. Views differ, however, on the importance of the individual characteristics versus working conditions as the primary cause of job stress. Differences in such individual characteristics as personality and coping style are most important in predicting whether certain job conditions will result in stress—in other words, what is stressful for one person may not be a problem for someone else. Other factors to consider in workplace stress include the design of tasks, autocratic management style, work roles, job insecurity or such difficult environmental conditions as noisy or dangerous working conditions.

The signs of job stress vary from person to person, depending on the particular situation, how long the individual has been subjected to the stressors, and the intensity of the stress itself. Typical symptoms of job stress can be:

• Insomnia• Loss of mental concentration,

• Anxiety, stress• Absenteeism

• Depression,• Substance abuse,

• Extreme anger and frustration,

• Family conflict

• Physical illnesses such as heart disease, migraine, headaches, stomach problems, and back problems.

Stress and Performance

Stress and the Loss of Creativity

Creative and innovative thought are is at the heart of the learning organization. An organization's ability to innovate is perhaps the most important source of competitive advantage.

Organizations who know how to stimulate and leverage innovative thought are able to respond more rapidly and resourcefully to market changes and customer requirements than their slower, less innovative competitors. Despite the tremendous contribution innovative thought makes to organizational survival, most organizations don't realize how they prevent such thought from being exercised in their organization. The typical high stress workplace the physiological and psychological affects of stress on the human brain and mind compromises such creativity and innovation.Studies show that when people are under stress, their thought processes narrow.

This narrowing of attention, by definition, prevents divergent thinking, which is the foundation of creativity. Divergent thinking is the ability to see connections between very distantly related ideas and context. It is an important component of "thinking outside the box." When people are stressed, they are able to perceive obvious connections and associations between ideas. When people are in a positive emotional state, their ability to make more distant, novel connections and associations increases. Thus, stress compromises, at the most fundamental neurological level, one of the foundational skills of creativity and innovation.

The Positive Effects of Pressure

Sometimes, however, the pressures and demands that may cause stress can be positive in their effect. One example of this is where sportsmen and women flood their bodies with fight-or-flight adrenaline to power an explosive performance. Another example is where deadlines are used to motivate people who seem bored or unmotivated. We will discuss this briefly here, but throughout the rest of this site we see stress as a problem that needs to be solved.

Negative Thoughts Crowd Our Minds

We are all aware that we have a limited short-term memory: If you try to memorize a long list of items, you will not be able to remember more than six or eight items unless you use formal memory techniques. Similarly, although we have huge processing power in our brains, we cannot be conscious of more than a few thoughts at any one time. In fact, in a very real way, we have a limited “attentional capacity”.

As we become uncomfortably stressed, distractions, difficulties, anxieties and negative thinking begin to crowd our minds. This is particularly the case where we look at our definition of stress, i.e. that it occurs when a person perceives that “demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize.” These thoughts compete with performance of the task for our attentional capacity. Concentration suffers, and focus narrows as our brain becomes overloaded.

Employee Stress/Workplace Stress

Workplace Stress

what is stress?

Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary defined stress as "the result produced when a structure, system or organism is acted upon by forces that disrupt equilibrium or produce strain". Generally, stress is said to be human body's reaction to various organizational and social factors called as - Stressors. The fast-approaching project delivery deadline can be a stressor. The fact that you have to renew your car insurance within the next two days, but have no time for it, can be a stressor. Even a seemingly simple reason like your inability to help your child prepare for an admission test at a prestigious school can be a stressor. There can be scores of stressors surrounding you and you might not even be aware of their impact on your well-being. Stress is not always harmful. Sometimes, it can in fact prove to be productive. For example, the fast approaching project delivery deadline might succeed in bringing out your best performance. However, when the stress becomes unmanageable, it starts having a negative impact on the individual. Employers should know where to draw the line to bring out the best and not the worst out of their employees.

Workplace Stress

United States National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has defined workplace stress as "the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker. Job stress can lead to poor health and even injury."

It simply means that workplace stress generally arises when there is a mismatch between the nature or magnitude of the job to be done and the employee desires and capabilities. Further, the definition also categorizes workplace stress into physical stress and psychological or emotional stress.

Every employee feels work-related stress. That's normal. Complaining about it is normal too. Many employers take it in stride that they complain about their jobs, their bosses, their co-workers. So is that occasional outburst that just releases enough pressure to allow you to calm down and get back to work. What is not normal is sustained and prolonged stress. Kronos, Inc. a human resources consulting firm, recently conducted a Harris poll of American workers. Half of these American workers say work leaves them "overtired and overwhelmed." That alone is not alarming until you dig a little deeper and realize these workers develop chronic, often serious, stress-induced health problems.

Workplace stress has been on human resource professional's radar for years. But management considered the solution as soft stuff. A few execs threw HR a bone and agreed to offer “warm and fuzzy feel-good” training as long as it didn't interfere with business or cost too much. Others expected employees just to tough it out.

That is until recently. What always seems to get attention in the boardrooms however is money, especially the type that eats away at the bottom lines. With skyrocketing insurance and health care costs now getting the full attention of nearly every executive and small business owner, many solutions are focused on what many HR and organizational professionals knew for years - workplace stress is not only a major obstacle to continuous improvements in productivity, but the root cause of much of the increase in workplace health care costs.

To confirm the connection, all you have to do is watch and listen to workers and the link between the bottom line and chronic stress is obvious. Donna is a forty-something mother of two children. Described by everyone who knows her as loyal, hard-working, and generous, Donna doesn't believe it does any good to complain. “Everyone has their own problems”, she says. “I'm just grateful that mine aren't worse.”

Rising workplace stress is a large albatross hanging around the necks of workers and employers. According to recent studies of the subject by the U.S. Department of Labor, the American Psychological Association, Yankelovich Monitor and CCH Inc., there was a 20.3 percent increase in job absences caused by anxiety, stress and neurotic disorders. Stress affects morale, productivity and safety. Developing a healthy workplace can pay off in reversing this trend. Inviting employees to have a say about their work environment in an honest and open fashion can change the workplace culture and reduce stress. Other successful management practices include improving communication, increasing staff members’ decision making, offering flexible job scheduling, encouraging breaks and working in team toward a common goal, and leadership and professional development opportunities. Providing such services as language classes, child care, onsite flu shots or health screening, and tuition reimbursement programs also help balance work–life issues thus reducing stress. One winner of APA’s 2003 Best Practice award allows injured employees time to recuperate and helps them ease back into work by doing light-duty work at community nonprofit organizations—all while receiving their normal compensation. Another offered three months’ notice and job placement services to employees affected by layoffs.

Workplace Stress Defined

Workplace stress can be defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the employee or volunteer. Workplace stress results from the interaction of the staff member and the conditions of work. Views differ, however, on the importance of the individual characteristics versus working conditions as the primary cause of job stress. Differences in such individual characteristics as personality and coping style are most important in predicting whether certain job conditions will result in stress—in other words, what is stressful for one person may not be a problem for someone else. Other factors to consider in workplace stress include the design of tasks, autocratic management style, work roles, job insecurity or such difficult environmental conditions as noisy or dangerous working conditions.

Hazards Associated With Workplace Stress

Workplace stress can have physiological effects, which include headache, sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating, digestive problems and depression, on employees and volunteers. The effects of job stress on chronic diseases are more difficult to see because chronic diseases take a long time to develop and can be influenced by many factors other than stress. Nonetheless, evidence is rapidly accumulating to suggest that stress plays an important role in several types of chronic health problems—especially cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders, and psychological disorders. Lack of concentration or stress reaction can lead to workplace injuries.
Dealing with workplace stress should encompass the staff member and the job. The person should have the opportunity to participate in such wellness programs as stress reduction, exercise, and weight maintenance.

By ensuring that the workload is in line with each staff member’s capabilities and resources, the level of frustration that a person feels could be reduced. Design jobs to provide meaning, stimulation, and opportunities for employees and volunteers to use their skills. Clearly define staff members’ roles and responsibilities. Give them opportunities to participate in decisions and actions affecting their jobs. Try to establish work schedules that are compatible with demands and responsibilities outside the job.

Job design is also an important factor. Good job design accommodates a person’s mental and physical abilities. The following job design guidelines will help minimize or control workplace stress. Where stress in the workplace is caused, for example, by a physical agent, it is best to control it at its source. If the workplace is too loud, implement control measures to deal with the noise wherever possible. If a person is experiencing pain from repetitive strain, the workstation can be redesigned to reduce repetitive and strenuous movements.

Teach employees and volunteers to relax by taking several deep breaths throughout the day, or taking regular stretch breaks. Stretching is simple enough to do anywhere and takes only a few seconds. Help individuals take charge of their situations by setting aside 10 minutes at the beginning of each day to prioritize and organize their day’s tasks and responsibilities. Encourage them to be honest with colleagues, but be constructive and make practical suggestions, and be realistic about what they can change.