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We all know that stress levels in the workplace are reaching unreasonable levels. And most sensible human beings'll agree that we must take action to fix this problem.
10. Unfortunately, sooner or later youll have to prove to some authority that you are doing things to combat unreasonable stress. Therefore keep a running and up-to-date record just a simple book - of all the things pages coloring is doing to reduce stress in the workplace. Record everything. For example, if you run a Recruitment Interviewing Course, record how you amended the content to include an hour or so on testing to see if candidates can cope with the stress of a particular job.
8. Monitor stress levels.
No, you dont need an 80-question stress climate survey or bureaucratic stress management standards. Just twice a year issue a half-page with one question: For you personally give three things the organisation could do to reduce unreasonable stress. Make this an anonymous exercise and publish the results with actions taken.
5. Offer people-management/leadership workshops to managers and supervisors. Many of them dont know how to get the best from their people. Unnecessary tension is caused by ignorance of how to speak to and treat people effectively in the modern workplace. Often supervisors dont know theyre a source of stress nobody tells them. Keep it simple: one day is enough and stay away models and theories of leadership!
However, many government agencies and, I must say, some consultants are all for creating yet another paper and theoretical exercise that will have little benefit to the employees or the business. Managers dont need lectures on how much stress diminishes peoples creativity and productivity, increases absenteeism, extended sick leave and able to result in tribunal payouts of tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds. Managers want assistance not lectures.
2. Have a clear, written and concise procedure that people can follow if pages find stress getting out of hand. What can people do if they feel under stress? Who should they speak to? What do they do if its their boss who is the lead to of stress? What help can the business offer? Make sure employees know they have a responsibility to look after their physical and mental health.
Here are just ten you could takeoff with.
9. Take time to listen and act. coloring a stress issue is raised, be seen to be taking it seriously. Make time to listen, document the topics and then take action. Whilst keeping confidences publicise what action has been taken.
Stress Management Shouldn't Create More Stress. 10 Ways To Reduce Unreasonable Stress as well as Boost Perf
3. Give people clear job descriptions so they know what is required of them and revisit the description every six months to update them. You can do this in the annual or (better) twice-yearly appraisal Involve people in writing and re-negotiating job descriptions. Specifically consult about what can be done to reduce stress and record the answer.
1. Ensure your Employee Handbook and Induction has many wording in it that shows that management knows about the unfavorable effects of too much stress. Explain what people must do if they feel under stress. Go over the top to show that management wants and welcomes discussion reporting of excess stress. Who ever is giving the induction must state this orally too.
7. Offer a time management workshop. Its amazing how people can take better control when they know its okay to say no, to scrap a meeting, to scrap a report, to cut short appointments and to find better, quicker less burdensome ways of doing things. Most people get bogged down because they dont think in terms of time management and even when they do, some are too afraid to approach the boss. They will think youll think, theyre lazy or uncooperative.
Rather concentrate on straightforward and easily applied measures to decrease stress and at the same time show employees and regulatory authorities and legal courts that your organisation does stake stress seriously.
Copyright (c) 2004 Dr William Robb. Electronic distribution to ezines, friends and colleagues permitted but publication in print prohibited without written permission.
4. Keep referring to stress in newsletters, speeches and meetings. Put stress reduction on the agenda of management meetings and have a set section in the newsletter. Senior managers should include a mention of stress in at least one speech per year.
Debate about what stress is, the relative responsibilities of employers and employees and what systems to use will coloring pages on and on. You may as well just get on and do what commonsense and good leadership dictates.
Do whatever you can to escape the form filling that supposed ensure you meet some stress management standards. Avoid like the coloring what are now being called stress risk assessments. These will require the resources of a entire time employee and lead to even more stress!
