Stress-should it be fought on two levels?
Teaching stress management techniques to employees benefits employers by reducing absenteeism, caused by stress-related illnesses, and by increasing employees' effectiveness on the job.
Most worksite stress programs are designed to teach employees skills that help them manage the negative effects of stress, learn to be more effective in responding to stressful situations, and overcome the physical effects of chronic stress. Other stress management programs require that management, or a committee of a cross-section of employees and management, take a look at the causes of stress within their organization and take steps to improve working conditions that cause the stress.
Stress management program techniques
Techniques for management of stress fall into two basic categories-those that seek to prevent and reduce stress and those that teach people how to cope with stress that cannot be prevented or reduced.
By developing healthy corporate environments, companies can restructure their workplaces and redesign jobs to reduce stress. Individual employees can pursue healthier lifestyles to reinforce that they are taking control of their own lives.
Busy-ness does not equal productivity. Frantic, disorderly activity is counter productive to an organization's goals because not only is too much stress incompatible with the vibrant, creative environment a company needs to stay competitive in the intense marketplace, it actually may make employees sick. Organizations that want to get involved in their employees' wellness and that believe their employees are unnecessarily stressed out should consider the following suggestions:
Give employees specific, challenging, yet attainable outcomes they are expected to meet. When people know they are working toward a clear-cut goal with a clear-cut deadline, they tend to regulate their own workday in order to meet it.
Put systems in place for measuring productivity. In the business world, the bottom line is, of course, the bottom line. The whole point of goal setting is to help employees become more productive. That's why you msut be sure not to confuse activity with progress. Put systems in place for measuring productivity and live by them.
Make the workday meaningful. When employees are fully engaged in their work, they're less likely to perceive intensity as stress.
They will be motivated and rewarded by their task list rather than feeling oppressed by it. Therefore, make sure to give your employees challenging and meaningful assignments that stimulate and inspire them.
Reward employees after they meet a challenge. A positive attitude goes a long way toward managing stress. It helps maintain a sense of perspective and allows an employee to view problems as challenges, perhaps even motivators. While you should refrain from giving employees Pollyanna-like
speeches about accentuating the positive, you can adjust their attitudes
by showing a little appreciation. When an employee goes the extra mile or meets a seemingly impossible deadline, reward him or her for a job well done, and make the reward meaningful.
Make employees take lunch breaks, vacations and even mental health days. Do your employees wolf down burgers at their desks while replying to a volley of emails? Do they take work home every night? This is not a work ethic to praise, it is one to discourage. Insist that employees take lunch breaks and vacations. After an all-nighter, consider giving employees a spontaneous day off to recharge.
Start a workplace health club. Too much stress makes employees sick. So, if you have an office full of overworked, overwhelmed employees living at their desks and sucking down fast food, you needen't be psychic to predict what's going to happen. Make good health a workplace priority either formally by implementing a wellness program, or informally by starting a lunchtime walking group.
Individual efforts. Individually, employees can improve their skills in relaxation; coping with stress through recognition, time management, life planning and emotional control; and interpersonal relations through such things as assertiveness training, attentive listening, effective communication, conflict resolution and team building.
Stress management class content
A company may develop education classes or self-help materials in-house or purchase assistance and materials from outside providers. Classes and distributed materials aim to help employees:
Identify and recognize signals of stress and stressors.
Cope with stress through relaxation/meditation; modifying self-image; emotional controls and outlets; time management; assertion; nutrition; and fitness activities.
Relate to others by listening; self-expression; dealing directly with difficult people; and developing a network of supportive people, generally family and friends.
<p>Teaching stress management techniques to employees benefits employers by reducing absenteeism, caused by stress-related illnesses, and by increasing employees' </p>
Stress-should it be fought on two levels?
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