Dr. Sears has an uncanny ability to listen and to analyze a situation—her suggestions were organized, straightforward and on point. I am very grateful for her assistance, and would not hesitate to recommend her services to any company or individual seeking conflict resolution or effective communication training.
The World Health Organization has deemed stress as a "worldwide epidemic" and a major cost to companies in the US with estimates of more than $300 billion a year in absenteeism, poor performance and health care costs. In fact, Lee (2005) states "stress is implicated in 60 to 90 percent of medical problems that can cost the average company up to 45 percent of its after-tax profits" ... "40 Percent of employee turnover relates to stress!" Yet most managers have no idea what stress is costing them in bottom-line dollars and that it is eating away at their profits.
Underlying much of the stress in the workplace is the perceptions employees have of the environment, difficult coworker relationships and poor communication practices. When workers are stressed they overreact, thus alienating coworkers. This hostility undermines the teamwork needed to create world-class customer service and generates a negative workplace atmosphere. These behaviors affect workers' in terms of decreases in work effort, time on the job, performance and productivity. Think of what happens to the goals of an organization when workers are stressed and perform at minimal standards.
The ability of humans to think and project is a main component of a stress-filled life. This is a very different reaction than an animal has when faced with a danger. When an impending attack occurs, animals physically respond to the dangerous situation which allows them to either flee the circumstances or stay and fight. The hypothalamus in the brain triggers a bodily reaction which initiates a sequence of chemical reactions which allows the animal to respond to the threat. When the fight or flight response is activated, adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol are released into the blood stream and immediately cause dramatic changes in the body. Breathing increases, and blood is directed to muscles and limbs to supply the energy for running or fighting. Pupils dilate, awareness increases and the perception of pain diminishes. All this is to prepare the animal physically and psychologically for the challenge ahead. After an animal is faced with such challenges, their body returns to the normal state it was prior to the event.
Humans, however, may respond differently. Although the physical reaction is the same, our ability to project can place us in fight or flight reactions to threats whether perceived or actual. How often have we gotten in our heads and thought … What if? … What if?... What if?. How often do you worry or ruminate over issues that never become reality. We are faced with a stressful time and instead of focusing on all the things we can influence, we become victims and worry about things we have no control over. This places our bodies into constant fight of flight mode. When our actual survival is threatened, there is not better response to have, yet what happens to our bodies when they are constantly placed in fight or flight with chemical reactions continually occurring? And what are the modern day saber tooth tigers that we face?
In the turbulent environment of today's workforce, external events threaten our very existence. Modern day threats that people face may be downsizing, mergers or unforeseen environmental events. In addition everyday hassles may accumulate and have the same affect as a catastrophic event. A fight with a boss or coworker, a traffic jam or technology failure can also leave you feeling helpless. How can you respond to these issues in the workplace? Can you flee? Can you fight? Often you have to sit and try to control yourself while your mind churns out endless talk which constantly ignites the fight or flight response. We begin to imagine threats that do not exist and exaggerate the consequences of an event.
When you consider stress in the workplace, it is important to think of what happens to a person when stressed. It is imperative to realize that stress causes physical, emotional and behavioral problems which affect your personal and professional relationships in many ways. Let's look at a scenario to see how it may play out in the workplace. You, an employee, have a disagreement with a spouse or child before leaving home for work. As you drive, traffic begins to back up and you fear you will miss an important meeting. Irritation is exacerbated by the traffic situation which gives you the time to think and project about what will happen if the meeting is missed. You mentally project that your job may be in jeopardy because of this event and feel scared. Upon arriving at work, your usual parking spot has been taken and you need to find another place to park. By the time you get inside, you are physically and emotionally in chaos. A coworker reminds you that you are late for a meeting which results in a verbal tirade at the coworker, and you enter the meeting agitated, disheveled and unorganized. You have a headache and trouble focusing. You leave the meeting convinced that this is the end of your career, and spend the rest of the day mentally playing out the future. The boss does not say too much, so you mentally fill in the blanks. Unable to complete any of the items on your "To Do" list, you spend the rest of the day updating your resume. In the hall, you pass the coworker that met you when you arrived that day and finds the employee upset. "Overly sensitive" is the label you put on this individual.
Stress in the workplace is not new, but due to environmental issues facing organizations, it is a greater threat to employee health and well-being than ever before. When stress becomes excessive it triggers physical and emotional reactions in the body that are harmful to both the employee and the business. Early warning signs of stress according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health include:
When early warning signs occur, it is imperative to deal with them immediately since chronic conditions develop over time and may be life threatening such as cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal conditions, and psychological disorders. Offering resources at a Health Fair in a Fortune 500 company hooked employees up with resources such as massage, reiki and yoga that they had not experienced before and reported that it helped their stress levels remarkably.
How you manage your organization during stressful situations has a dramatic effect on the people you oversee. Are you resilient? Do you panic? Is you glass half full or half empty? The actions of a leader can determine how others see the stressful situation. Do you model good stress management techniques? Do you take care of yourself so you are able to help your workers with their stress? Assess how you communicate to workers as the emotions of the managers are transmitted to the employees, as it is imperative that you exude confidence. Your behaviors must be consistent with the beliefs and values of the organization no matter what the source of the stress. An awareness of the issues that cause anxiety for you, can help you manage your behavior instead of communicating insecurity to your people.
As a manager you must also find the sources of stress within the workplace, which negatively impact your bottom line, and can be corrected. Do team members communicate with each other? Are there gaps in organizational communication which elevate the stress levels? Is your communication honest so it increases the level of trust employees have in you and the organization? Reina and Reina (2006) have found that "trust is both the adhesive that holds organizational relationships together and the oil that lubricates its performance. Although of course trust building and healing are important during stable times, they are critical during times of change."
As a leader you can also offer services and help employees become aware of stress management techniques. If your organization has an Employee Assistance Program, this can be a good time to offer their services. In addition, if your organization has a newsletter or message board, this is a good avenue to communicate stress management techniques, such as:
People deal with stress differently, so encourage your employees to experiment with different techniques and strategies until they find what works for them.
Managers are the key to organizational culture. When a business encourages employee participation from the bottom up, institutes policies that take into account the needs of employees, and empowers them to do their best even in challenging times, the organization minimizes the influence of stress. By modeling confidence, communicating clearly and offering stress management techniques to your employees, you, as a manager, can become the foundation for a resilient organization.