Stress and the workplace - finding that sweet spot.
Is stress once again on the rise? More palpably in the air? Business rate hikes, post recession, pre Brexit, and the inauguration of Trump are all significant instigators of challenge, demanding we build resilience as opposed to caving under more weight.
People are talking about pressure; but how does this translate in the workplace? And how can resilience be created?
If stress is almost intrinsic in our evolution, then the trick now more than ever is to find what stress management guru, Albrecht called the 'sweet spot'
Stress isn’t all bad
It sharpens the focus, engages the brain and enables problems to be solved..
But we need to always have half an eye on building strength in the first place to not get burnt out. We clearly need just the right amount of stress, neither too much, nor too little.
Where does the sweet spot lie?
It’s a widely recognised phenomena that employees physically leave the office, but they don’t leave their work. Can stress be managed so it's at a level that can help drive purpose and motivation, yet neither overwhelm nor exhaust people?
Should we follow France and venture down the road of creating a boundary between the workplace and home, and pass a law re the use of the mobile out of office hours?
Or what else can we do?
Tips for building strength in the workplace
After completing a big project, give people time to bounce back.
2) Value the word ‘recharge.’ It’s got a long term vision. Be open to flexible schedules and remote work opportunities -think bigger picture.
3) Get a bodywork practitioner into the office and address stress practically. It will help carpal tunnel, eye strain, neck pain, back pain, and exhaustion; it’s a way of taking stress and tension out of people’s bodies. It’s got a feel good factor too, people can lie down at work. Indirectly, it feeds people, and will give the company kudos. It’s a bonding experience, because it’s something new, unique and fundamentally, a shared experience.
4) Gamification. This potentially could encourage collaborative well-being goals across the company. It’s a corporate extension on the Fitbit and it’s on the up. Being socially connected, helps people to not just start, but stick, with health and wellness initiatives. Obviously it’s optional, but it has the power to build a sense of community, and it encourages a ‘real’ pat on the back from others at work, as well as a technological ‘like’. Potentially this could encourage friendly competition and collaboration regarding health and fitness.
Tips at a personal level
1) Engage with your colleagues. Develop work-related social networks. Participate in professional organisations and attend lectures or conferences.
2) Talk. We’ve moved away from drinking at lunch-time where problems were once vented, stress released, humour found and bonds developed. Venting, laughing, and discussing with colleagues can for many decrease personal anxiety, so if that works for you, make sure you find time to socialise.
3) Work out. Physical exercise has been shown to ameliorate depression, anxiety, and mood, making it an ideal intervention for burnout.
4) Meditation. This has been shown to improve burnout. Studies on meditation and stress among health care professionals revealed improved mood and emotional states for those who practice meditation regularly.
5) Disconnect. Create a defined boundary between work and home.
To disconnect or not disconnect
French legislator, Benoit Hamon likened people to dogs, who are attached to work by a kind of electronic leash.
Should we too make it illegal to check the office e-mail out of working hours, and take it into every company rather than just ones with over 50 employees?
As radical as this law seemed, on the first of January 2017, it’s not a new thing. In 2012, Volkswagen blocked employees’ Blackberries after-hours. And in 2014, the German labour ministry prohibited managers from calling or emailing staff after work hours, except in an emergency.
Clearly the right to disconnect is good for improving the boundary between work and personal life, yet it’s widely acknowledged that the law needs to be refined regarding companies who need to talk to people around the world late into the night, and those that compete with Indian, Chinese, American developers.
France’s package is controversial, in the sense that is wasn’t all positive. It liberalised the job market, but this made it easier to fire workers.
However, the radical step of addressing the protrusion of online work into the personal life will get people thinking about managing stress again.
The weighing scales
Stress isn’t inherently good or bad, but it is a balance between giving and getting, between work and home. Building up our resilience and our physical and mental strength enables us to find that sweet spot.
Water the weight of resilience on the scales of life.
