101: WORKPLACE STRESS
Workplace pressure is just part of the picture when it comes to meeting deadlines, managing people and reaching sales goals. The issue with stress is that it can fester, be contagious and infiltrate other parts of our lives — like in relationships or health, for instance. A big part of reducing stress is recognizing the signs of stress taking its toll on you and your co-workers. Here are three things to keep in mind about pressure and people.
Stressed out? Look at the big picture. Putting things into perspective when you're in the midst of a storm isn't an easy task, but it is necessary. Stress can be so distracting that it knocks you off course and leaves you less focused, creating more of an opportunity for something to go wrong. Travis Bradberry, in an article at Forbes.com, advises getting down to a base level when considering stressors. “Ask yourself two simple questions: What's the worst thing that could happen as a result of this? Will this matter in five years?”
Look for the signs of stress in your department. Symptoms of a stress overload can include sliding employee productivity — though everyone is working long hours — or a rise in absenteeism, Dr. Roberta Lee notes in an article at Hiring.Monster.com. “Tolerance for each others' shortcomings is thinner, and tempers are flaring more easily,” she writes. “Humor is hard to muster in meetings.”
Realize that pressure is contagious. Annie McKee, in an article at Harvard Business Review, said stressed-out bosses equal stressed-out team members. “(Emotions) spread like wildfire among people,” she writes, “and even faster if one of those people has some control over our fate, as bosses do.” If stress has already been chipping away at someone, it doesn't take much to push it too far, jeopardizing the team, the work and that team member's health.
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