Free Stressed at work article
Stressed at work?
Threats of redundancy, job outsourcing, pay freezes and soaring unemployment affect every one of us so it’s no wonder that many of us are experiencing work related stress. According to the labour Force Survey, in 2007/08 an estimated 442 000 individuals in Britain, who worked in the last year, believed that they were experiencing work related stress at a level that was making them ill. Couple this with increasing employment and fewer job vacancies leads to individuals feeling even more
pressured to remain in the very role that is causing their stress.
Stress not only leads to high level absenteeism but affects productivity levels at work as concentration is impaired and anxiety may kick in as we struggle to cope with our ever demanding duties. It is not surprising then to learn that British workers work the longest hours in Europe and many organisations still have not introduced family-friendly working (Tuc.org.uk). So what can be done when we feel stressed? First of all it’s advisable to be aware of what stress is. Stress is the emotional and physical strain caused by our response to pressure from the outside world (ehealthMD: Definition of Stress). Stress not only impairs concentration but can cause irritability, tension, anxiety, headaches and fast heart beat. It can also weaken the immune system and lead to high blood pressure as a long term consequence. In other realms of our lives, stress can lead individuals to lose interest in every other aspect of life outside work and even depression. Many of us feel unable to inform our Managers of when we are stressed as we feel that we may not be taken seriously and that our complaints will adversely affect the way we are treated at work. Our competence also may be questioned and we may be seen as weak. In a work culture that wants fast delivery and increased work output within a short space of time, it’s unsurprising that we are experiencing burn out. With this in mind however, individuals must consider that they are not alone and that many of their colleagues and even friends may be experiencing stress even if they choose not to declare it to anyone. So if you are reading this article and often feel overwhelmed, irritable and unable to cope at work don’t keep it to yourself.
1: Face it head on
If you are given two pieces of work to deal with which are both priorities, when speaking to your manager, acknowledge that you are aware that both are priority tasks, however ask which, he/she would rather you do first. It may not work in all situations but it’s worth a try and puts the ball in their court!
2: Speak to friends and family
You have had a hard day at work and the last thing you want to do is get work problems off your chest but it can be cathartic to do so. As you unburden yourself by speaking to your friends they can help comfort, support and even advise you. If however, you can’t speak to anyone; get it down in writing how you feel.
3: Duty of Care
Find out if your employer has a duty of care for its staff as some Councils in the U.K do and if so they should take into consideration the welfare of their staff. Other employers offer counselling services for staff members especially when working in frontline services. If you would like to work in a way that suits your work and home life better then consider flexible working and put it as a proposition to your Manager who should consider your proposal before making a decision. So find out what support is available to you at work
4: Take time out
You’re at work, with a demanding workload and deadlines popping up every time you look around. If you feel as though you are stressed and overwhelmed take five minutes away from the source of stress. You may have to O.K it with your manager first but composing yourself and clearing your head even if only for a few minutes will help give you clarity, compose yourself and refresh your mind. Practice deep breathing if you feel dizzy and are have breathing difficulties.
5: Take advantage of stress therapies at work
Some employers arrange for Indian Head Massages and Colour Therapy to be carried out at work. Others offer a discount rate gym pass thus encouraging you to use the gym and help reduce your stress levels. If stress leads to you feeling tension in your body and your workplace offer massages, it may be beneficial to take this up as a good masseur can work on the tense knots in your body and leave you feeling rejuvenated and calm.
6: Seek external help
Try Yoga, Reiki, Life Coaching, Pilates and Tai Chi to aid you in reducing stress.
7: Organise and prioritise
Organise your tasks into those that should be done daily, weekly, monthly or long term. If new unexpected tasks pop up throughout the day assign them a relevant category before deciding that it automatically needs to be done now. If you are not doing so already, use Microsoft Scheduler or some other form of diary to keep work tasks up to date and use it to flag up tasks that should be carried out on specific days. Also, a good tip is to under promise and over deliver!
8: Acknowledge clients
You have a heavy caseload, the phones are going mad and several priorities to do when an email arrives from an important client and they are expecting you to do a task. Even if it is brief, acknowledge their email with a friendly greeting and let them either know when you can get the task done or state that you will look into the matter and get back to them within a certain number of days. That way they feel that they haven’t been ignored and will leave you to get on with the task until the prescribed time in which you said you would update them or get it done.
9: Delegation
If faced with routine tasks that take up too much of your time, see if you can delegate some of them to a colleague - that way you can focus on the more important tasks.
10: Analyse your situation
You have several tasks to do at once, an unsupportive Manager who gives you no significant help or support, who is demanding and specifies unreachable deadlines and you feel as though you cannot cope. Despite taking the matter further, you feel as though you are not being listened to and so the stress spirals further. Are you working long hours, with no lunch break and little time for family and friends? Does this fit in with your lifestyle and goals? Unless it’s a job role you really enjoy, does your workplace fit with your lifestyle? Holistically, are you achieving the right balance? If the job you once loved is now the job you dread and leaves you crunching your stomach every time you wake up in the morning, you really need to assess if you are where you want to be.
Given all of the above, do you find that:
1: You dread getting up from bed in the morning when contemplating going to work?
2: Talk endlessly to friends and family about work problems with still no resolution in sight?
3: Due to a great salary, perks and status feel powerless to leave your job for fear of losing these things but want to explore other options that would enable you a better work/life balance?
4: You feel angry, irritated and moody every time you think of work
5: Throw sickies
6: Instinctively, although you like the work, feel that the workplace and demands placed on you are not right and are wholly unreasonable
7: You often feel stressed, tensed, anxious, dizzy, and make simple yet grave mistakes through poor concentration
8: You have an inability to sleep through always thinking about outstanding work tasks and deadlines
9: Your health is affected as a result of under or over eating to cope with stress
10: You fail to return friends and family calls, as well as make them
11: Cannot relax at home as you are still thinking about your day and the week’s workload to come
12: You are poorly managed by your boss who is increasing your stress further
13: You feel stressed because you do not fit in with the work culture and feel excluded if you do not join in with office politics or with the popular colleagues at work
14: Your relationship is affected by your stress at work and you cannot admit to your spouse how bad things are for fear of being seen as ‘weak’
15: Feel as though you have no one to turn to.
If you are affected by the above and this article touches a chord with you then please contact me and we can discuss this further.
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