This informal CPD article Stress Awareness – How to manage stress, and reduce it was provided by Nick Tribe at Ayming UK, who aim to improve Business Operational and Financial Performance.
Like many goalkeepers, I produced some of my best performances when my team was under extreme pressure from our opponents. In business too, the pressure of an important meeting or deadline, by keeping us focused and alert, can bring out our best and most productive work.
Pressure produces stress. We’re still programmed for a flight or fight response. But our brain and body are not designed to tolerate stress over a long period of time. The other factor – which managers must note – is that we each have different tolerances for stress. So don’t expect everyone to handle stress the way you do.
Employers have a clear duty of care – and business case – for managing their staff’s stress levels. Aside from the risks of civil action, failure to tackle work-related stress impacts staff morale and commitment, absenteeism and accidents, and staff turnover – with negative consequences for costs, productivity and customer service.
To help employers deal more effectively with stress, the Health & Safety Executive identifies six factors that generate stress in the workplace.
Six factors that generate stress in the workplace
- Demand – Workload, work patterns and the work environment affect an employee’s ability to cope with the demands of the job. Roles must be designed so these demands are achievable.
- Control – Employees should have some say about the way they do their work, and be encouraged to develop and use their skills, including any necessary training.
- Support – Policies, systems and procedures should be in place to identify employees who are struggling and support them.
- Relationships – No employee should face unacceptable behaviour such as bullying, or unfair pressure to take on extra work.
- Role – If employees’ roles and responsibilities are not clearly defined, they are put in a difficult situation, which may include conflicting requirements.
- Change – Organisational change causes uncertainty, anxiety and stress. Genuine consultation and timely information will help employees cope better with the upheaval, especially if they have some influence over the proposals and/or implementation.
Coping mechanisms
An individual’s vulnerability to stress is determined by their personality, the degree of pressure they’re facing, and their coping mechanisms. Some stressful periods are relatively brief. In the short term, we can cope better with stress if we talk to someone, rather than bottle it up. And sometimes, the listener can suggest a solution or take some of the pressure off. Which is why effective organisations that nurture a positive culture have supportive teams and approachable line managers.
Stepping back at moments of high stress – even if it’s just to go for a short walk outdoors – should help stabilise physical side-effects on breathing and heart rate. We’ll be better able to cope if we’ve gained some perspective on our return – What’s the worst that can happen? Is it that important? Do I really need to react this way?
It also helps us put stress in context, and see the bigger picture, by thinking of it as a piece in a jigsaw. Mentally positioning your stress among other, greater priorities – like career goals or being the breadwinner for your family – may remind us that it’s not so significant.
In some roles the average day inevitably entails some level of stress. People with a higher tolerance are better suited to such jobs. But we can try supplementing those short-term coping mechanisms by modifying our mindset and lifestyle. Smiling through is not to be laughed at. We shouldn’t under-estimate the physiological effects of smiling. It confounds our understanding of cause and effect, but research does show that sporting a smile actually lifts your mood. An elevated mood makes us better able to withstand stress.
A positive mind-set – looking for the proverbial silver lining, while accepting that bad things happen – helps us face the challenge, and move on, without the burden of a grudge or grievance. Most important of all is getting the right balance between work and life – home, family and hobbies or other ‘me time’.
Here again, the responsible employer has a duty and incentive to help their people to get that balance right. By its nature, stress is mostly beyond the employee’s control. Employers hold most of the levers.
We hope this article was helpful. For more information from Ayming UK, please visit their CPD Member Directory page. Alternatively, you can go to the CPD Industry Hubs for more articles, courses and events relevant to your Continuing Professional Development requirements.
