Twelve
Recommendations For Reducing Stress-Related Costs To
Your Organization
By David Lee
Originally published in
Performance In Action
Employee stress
costs corporate
1. Educate decision makers about the price
they and their workers pay
- This is the most important step. Unless decision makers are cognizant of how
stress affects their employees and their bottom line, the following suggestions
will not be acted upon. Some of the ideas listed below are not new or original,
but aren't implemented because proponents haven't presented a compelling
"Why." Step Number One is: Learn the "Why" and communicate
it.
2. Give workers as much control over their
jobs and work life as possible - Two decades of research in the laboratory and in the field has
shown that control is the most important factor in whether a person (or even a
laboratory rat) is traumatized by a high stress situation. Even under stressful
conditions, if people have a sense of control, they are much less likely to be
negatively affected. Studies show that even seemingly inconsequential
opportunities for control - like when a worker can have lunch, significantly
reduces stress-related problems.
3. Help management deal with their need for
control - As every
Organizational Development professional knows from painful experience, getting
many managers to stop using a command and control style is difficult. However,
organizations can't afford the price tag of this behavior. Help the
organization directly link supervisor rewards and compensation to empowering
practices.
4. Help the organization develop clear, open
communication; especially during times of significant change - The less uncertain people are about
stressful events, the less stressed out they will be. Uncertainty and
unpredictability are two of the most important determinants of whether radical
change will traumatize people.
5. Help management learn how to deal with
discussing difficult subjects - Most people do not like to be the "bearer of bad
news". Managers, feeling uncomfortable with telling workers about
unpleasant workplace developments, are often reluctant to bring up such topics.
This results in workers feeling a greater sense of unpredictability and
uncertainty. Make it easier on managers to be open.
6. Help management develop clear connections
between cause and effect
- When cause and effect are clearly delineated, employees experience a sense of
control. They know what they can expect. This sense of control and
predictability leads to reduced stress.
7. Encourage the organization to invest in
employee self-efficacy-
Because a person's self-efficacy plays such a significant role in whether a
stressor is traumatic or merely a challenge; improving employee self-efficacy
pays big dividends. Training and personal development programs which impacts on
a person's self-image, self-esteem, and self-efficacy will help minimize the
odds that employees will feel overwhelmed and impotent in the face of
challenges.
8. Encourage the organization to invest in
employee resiliency training - Besides general self-efficacy training; aerobic exercise,
adventure based learning, and other challenging forms of mental and physical
exercise provide the framework for developing emotional and physical
resiliency, a core personal attribute which minimizes the effects of trauma.
9. Help workers expand their employment
options - This may sound
heretical, but the more confident employees are about their career options and
marketability, the less time and energy will be diverted to worrying about their
future. If they feel confident of their marketability, they can focus their
attention on doing a good job, not on what they will do if they lose their job.
10. Teach interpersonal skills to both
management and front line workers - With our interpersonally more demanding workplace,
communication skill training is not a luxury. Nor is it just for managers.
Besides producing more effective interactions, excellent interpersonal skills
minimize the chance that emotionally distressed people will interact counterproductively
with their co-workers. Since much of the stress in the workplace is
interpersonally generated, helping people improve in this area will reduce a
significant source of emotional wear and tear.
11. Help employees develop an emotional
support system - Research
shows that having a strong emotional support system reduces the negative
physical and emotional impact of stressors. At the organizational level, this
means creating a climate where it is acceptable to not always "have it
together", be in control, know the answer, etc. Policies which reduce
career/family conflicts also address this issue by minimizing the potential of
home problems exacerbating work problems. Organizational Development and Human
Resource professionals can help individuals recognize the importance of a
support system and develop the interpersonal skills necessary to create and
maintain one.
12. Encourage the
organization to
invest in change management training for all employees - Since the rapid rate of change is rated
as the top stressor for people, helping people at all levels deal with change
will minimize the stress level throughout the organization.
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About the
Author: David Lee is a consultant, speaker, and executive coach.
The founder of HumanNature@Work, he has worked with
organizations and presented at conferences throughout
For More Information:
David Lee, President
HumanNature@Work
P.O. Box 430
Bar Mills, Maine 04004
Tel: 207-929-3344
E-mail: info@HumanNatureAtWork.com