How to Maximize
Employee Performance While Minimizing Employee Stress
By David Lee
Excerpted from Stress and
Safety by David Lee, published by MEMIC
Many managers and
business owners mistakenly fear that reducing employee stress requires reducing
productivity or creating a "country club" atmosphere, which in
today's marketplace could be fatal. Nothing could be further from the truth; in
fact, the opposite is true.
When organizations manage in ways that
bring out the best in people, they also reduce employee stress. That's why most
of Fortune magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" are industry
leaders and enjoy high employee productivity. Employees in these companies are
both happy and extremely productive.
The key to maximizing productivity while
minimizing stress is understanding the factors that influence whether someone
working very hard will feel stressed out and burnt out, or whether they will
feel motivated, excited, and committed. Scientific research on stress, combined with best practices of high performance
companies offers clear clues about the key factors that determine whether
employees will be stressed out or energized by workplace demands.
To Maximize Employee Productivity And Performance, Organizations
Can:
Give Employees As Much Control Over Their
Jobs As Possible -
Research shows that control is the biggest factor in whether people feel
stressed out or invigorated when facing a challenge. The more control people
have over their work, the greater their job satisfaction, the higher their work
quality, and the lower their stress level. Giving employees control includes
giving them the power to make job-related decisions, the flexibility to
organize their work in the way they find optimal, and the authority to find
make improvements on how their job is done. Making this work requires providing
employees with the training, coaching, and information they need to make
intelligent decisions.
Communicate Clearly and Often About
Everything Important -
One of the greatest sources of employee stress is not knowing - not knowing
about changes taking place in the company, not knowing their supervisor's job
and performance expectations, and not knowing if they are doing a good job.
Communicating clearly in these areas not only reduces employee stress, it also
helps them do a far better job.
Talk With Your Employees About What Makes
Your Company Great, How You Bring Value To Your Customers, and How Your
Employees Make That Possible- People want to feel part of something great, and they want to
feel that they are making a significant contribution to that greatness. When
they feel this way, they not only become energized by challenges, they're also
more able to endure difficulties without becoming burnt out. You can put this
principle into action by making sure you always deliver a high quality product
or service, by talking with employees about the value your company provides to
your customers, and explaining how them doing high quality work makes it all
possible.
Make Sure Supervisors Know How to Bring Out the Best in People- Supervisors play a huge role in employee
morale, performance, and stress level. Supervisors who know how to provide
guidance, support, and encouragement minimize employee stress. Supervisors with
poor management skills or with personal problems, not only can't help employees
deal with stressful times, they themselves are a tremendous source of stress.
The time and financial resources you invest in selecting and training managers
will pay huge dividends in reducing employee stress, increasing productivity,
and minimizing turnover.
Encourage Employees to Talk Freely and
Support One Another -An
"all work and no play" environment burns out people quickly. Having a
workplace where co-workers can talk without worrying about getting into
trouble, is especially important in high pressure jobs. Encouraging connections
among co-workers also reduces stress ,because having
social support reduces the negative effects of stressful situations. According
to a large body of scientific research, having supportive friends and family
members is one of the most important factors influencing a person's ability to
handle stress and major life crises without becoming physically or emotionally
compromised.
Help Employees Design Their Jobs To Be As
Rewarding As Possible -
Although not all jobs are equally rewarding and fulfilling, much can be done to
make even the least desirable ones more enjoyable. The more opportunity
employees have to make decisions, use their mind, and take responsibility, the
more fulfilled they will be. To make this work, employees need to be involved
in the job enrichment process. If changes are made without their input, this
will most likely backfire. If employees have worked for years in an environment
where they were told what to do, it might take time for them to learn how to
take a more responsible and active approach to their jobs.
Improve Your Hiring and Orientation
Process - Because the
first few months on the job are often the most stressful, new employees are
often the most vulnerable to accidents and injuries. For companies that have a
"sink or swim" approach to new employees, these
first few months are also a time of high turnover. The more effective your hiring, new hire orientation, and training is, the more
likely new employees will be well-suited, and prepared, for their jobs.
Make Sure Employees Have the Resources and
Training to Do Their Jobs Well - When people feel inadequate, when they feel ill-equipped to
handle a challenge, they get stressed out. If employees don't have the tools,
technology, time, staff, or training to do their job's well, they are going to
be stressed out, and won't be able to work at their true potential. Investing
in these areas pays huge dividends both in terms of reduced stress-related
costs, and in increased productivity.
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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