Sylvia Thompson has 10 tips for keeping cool when stress levels are high in the workplace
Offering people tips to reduce stress at work is a complex task.
Firstly, a certain amount of stress is actually useful in work. Just think about the rush of adrenaline people often need to complete a project energetically and creatively. Secondly, some organisations wilfully encourage stressful working environments in the belief that they will result in increased productivity.
And therein lies the complexity - what's energising for one person can be stressful for another. And companies rarely dedicate time to understanding and nurturing individualised work plans which, in the long run, would result in more creative working environments with manageable levels of stress. Keeping all of this in mind, here are 10 tips to help people manage work stress on a personal and corporate level.
1. Start your day with a schedule of tasks. Update throughout the day if necessary but be aware of what's manageable within the time frame. Don't overload your schedule unrealistically. Congratulate yourself for tasks completed and carry over unfinished work without feeling guilty.
2. Take lunch breaks. A recent survey found that Irish people worked one of the longest working weeks in Europe and many eat their lunch at their desk. So switch off your computer and mobile phone and get away from your work station at lunchtime. Take some exercise (walk, swim, jog) and nourishing and nutritional food.
3. Don't be a slave to e-mails or mobile phones. Prioritise what you need to respond to urgently, later in the day, later in the week or never. Bin junk mail immediately and delete all messages and texts once they've been dealt with.
4. A messy desk interrupts concentration and causes you to change your priorities and lose focus. Clear your desk and create holding files. Make a decision to transfer all new items into one of these holding files. Clear these holding files at fixed time intervals.
5. Keep a check on your standing and sitting posture at work. Ensure work stations are correctly positioned for your height and weight and inform appropriate personnel if adjustments need to be made. If working on a computer, take regular screen breaks. Take lessons in the Alexander technique if poor working posture is causing you long-term neck, arm or back pain.
6. Ask for help or request formal training if you need it. Often job descriptions in interviews don't always turn out to be what's required on the job. Aim to address difficulties as soon as they arise, be sincere about your attempts to solve them and clear about your requests for assistance.
7. Learn to tell the difference between constructive criticism, bullying and intimidation. Admit mistakes and don't carry blame for the poor performance of others. Aim to remain as focused as possible on tasks when personality clashes arise.
8. Appreciate your work effort and the energy you put into your work. If you are a manager, praise good quality work. Remember that work is fundamentally a human endeavour and people work best when they are genuinely appreciated for what they do.
9. Snack carefully (choose fresh fruit and/or dried fruit and nuts in preference to chocolate bars or biscuits) throughout the day. Keep coffee and tea to a minimum and drink water instead at regular intervals.
10. Reflect on your work and ask yourself profound questions about its meaningfulness. "Our deepest human need is to be engaged in work that matters, says Paula Downey, partner in Downey Youell associates and creator of a workplace initiative called Q5 - a new dialogue at work. She says: "The most important development work a company can do is to create a culture in which people can express their values within an organisation they feel is making a meaningful contribution to society."