Manage Stress

Managing Stress in the Workplace

America’s number one health problem continues to be described as stress. Employee productivity as well as the bottom line to the tune of millions of dollars every year is impacted by workplace stress. However, stress is not an unavoidable by-product of doing business.

Reducing and controlling stress is possible. While you may never completely eliminate stress from your workplace, learn to Manage Stress more effectively by following these key guidelines.

Clarify Expectations

The first step to heading off stress is to clarify expectations about team roles, job responsibilities, and work-in-progress and project deadlines. Clarifying expectations is an ongoing process; regular updates help to manage organizational change and the stress that can generate.

Waiting until the day before a deadline to let others know that a project is off track is a surefire way to create stress at multiple levels. Stay in front of any miscommunication and surprises by issuing regular updates.

Manage Communication

Seasoned executives know that how news is communicated has a direct effect on how it is received. Whether the news is good, bad, disappointing or just plain surprising, it makes sense to plan the communication. A calm and deliberate delivery can reduce stress and signal that management is taking the news in stride – so everyone else should, too.

Be Available

Communication is important even when there’s nothing new to report! Managers who make themselves available to employees and communicate on a regular basis develop better relationships, foster trust and instill higher accountability than managers who stay tucked away in their offices. Sam Walmart had it right – managers and employees benefit from MBWA – “management by walking around.”

Employees who interact with their managers on a regular basis for no special reason, experience less workplace stress than their counterparts who speak only to their managers when there’s a problem.

Learn more guidelines for Managing Stress in the Workplace.

About the Author

Tandem Partners, the organizational consulting group of MKS&H

© 2010 McLean, Koehler, Sparks & Hammond

800-202-1703

www.mksh.com

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