The Flip Side: Are Your Employees Stressed Enough?
Dec
13
Written by:
12/13/2010 12:05 PM
I just read an interesting article regarding a study published by an Australian private health insurer, Medibank Private. They found that an average of three days are lost per employee per year due to stress. As a result most employees do their best to avoid being overly stressed, however “good stress” can actually help people perform tasks more proficiently and improve their capacity to make decisions. The rush of hormones when an employee is under a deadline can help focus their decision making, prioritizing and analytical skills.
So, how to find a balance? We all know that too much or consistently high levels of stress are bad and can be blamed on an array of maladies such as high blood pressure, heart disease, exhaustion and depression. At my office, we find that good planning and conscientious foresight helps to alleviate high stress situations; if there’s a major project deadline looming we certainly don’t wait until the last minute to tackle it. We also make sure to address boredom head-on by giving deadline-oriented tasks to employees that are not actually time sensitive; the employee will work more efficiently knowing the work must be completed by a due date.
What do you do in your office to keep your employees working efficiently? What procedures have you put in place to prevent high levels of stress? Share away- I’m always learning something new!
3 comment(s) so far...
Re: The Flip Side: Are Your Employees Stressed Enough?
Rob:
About 3 years ago I wrote a full-length article (on a similar topic) that was published in GP|Solo magazine (October/November 2007, Vol. 24, No. 7), a publication of the American Bar Association. The article is entitled, "Anxious and Depressed or Energized and Motivated," and deals with positive as well as negative effects of stress on legal and other professionals.
www.abanet.org/genpractice/magazine/2007/oct-nov/anxious.html
Best,
David A.
By David Abeshouse on
12/13/2010 2:24 PM
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Re: The Flip Side: Are Your Employees Stressed Enough?
David,
Thanks for sharing this great resource!
By Rob Basso on
12/13/2010 2:24 PM
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Re: The Flip Side: Are Your Employees Stressed Enough?
Rob - Great point you make about good planning and foresight at your office. So many times people misinterpret good stress from a planned deadline with stress created by poor planning and lack of due dates.
Thank you for sharing!
Stacy
By Stacy Luft on
12/13/2010 4:52 PM
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