Dealing with Stress

Causes

Private

• emotional or economic; may be personality type [A or B?]
• have effects on work performance
• to what extent should manager have full understanding of personal life of staff?

Job-related

Poor time management

• no planning
• too much time on inessentials
• no allocation for knowledge work

Wrong allocation of priorities

• cigarette butt syndrome

Conflicting priorities

• no clear chain of command - functional authority problems
• no clear goals
• ambiguous orders

Information overload

• too much at once to be digested
• cannot march and chew gum!

Ineffective communication

• ambiguous rules, regs, SOPs
• verbal where written is needed
• feedback not checked properly
• use of wrong codes or channels

Conflict amongst staff

• peers
• superiors
• subordinates

Inevitability & Essentiality

It will happen unless people are totally insensitive to demands of job

Occurs where

• expected output is uncertain,
• but important
• umbrella exercise

Small, controlled amounts

• lead to adrenalin flow -
• greater excitement and
• productivity

Can be stimulated

• by managers
• at all levels simply for this effect

People have different stress thresholds

• beware of the plateau where they or you begin not to cope;
• nb cigarette butt story

Symptoms

Behavioural

• reduced productivity
• frequent absence
• inability to concentrate, stay on the job
• picking fights

Psychological

• anger & irritation
• procrastination
• boredom
• absentmindedness - switching off

Cognitive

• inability to perform required operations
  • can't march & chew gum
  • information overload
• failure to recognise known safety procedures

Physiological

• increased blood pressure
• breathing problems
• ulcers
• headaches

Organisational

• high absentee rate
• high turnover of staff
• dropping productivity
• increase in conflict

Coping with Individual Stress

• Time management
• Allocation of Priorities
• Expertise and training
• Exercise and fitness
• Motivation and lifestyle

Organisational Strategies

Empathy

• open door communication
• teamwork approach

Selection and placement

• choosing right people for the job
• knowing staff skills and abilities
• moving people to take advantage of these skills

Job analysis and design

• must know what is involved in doing job
• must design job flow without repetition, ambiguity; best practice
• must know what is involved in changes, last minute orders etc

Counselling and training

• stress management as part of normal in-service training
• teamwork training to share skills and abilities
• develop staff knowledge of jobs - operational and management
• prepare people for promotion - management training

Preventative programmes

• all the above should help prevent stress levels rising too high
• if problems occur, putting above into action may help prevent future outbreaks

Interview Techniques

Directive

• Obtain statement of situation
• Analyse relevant data
• Suggest solution
  • coercive
  • confrontational
  • compromise
  • negotiation

Non-directive

• Open-ended discussion
• Restate and clarify
• No opinion or advice
• Let individual decide course of action
• Further discussions at later date

Combination

• Different approaches for different people and problems
• Beware of overstepping your abilities to counsel