Today is National Stress Awareness day, now in these times of cut backs and economic uncertainty stress is a word very much at the forefront of our minds. I have in the last year seen a considerable rise in clients that due to company cutbacks have been pushed beyond their limits to breaking point – something that happened to myself during the dotcom bubble bursting and hoped I’d never see again.
It seems though that businesses have not learnt their lessons or the individual’s running them were not in a similar position 10 years ago, because they are putting their companies at risk by not taking the issues seriously.
I would like to bring in my case study here. Call her Jennifer. Working in the catering research and development world, came to me after being put on garden leave following an incident. Her team of people had been cut, due to a mix of economic cutbacks, management’s lack of action to replace a member on maternity leave and failure to support or make any changes to Jennifer’s workload, which became unmanageable over a period of months.
Despite Jennifer’s pleas to her manager, the MD considered that she was the problem, not the work, if she didn’t like the heat stay out of the kitchen. Jennifer had been in this role for 20 years, she has experience, knowledge, has up to that point with a good team for her to delegate to, done very well. Because of the lack of support from her superiors one day she snapped and shouted at someone. They in turn put in a grievance and the rest is history.
My role in all this was to help Jennifer keep focused, reduce her stress, to keep her thinking positive when all looked gloomy and to stop her sliding into depression.
During this time too, she got her solicitor involved who is an expert in employment law. Because the management had failed to do their jobs correctly, she was in an excellent position legally if anything happened. After months of not doing anything constructive her solicitor negotiated her release from employment providing they gave her a good reference and a sum which would tie her over until she found another job.
During the time I saw her she was able not only to stop sliding downwards, but also help a friend in a similar position, who wasn’t maintaining a level of composure. But this case illustrates a point. That ineffective management can cost companies money. If Jennifer’s boss had been more proactive, had the MD had some self awareness and empathy they could have saved them all that grief. In the end Jennifer with her solicitor and my help felt it was a bad experience to put behind her, it would have happened to anyone in that position and that in itself made her feel more confident in getting another job. The good news came on the last day I saw her – she’d been offered a job as a consultant, her experience was exactly what they had been looking for. Her old company’s loss was now their competitors gain.
We all know the primary sources for stress at work are:
Demands – Workload in terms of quantity, complexity and intensity are factors in causing work related stress. Prioritisation of work, resourcing, competency and training need to be considered, along with how work is allocated.
Control - – Individuals should have a say about the way their work is organised, and allowed to use and develop their skills in the work that they undertake. A lack, or a perceived lack of control at work is a factor that can cause work related stress.
Support – Individuals who have home or work problems can be stressed if they are not able to seek help and support from their colleagues and managers. They need to understand how and when to ask for support and what systems the business has to support them.
Relationships – Poor relationships within or between teams or up and down the management structure can lead to work related stress.
Role – It is important that individuals understand their role within their team, and how their team role fits into the wider organisational objectives. Not understanding your role or having too many conflicting demands are potential causes of work related stress.
Change – Change can be good, but individuals tend not to like change and in order to avoid causing work related stress it is important that individuals are prepared for change, understand why it is happening, and if necessary are given training to help them adapt to the new situation.
One way to understand what your company’s needs are regarding stress management is to have an audit done on structure, procedures and practices. See where your potential risks lie and have a strategy to combat problems before they get out of hand.
My role in helping people deal with their stress could be part of that, so if you’re experiencing problems of this nature, then contact me for a free assessment.
Penny Ling - www.pennyling.co.uk - 07759 820674
