Workplace stress is as inevitable as death and taxes. Most people will experience stress in the work place on a regular basis. Some occupations have high levels of stress associated with them. Health care and law enforcement workers, for example, experience daily stress as a part of their everyday working life. Workplace stress can be reduced by identifying those situations which trigger it and reducing your exposure to those situations.
Common workplace stress triggers include:
Rude co-workers
An unprofessional, tactless, or rude co-worker can cause a lot of stress in your working environment. Considering the number of people that we are required to interact with on a daily basis to perform the duties of our jobs it is guaranteed that a clash of personalities will eventually occur. The goal is not to let an aggravating co-worker affect your work performance.
There is a lot of be said for ignoring problem persons. Most of the behaviors we find irritating are just that, irritating, but not devastating. Learning to accept the annoying behaviors of others as out of your realm of influence and unworthy of response is crucial to your ability to perform your job’s duties.
If this tactic doesn‘t work, try discussing the problem with them directly. There are times when they may be unaware of the way their attitude comes across to others. An open and honest conversation can be a simple solution that brings down the stress level immediately.
If direct confrontation does help quell the bad behaviors contact you supervisor. State your complaints in writing in a formal tone. Make sure to explain what behaviors are bothering you and how they are affecting your work performance. Try to avoid emotional pleas and high temper complaints. Remain factual and offer supporting information and your superior will most likely side with you and assist in rectifying the situation.
Poor Management
If unprofessional co-workers are unpleasant to deal with then poor management has to be twice as stressful. The options for dealing with poor managers are more limited, but there is no reason to let poor management style give you stress or anxiety. As will co-workers ignoring the behavior is the first and most preferable option.
If that doesn’t work, then you’ll have to go over their head to someone else and tell them what’s going on. Take down some notes of your complaints and share it with an HR person or whomever is suitable to discuss them with.
Most companies do not want the hassle and expense of employing new staff. In most cases, if the offenses of the manager are valid they will take steps to correct the behaviors and resolve any problems. Do not allow poor management to cause you undue stress. Always take action.
Huge Workload
Trying to manage an unreasonable workload will certainly cause a lot of anxiety. Accept only the amount of work that you can deal with in a given period of time. Take any assistance offered by co-workers and return the favor when they need help. Working together can have far reaching rewards.
Discovering, reducing, or eliminating workplace stress where possible is a positive step towards having a fulfilling and productive work experience. Stress in the workplace is inevitable, but correctly managing stress can help prevent job burnout and increase job satisfaction.
Get Josh Murphy’s latest free report ‘Self-Care Boot Camp’ – jam-packed with more great stress relief information at StressReliefTipsWeekly.com. Check out the site for more great info on topis like symptoms of stress as well as a free weekly newsletter that subscribers can’t get enough of!
Tags: job stress, manage stress, relieve stress, stress in the workplace, stress management, stress relief tips, ways to relieve stress, workplace stress
