Articles and Presentations

DC Velocity November 2004
Got stress?
By Donald Jacobson and Shelley Safian

If you want to keep your team happy and productive, you must address the stress in your organization.

Of course you do. With deadlines looming and fewer people around to do the work, what workplace doesn't feel the pressure from time to time? Deadlines and staff shortages aren't the only things that cause stress. Other contributors include heavy workloads, lack of participation in decisionmaking, a poor social environment, and conflicting or uncertain job expectations. Add to that such commonplace worries as family problems, financial troubles, terrorist attacks, and even the weather and you'll see why you can't afford to let down your guard. If allowed to build up, stress will suck the energy right out of your organization and send productivity plummeting.

You can't do much about terrorists or the weather, of course, but if you want to keep your team happy and productive, you must address the stress in your organization. But what can you, a lone individual, do to buffer your people from its destructive effects? Here are some actions you can take:

1. Weed your garden. If your workplace is like most, there's at least one person on staff whose presence is a real downer. You know who that person is, but you probably make excuses for not doing anything about the problem. It's time to get your head out of the sand and do something. You can try an attitude adjustment. But if that doesn't work, you'll have to cut the cord. Replacing Mr. or Ms. Bad Attitude with a new, upbeat staff member will be quicker and easier than replacing a department's worth of people who quit because they can no longer tolerate that person's noxious presence. Remember, no one is irreplaceable. Pull the weeds out of your garden quickly, before they spread!
2. Acknowledge to your staff that some company policies are just plain bad. Getting rid of a rotten apple seems easy compared to the problems created by corporate policies you and your staff members find ludicrous. You know what we mean - the rules that make it tougher to do your jobs and for no apparent reason. Your first step should be to try to discover the reasoning behind the rule and share the explanation with your people. If you cannot come up with a logical explanation, however, address the problem openly with your team. Tell them that you don't necessarily agree with the policy but that there are times when we just have to accept that something is part of a bigger picture. If nothing else, you'll earn their trust and respect.
3. Loosen the reins once in a while. Monitor the morale of your department. When you start to see the strain weighing heavily on your staff, lighten the mood. Post a joke or cartoon on the bulletin board. Order some pizzas for lunch or buy a box of doughnuts on your way in to work. Surprise a worker on his/her birthday or anniversary with the company with noisemakers and confetti. Even if a deadline looms, it's worth taking five minutes to lighten the atmosphere. Not only will your own stress level drop, but you'll quickly find that a happier workplace is a more productive workplace.

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