Identify Workplace Stressors and Take Steps to Manage Your Day

As businesses continue to move at the speed of now, workplace stress is increasingly a reality for many of employees. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, www.niosh.org"> NIOSH, a research arm of the Centers for Disease Control , defines job stress as the "harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker."

The following additional data on workplace stress shows the pervasive nature of this phenomenon and the ramifications on employee productivity.

"40% of employee turnover is attributable to stress-related issues" - Bureau of National Affairs

"Three-fourths of employees believe the worker has more on-the-job stress than a generation ago" - Princeton Survey Research Associates

"Problems at work are more strongly associated with health complaints than are any other life stressor-more so than even financial problems or family problems" - St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company

"Workplace stress causes approximately one million U.S. employees to miss work each day" - American Institute of Stress

"80% of workers feel stress on the job, nearly half say they need help in learning how to manage stress and 42% say their coworkers need such help"
-Attitudes In The American WorkplaceVI, Gallup Poll 2000

"10% said they work in an atmosphere where physical violence has occurred because of job stress and in this group, 42% report that yelling and other verbal abuse is common" - -Integra Survey, 2000

Most of us get so caught up in our everyday work activities that we really do not take the time to identify those things that actually trigger our workplace stress over and over again. To handle it appropriately, it is important to at least recognize and acknowledge things in our workplace that affect our stress levels. The following are some of the triggers to watch for:

1. Do you have limited control over your work? Do you have choices about your how your assignments are handled or do you feel like an outsider in the office?
2. Do you feel like you are being pulled in multiple directions and unable to finish or manage projects?
3. Are you working really long hours or putting in a lot of overtime against your will?
4. Are you relocating or thinking about relocating ? Is a spouse relocating?
5. Do you work on shift? Does your schedule rotate?
6. Are you worried about job security? Any layoffs, talk of layoffs or industry uncertainty being talked about in your company?
7. Are you overdue for a vacation ? Have you put your time off on hold?
8. Do you get along with your colleagues or your boss? Are there interpersonal relationships in the office that make your days feel longer than they are?
9. Do you feel your boss is unreasonable?
10. Have you been assigned subordinates who are less than qualified?
11. Are there project deadlines approaching? Is your project scope creeping?
12. Too many projects and too little time?
13. Is your work life balance work life balance out of whack?
14. Do you find yourself calling out sick more often than you used to?
15. Are you perceiving limited support from supervisors?
16. Are there personal issues that you are taking to the office with you everyday?
17. Do you have assignments and not enough resources to do the job well?
18. Does your work area need some reorganization?

Identifying the stressors in your workplace is a step in the right direction. The next step is to find a way to handle the stress. Let's face it, some things we can do something about right away, some things we have to handle until we can do better and some things take a longer time to change. As we work towards making the career changes we need we must find ways to manage our immediate workplace stress.

Here are some ideas to explore:

- Healthier diet
- Join a gym or fitness center. This is even easier if one is located in your workplace
- Take a yoga or dance class
- Get a massage
- Take a long overdue vacation
- Talk to your boss about your situation. Keep focused on solutions
- Avoid lunch at your desk. Go out and meet with colleagues

Definitely some things like limited workplace resources or staff issues might be out of your control, however, adding some positive behavior to your workday can go a far way to reduce your workplace stress.