The average person works for 45 years. Taking in consideration, your 2 weeks vacation a year, you are still working 90,000 hours in that time. You spend at least 8 hours a day at work plus a few hours getting ready and commuting. So what does that leave you with after your recommended 8 hours of sleep? About 5 hours for you to do some house work and maybe put your feet up. If you are in a stressful job you are now spending more than 1/3 of your life stressed. Well that doesn’t seem healthy. So how do you deal with it?
What is stressing you out?
Knowing what stresses you out is the first part of figuring out how to deal with it. Is it demanding? Do the people you work with put pressure on you? Is there tension in the office? Is management not doing their job? Are you overthinking? Do you have too much passion? Do you take on the work load of unskilled or lazy people?
These are the main things I hear when someone is discussing workplace stress. So in order to deal with it, you need to figure out where it is coming from.
The source
Is it you or everyone else? I ask this because I know that I am a passionate person when it comes to my job. Growing up we are told to work hard for the things you have. I work hard and I know that not everyone works the same as me. I try not to hold people to my standards or work ethic. So you have to ask yourself, are you trying to hold people to your success level?
Workload
We all have workplace pressure or deadlines to meet. However is your company asking too much? If you are spending more than an hour everyday to make sure your work is done, you have too much. So how do you deal with it
- 1. Ask for help- Look around you, are other people leaving on time? Ask a coworker if they can do a small task for you.
- 2. Talk to your manager- We all hate doing it because we don’t want to seem that we can’t do our job. However if you suggest that maybe a small portion, say something that would take you 20 min to do, could go to someone else.
- 3. Organize- I love to prioritize things in my life, I have to do’s and backburner lists. My day is never the same. So something that doesn’t have to happen within an hour, I put on the backburner. Sticky notes are my best friend, seriously. I have a bad memory, especially when things are busy. So writing a note to self is the best way not to forget things.
Team Atmosphere
Team work makes the dream work, that’s the saying right? So it’s no surprise that this is the biggest stress trigger in any work environment. If you find yourself doing most of the work and everyone else is sitting back easy, you are going to stress out. So how to you deal with it….
- 1. Team building- Now this is something your management team needs to do, but maybe you could suggest it. Send your boss a link to a great team building website suggesting it’s something that will boost moral. Workamajig has some great ideas.
- 2. Ask for help- again we come back to asking for help and there is no shame. We all have that one coworker that excels in a certain area, so ask them if they can help you. When you tell someone they are really good at something it makes them feel appreciated.
Toxic Environment
Is there a toxic fume in the office? This can break down all the people around you. Is there a lot of negativity? Are people cursing all the time? Are people gossiping at work? Is management not controlling the bad energy inside? How do you fumigate…
- 1. Bring a positive vibe- I know this is easier said than done. However if you can be the light in the office instead of the shadow, maybe it will catch like fire.
- 2. Be the adult- Stop the gossip in its tracks. There is nothing worse than hanging around the water cooler telling stories. You are not in high school anymore and the best way to stop a gossiper is to walk away.
- 3. Management- If you are a manager, a toxic workplace should never become toxic in the first place. You need to “nip it in the butt” right from the get go.
Management
Management are to be team builders. So what happens when they are part of the problem?
So how do you approach the owners and managers? This is never easy if management is the issue at hand, but it does need to be clarified for things to get better. Team meetings are the best place to air out any concerns however if not handled properly they can become a batting cage.
Team meetings can go a good way where everyone communicates on a professional level. Or it can go completely south and everyone is doing the blame game. The way I would handle it is…
Ask the team what they find positive in the office. This way, you get an understanding of the things that are going right. Write them on the board. Next you want to ask them things that need improvement. Write those things below. Lastly, ask them the things that need to change. If a person is asking for change it’s because it truly makes them unhappy. If you eliminate those things, or at least make a more positive change, the employee will see you are trying.
Office moral starts from the top.
After work relief
It is all about self care. Once you leave your office you need to flip the switch to self love. Go to the gym, go for a walk or curl up with a good book. Perhaps you should plan that next vacation and truly relax.