Stress Busters@Workplace

Stress Busters@Workplace

Stress-busters specific to workplace include – Getting Organized, Delegating, Being
Assertive and Balancing Work and Personal Time.

1.Getting Organized: Poor organisation is one of the most common causes of stress.
Structured approaches offer security against ‘out of the blue’ problems. Prioritising
objectives, duties and activities makes them manageable and achievable. Managers should
not overload their mind. Organisation will help avoid personal and professional chaos.
The following tips by Janet Taylor (“Totally Organized”) are worth considering:
• Clean out each desk drawer, to free up even more valuable storage space.
• Keep essential items on your desktop (computer, phone, fax, card file).
• Have a master to-do list for each day at your desk.
• Pre-Sort the mail. To-File, To-Read, To-Contact (write or call).
• Create a separate drawer for personal paperwork, items, etc.
• Create a file for magazine articles or scan them into your computer.
• Filing system should be simple, easy and manageable.
• Colour-coding your files make it faster to find information.
• Return calls in batches. Leave specific messages and the time you called if the
person you’re trying to reach isn’t available.
• Empty workspace of everything but the project you are working on to cut down on
distractions.
• Keep an assortment of all-occasion cards and stamps in your desk.
• At the end of each project or event, organize paperwork and file.

2. Delegating: Delegation is the downward flow of formal authority - from superior to
subordinate. Why are some managers not in favour of delegating responsibility? Because:
• They feel that employees can never do anything as well as they can.
• They fear that something will go wrong if someone else takes over a job.
• They lack time for long-range planning because they are bogged down in dayto-
day operations.
• They sense they will be in the dark about emerging trends in the society.
The hazards of doing everything by oneself can include burnout and missed deadlines.
Managers should, however, realize that effective delegation of responsibility and authority
not only reduce stress on the manager’s part but also improve the quality and acceptance
of decisions, increase employee motivation, create sense of belonging and improve
interpersonal relations with employees. Besides, delegating also teaches a manager to
communicate persuasively, supervise and expand his /her sphere of influence.

Here are a few of the keys to effective delegation.

1. Delegate it if someone else can do it, wants to do it, needs to do it or likes to do it.
2. When you delegate responsibility also delegate the authority to use the
resources to get it done.
3. Delegate results, not necessarily the methods.
4. When you delegate something don’t take it back.
5. Ensure the person understands what and why you have delegated to them.
6. Set benchmarks or checkpoints and then leave them alone.
7. Reinforce positive results and give feedback on negative results.
8. Communicate clear instructions, expectations and guidelines.
9. Recognize and accept that it won’t be done the way you would do it.
10. Use delegation as an employee development tool.
11. Resist the tendency to over inspect.
12. Put it in writing if necessary.
13. Ask for regular written or verbal reports.
14. Remember what you delegated and to whom.
15. See failure not as a negative but necessary, if people are to be willing to stretch,
learn and grow.

3. Being Assertive: Being assertive involves standing up for ones personal rights and
expressing ones thoughts, feelings and beliefs directly, honestly and spontaneously in ways
that do not infringe the rights of others. Assertive behaviour on the part of person means
• Starting, changing, or ending conversations
• Sharing feelings, opinions, and experiences with others
• Making requests and asking for favors
• Refusing others’ requests if they are too demanding
• Questioning rules or traditions that don’t make sense or don’t seem fair
• Addressing problems or things that bother you
• Being firm so that your rights are respected
• Expressing positive emotions
• Expressing negative emotions
If a person want to be assertive but are concerned that others may find them too
aggressive, here are some recommendations for turning aggressive behavior into assertive
behavior.
• Give others a chance to speak
• Establish eye-contact with the other person
• Respect other’s opinions
• Use appopriate body language
• Talk in a firm, steady voice
• Use assertive and not aggressive language
• Be clear, concise and to the point

4. Balancing work and personal time: Balancing between work and personal time is
indeed a tight-rope walk. Any skew will only result in problems, like time pressures, family/
work conflicts, guilt, etc. Lynne Knobloch-Fedders and Ben Gorvine,(“Achieving a Balance
between Work and Personal Life”) suggest the following strategies that can help individuals
maintain a good balance between work and personal life:

Learn how to set limits - and stick to them! Setting limits (for how you will respond to
demands from both your work and your personal life) will prevent you from over-committing
yourself. But limits are only effective if you stick to them, so make sure you follow through
on the decisions you have made about what to cut back on. As you are setting limits for
yourself, it may be helpful to imagine situations in which you would be tempted to disregard
your limits - and decide how you will handle these situations. That way, you won’t be caught
unaware into situations in which you might over-commit yourself.

Take advantage of your workplace’s family-friendly policies and supports. If your
workplace offers discretion over the methods, timing, or location of your work, use this
flexibility to improve your situation.

Prioritize your multiple roles. When you become clearer about your priorities and values,
it becomes easier to make decisions and set limits between the demands of work and
personal life.

Reduce the psychological conflicts you experience between work and personal
life. Surprisingly, time is not necessarily the main conflict we experience between work
and personal life. Instead, the psychological conflicts (guilt, difficulty “turning off” work
behaviors at home, pressure and anxiety) create the most problems. Clarifying your values,
setting priorities, and actively reducing the psychological importance of one or more of
your roles may be required to reduce the conflicts, and the negative emotions that arise
from them.

Protect each role from interference by the others. When you are at home, turn off your
cell phone, laptop, beeper, or email, so that you can be fully “present” during this time.
Similarly, when you are at work, try to limit personal life intrusions - this will help you be
more efficient and effective during your workday.

Develop stress-management skills. The ability to take care of yourself by doing things
you enjoy - like reading, exercising, or indulging in a favorite hobby - is essential to
maintaining a proper work / personal life balance. Caring for yourself in these ways will
allow you to reduce your stress and reward yourself for a job well done!

Stress is a part of every aspect of life. Through regular practice of stress reduction techniques,
symptoms of stress decrease, managers must figure out an effective way to cope
with stress. They should remember that stress need not result in distress and a burn-out. If
managers take cognizance of the stressors in life and workplace and strive to deal with
them by stimulating the energizers – both internal and external – stress transforms into
eustress for improved health and performance.