10 Ways to Monitor Corporate Stress Levels
10 Ways to Monitor Corporate Stress Levels
Good military leaders work hard to balance the
positive and negative stress. Positive stress
encourages high performance. Negative stress
degrades individual and unit capability. The best
leaders know how to use positive stress to get the
most out of their personnel. And they know how to
tone things down to when negative stress threatens
productivity
The Army is fanatic about training officers and
sergeants to take care of the troops. And these
well-trained leaders are fanatic about carrying
out their responsibilities. The soldiers in their
command don't always realize why these leaders are
so focused on having everything ready --
personnel, equipment, and training 100 percent
ready.
Even the most personable leaders are sometimes
accused of managing "by the book" or of being too
concerned with their own personal recognition and
promotion. But those who make these allegations,
miss the point. Just the opposite is true.
These "fanatic" leaders are primarily interested
in the welfare of their troops. They want to
complete the unit mission with minimum personnel
loss. Strict discipline, intensive and complete
training, and numerous inspections are essential
for combat readiness.
Failing to enforce regulations, conduct detailed
inspections, or practice combat readiness is
tantamount to dereliction of duty. The extra
effort that goes into intensive training programs
creates additional stress in the unit, but less
persistent commanders actually endanger their
troops and their mission when they fail to
schedule training that teaches troops how to deal
with stress.
---Detecting Stress---
Some corporate jobs are just as stressful as
military assignments. And some ongoing business
situations are as stressful as armed combat. You
can find the stressed employees by monitoring the
frequency of the conditions such as:
1. Anxiety
2 Indecisiveness
3. Irritability
4. Complaining
5. Forgetfulness
6. Loss of self confidence
7. Argumentativeness
8. Insomnia
9. Rapid emotional shifts
10. Physical exhaustion
--- How to objectively measure stress ---
Privacy laws prevent accumulation of specific
medical histories. But there are ways to get a
handle on what's going on in your company.
Here are some practical ways to bench mark current
levels and monitor future stress related
conditions.
1. Absences - require strict reporting. Watch for
changes or trends; The more absenteeism, the
greater the chance that stress is a factor.
2. Tardiness - Develop a daily report and weekly
summaries. Are some departments worse than others?
Are people arriving late because they dread the
upcoming stress?
3. Medical claims - Seek generic information from
your health insurance company on the number and
expense of medical claims. Categorize information
by type of ailment and observe how the frequency
of visits compares to major corporate activities
or stressful times of year. You might find that
stressful periods coincide with or precede an
increase in medical claims.
4. Professional assistance - Experts can analyze
the ways stress might be at the root of physical
ailments. They can help you examine the cause-and-
effect relationships that escape the attention of
those who aren't as well trained in stress
control.
5. Complaints or grievances - Keep records by
department. Those with a greater numbers of
complaints are probably ready for some stress-
control strategies.
6. Accident reports - Analyze accident reports
from the perspective of stress involvement.
Research how stress might have been the root cause
of accidents.
7. Errors in judgment or misstatements. Develop a
log of individual errors in judgment and
misstatements. If certain employees are prone to
making misstatements, they are prone to errors in
judgment. Monitor their decision making to
evaluate the cost of stress for your company.
8. Personal relationships - Note changes in the
way people relate to each other and the types of
action that cause some people to become more
argumentative. You can use this information to
control stress for the entire organization or for
specific individuals who are more sensitive to
stressful situations.
9. Customer service problems - Review customer
service problems from a stress perspective.
Determine whether some kind of stress reduction
could improve relations with customers or reduce
the number of errors involved with order taking,
preparation, shipping, or invoicing.
10. Quality problems - Include in your quality
reports a description of stress-related activities
occurring before and during the period in
question. Watch for trends among certain
employees or departments. Try to find the causes
of stress and what can be done to control the
stress reactions.
Corporate leaders and managers sometimes try to
manage the stressed people by using increased
demands and closer supervision. Instead, you
should use stress-reducing techniques to manage
the stressors.
While the demanding remedies of dictatorial
managers might get short-term improvement from
stressed employees, such relief is usually only
temporary. The increased urgency and focus on
details typically generates even more stress, and
the problems shift from slight distractions, such
as back pain, headaches, and inattention, to more
drastic reactions such as absenteeism and medical
problems, both good indicators that stress levels
need attention.
Just as in the Army, most leaders must be taught
to manage stress and to observe for negative
stress reactions. All managers need to understand
the importance of positive stress in maximizing
accuracy and productivity. And they need to know
how to control the negative stress for the benefit
of those involved and the bottom line.
If you don't have qualified staff in your company,
outside consultants and trainers can help you
evaluate current stress levels and train everyone
involved. Remember, stress control is a
leadership responsibility.
To learn more about controlling the top workplace
stressors, request a free 3-session mini course by
sending a blank email to 3sessionstress@sendfree.com
Dale Collie - professional speaker, former US Army Ranger, CEO, and a Fast Company top 50 innovative leader. Author of "Winning Under Fire." (McGraw-Hill) collie@couragebuilders.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Volunteers keep Columbia beautiful Columbia Star Columbia Green provides funding to support the beautification of greater Columbia with the goals of promoting quality landscaping, gardening, education, and conservation for the enjoyment of the people of Columbia, its visitors, and the area's economic ... |
 Daily Commercial | Expert gardener to speak at Florida fair Daily Commercial Visitors will have the opportunity to purchase goods from local merchants who specialize in landscaping, gardening, irrigation, horticulture, fertilizer, composting, hardscapes and more. Workshops and seminars will help educate visitors about best ... |
Sal Monteagudo, Community Activist: Mentoring across cultures Morris Sun Tribune In addition to Monteagudo's laundry list of community action and service talents, he likes to learn various trades, among them shingling, painting, landscaping, gardening—home projects, large and small, that help to reduce costs in maintaining one's ... |
I'm Gettin' Really Torqued!
For those of you who have been living in a cave for most of your lives, you can translate the "torqued" in the heading of this article to "mad" or "angry". For today's discussion of anger, let's quantify the intensity of our focus with the words "downright, PO'd!" I think that's quite clear.
Six Questions To Make Your Workplace Stress-Free
Many CEOs see stress as an intractable problem which would cost too much to tackle properly -- or alternatively something that only affects 'whiners' whom their organisations would be better off without. Employee assistance programmes, corporate gym memberships and flexible hours are seen as expensive, of dubious effectiveness, and in the worst case, as mollycoddling staff.
Stress Management: KYFM - Keep Your Feet Moving
One of my favorite stories about change is the story called ``The Room of 10,000 Monsters.''In this room, all your worst fears, anxieties and nightmares are played out in front of you as if they were real.
Stress Control: Tough Leadership vs. Easy Does It
Tough leaders are usually seen as ogres. Their exacting demands and high expectations add to stress levels.
Stress Can Create Symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder
Stress can affect virtually any part of the body and produce physical, mental and emotional symptoms weakening the immune system and impairing coordination and thinking ability. Stress comes from relationships, from school or work situations, and from our own expectations.
Turn Your Stress into Success!
Stress is often seen as being unhealthy, but for some it is the very key to their success.What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word "stress"? It may be something like, jam-packed schedules, loads of responsibilities, piles of work, trying to balance work and home, or just struggling to make ends meet.
Balancing Acts: Keeping Work and Life in Equilibrium
In the fast-paced world that we live in today, it seems as though it's hard to find enough time to do everything that needs to be done. Days at work are long, but too often don't seem to be long enough? we bring home what we can't finish and end up creating highly stressful situations for those around us.
Create Your Own Home Spa
No need to go spend money at a spa! There are a few things you can to do in your bathroom that can turn any ordinary bathroom into a place for you to relax and unwind from the pressures of everyday living:Light candles any kind and lots enough to light up the whole room. Choose your favorite scent and color.
The Sixty Second Stress Solution
It is an inescapable fact, we live in a stressful world. We are all exposed to stress every day, at home and at work, and not one of us can honestly say that we don't feel the effects.
Stress Managment and Mastery: Progress vs. Perfection
David Bowie once sang, "Ch-ch-changes, tryin' to face the strain."And though working on changes in our lives can be difficult at times, it really doesn't have to be such a strain.
Mindfulness and Panic: Ask Your Anxiety
Panic.Heart racing.
How To Cut Down On College Stress
Probably the least appreciated form of stress is college stress. This is mostly due to the fact that adults simply see a lot of college students sitting on their rear ends playing video games and drinking, instead of seeing students who are under pressure to succeed all the time.
Managing Stress From Another World
Modern stress is habitual, and is something that the vast majority of Americans and Britons succumb to in their material driven lives. Whether mildly or overwhelmingly, stress will cast its powers across most of us at some stage in our lives, often increasingly as we get sucked into a pattern of working and living that gradually strips us of our individuality.
Setting High Personal Standards
In his book, The 22 Non-Negotiable Laws of Wellness, author Greg Anderson wrote, "Let us be about setting high standards for life, love, creativity, and wisdom. If our expectations in these areas are low, we are not likely to experience wellness.
Stress Management and Mastery: How to Handle Change
Q. I have just recently come to recognize that I don't handle change very well, although my husband and friends have told me that for years.
Managing Stress
Do you ever feel stressed? Is stress a regular component of your lifestyle? What exactly is stress? What causes it and what can you do to manage and reduce it?What you experience as stress is the result of your reaction to the events, circumstances, and people you encounter. The more you feel frustrated, a victim, helpless, a target, or picked on, the more you feel stressed.
Stress & Self Esteem: Raising One by Lowering the Other
In our article about Exercise & Stress, we looked at the way these two factors form a self-reinforcing cycle that can work for us. With stress and self-esteem, however, the relationship is negative - both in the technical sense of the words (i.
Manage Stress By Focusing On Solutions And By Having A Laugh
Marshal John Kruger acted by Arnold Schwarzenegger (who else) in the film "Eraser" protects a female employee in the defence industry who has exposed corruption and treason to the FBI.He rebukes one of his colleagues who calls the people he protects 'scum'.
Mindfulness and Laughter: Gaining Clarity While Giggling
Life is funny.Throughout the day, there are plenty of humorous moments that we tend to ignore.
Avoiding Stress During the Busy Holiday Shopping Season with eCardica.com
Lake Hopatcong, NJ (PRWEB) November 30, 2004 -- Here are a few tips and tricks for lessening your woes during the hustle and bustle of the gift-giving season. Each year, thousands of shoppers are plagued with undue stress.
