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In full time employment, you spend the equivalent of 50 per cent of your waking hours working, so you will inevitably encounter stress at some point in your career.
One proven way to reduce stress levels and make the job more satisfying is by taking your dog to work. Unfortunately, some bosses won’t be quite as accommodating, below we’ve collated some easy to implement ways so that you can be happier at work.
Get a job that YOU care about
Results from a study into workplace spirituality found that if the person feels like they are undertaking meaningful activities, they perceive less stress.
Build a community
Personal issues can also have an impact of stress. A study into Chinese migrants in New Zealand found that building networks in a new community was one of the factors which helped to reduce strain.
Take a break
You know the feeling – you’re busy at work and you’re counting down the days until your holiday or vacation. One of the main stressors during this period is fitting in your holiday planning, preparation and your workload. Be careful that you don’t stretch yourself too much as it has been found that trip, travel and destination stressors can also increase stress.
Don’t bury your head in the sand
In some situations, stress can be a good thing; but this could pivot, to a large degree, on your manager’s response to it. This case follows from two premises. If managers ignore their own anxiety, complacency is more likely to flow down to and through individuals that they manage. Second, if managers allowed stress and anxiety to overwhelm them, feelings of discomfort would likely move down toward subordinates. These subordinates are then more likely to respond less efficiently and without clear purpose in response to stress as it arrives.
Be part of the in-crowd
In a study of police officers (who are more likely than many professions to be involved in highly physical and mentally stressed environments), it was found that those who were included in a subculture (friendship groups and after work events) experienced less occupational stress in comparison to those who perceive themselves as ‘out’ of it.
…But keep your credit card in your pocket
During stressful times, it was found that all teens were more likely to turn to compulsive buying behaviour as a coping strategy - behaviours that are likely to transcend generations.
Enough about you – how can you reduce other people’s stress?
Think twice before posting a negative online review... A study found that online reviews can exact a hefty toll, in obvious ways such as reduced custom and lower company profitability. This study also found that there was a human and social consequence in the form of adverse stress reactions, loss of face and damaged personal and professional relationships.
Do you work in sales? It was found that if the customer or potential customer felt that they had a sympathetic ear, then they were more likely to report a positive relationship with the organization and reduced stress.
Consider other people when you’re driving… Experimental and field studies have shown that driver stress affects a large number of drivers. Its adverse consequences can be observed in the deterioration of drivers' health and emotional balance, the reduction in their working capacity and productivity and, last but not least, in their diminished road safety.
Remember that people are different… Stress can even vary between genders. For instance, Stein and Nyamathi (1999) found that women are more likely than men to resort to avoidance type strategies (avoiding other people, engaging in risky activities, or “wishing the problem would go away”), while Ptacek et al. (1994) revealed that women reported using social support and more emotional‐focused coping compared with men. Other studies have shown that women are more inclined than men to consume more sweet and fatty foods under stress.
For further comment or to arrange an interview with the Editors, please contact:
Natasha Hartley
Content Communications Executive
nhartley@emeraldinsight.com | Tel: +44 (0)1274 785046
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