Workplace stressors. How to manage them?

Known as organizational stress, stress in the workplace is often mentioned in social circles, but is it only related to the team we are part of or to the sabotage mechanisms ingrained in each of us? A study conducted a few years ago by the European Union places Romania in the top 4 countries where employees live under stress at work. 

Alongside Romania, Portugal, Turkey and Norway were in this top. Among the most common stressors at work, according to the report by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), are:

- Pressure caused by deadlines, confirmed by 52% of the survey participants;
- Conflicts with unreasonable customers, a factor mentioned by 50% of people;
- Ineffective communication between management and employees - 27% of respondents;
- Pressure caused by lack of collaboration with colleagues - 25% of respondents.

Harmful effects of organizational stress consist of decreased performance and productivity, reduced company profit, increased staff turnover. Another interesting observation indicates that stress influences both increased absenteeism and, paradoxically, presenteeism (when employees show up at work and when they are sick or feel mentally weak). 

There are strategies to reduce the number of stressors at work, but more important is to be aware of and constructively change your reaction to stressors. If you have limited control over your external environment, when it comes to your emotions and behavior, the power is 100% yours. We invite you to put into practice some solutions that can help you live in balance.

1. Ask yourself the questions Am I attacking? / Am I accusing? / Am I victimizing myself? 

Emotion is the emotional fuel that fuels our behavior and, no matter what happens around you, you control how you feel. No one can "make you feel bad", it's just a myth, you are in control. 

Life scripts picked up in childhood from the adults around us can generate unconstructive behaviors and emotions that mask authentic feelings. If you want to tackle challenges at work assertively, it's important to live authentically.

In a situation of organizational stress, ask yourself questions: Am I attacking? / Am I accusing? / Am I victimizing myself? If the answer is yes to one of the questions, you have the wrong emotional fuel. Identify how you could communicate with yourself and others differently, without attacking, accusing or victimizing. The stress generated by emotional pressure and conflict will diminish in this way.

2. Identify your Talents, Passions, Values and Motivations

Stress often occurs when we are not in the right place, and identifying that place is a journey that does not necessarily have a recipe for success and depends on many factors. Psychological studies show us that people who experience a sense of fulfillment and less stress at work have a job at the intersection of their talents, passions, personal values and motivations in the life they are living. What you can keep in mind about these elements:
- Talents are your native abilities, if you want to identify them ask yourself the question, "What do I do really well with little effort?"

- Passions are the activities that give you satisfaction, if you want to explore them, analyze them: "What do you really enjoy doing?"

- Values are the emotional and cognitive roots that guide your choices, with a constancy over time. Ask yourself, "In a time of crisis, what really matters to me?"

- Motivations are the factors that drive you to make an effort in the current period of your life. You can find the answer to the question: "What do I want to gain from what I do?"

3. Assume the disadvantages, not just the benefits 

The gap between expectations and reality can create stress and frustration. When choosing a job and a company, identify the disadvantages and weaknesses of your choice. The more you are able to consciously choose not only the pluses but also the minuses, the less stress created by the drawbacks.

4. Be vulnerable and create authentic connections

There are many myths about vulnerability that we have been subconsciously trained to believe by society and family: when you are vulnerable people perceive you as weak, you have to make your own way in life, if you are vulnerable you have no privacy..

In fact, vulnerability means courage, self-confidence and is the catalyst for constructive relationships. Stressors at work are often related to our desire to be perfect, shame, guilt, the pressure we put on ourselves and others.

Vulnerability can be encouraged through authenticity on the part of management by organizing a teambuilding that creates connections and implementing a culture of feedback.

5. Participate in a self-discovery program

Effective stress management and interpersonal intelligence can be stimulated through a course dedicated to this topic. This is the Process Communication Model (PCM®). Through a PCM® course, you will get to know yourself better, understand your thinking patterns and emotional challenges and learn how to manage stress at home and at work.

A PCM® training will increase both self-awareness and emotional intelligence of the participants. 

If you want to discover more about the topics mentioned above or if you need other solutions to eliminate stressors at work, do not hesitate to contact us! Your team deserves the best, and we are here to make sure it reaches its full potential!