Managing stress in the workplace

By Dr Justin Grayer, Clinical Psychologist, Think Talk Psychology.

Dr Justin Grayer, Clinical Psychologist shares his advice on how stress in the workplace arises, and what both individuals and organisations can do to help reduce occupational stress.

What is stress?
In general, stress occurs when a person believes that the demands made on them are greater than their ability to cope. In any given situation, for example, losing an important client, a person makes an appraisal of the potential consequences—such as losing their job—and whether these are dangerous. Subsequent thoughts assess their capacity to cope with the potential negative effects, for example, ‘My home and family are safe’ vs ‘I will lose everything’. Their assessment of how well they will cope with the situation is what leads to the amount of stress that they will experience.
A cognitive-behavioural approach to occupational stress places central emphasis on a person’s thought processes: it is the person’s perception of the event, the consequences and their ability to cope that mediates their stress response. This is not to say that actual events are not stressful, but that there is an interaction between the environment and the individual. This explains why different people find different situations stressful.

Stress is a normal human emotion and it is not possible, nor would it be helpful, to eliminate it. A lack of stress can lead to people feeling bored and frustrated at work. However, too much stress can lead to people feeling irritable, overloaded and exhausted. Short bursts of stress can be unpleasant; nevertheless, they are not harmful. Conversely, when stress continues for a long time and people do not have time to recuperate it can become a problem.

Stress manifests in a person’s thoughts such as ‘I won’t get this project finished on time’ or ‘It’s not fair that I have to deal with this’, emotions like anger, anxiety, sadness, guilt, shame; and behaviours such as drinking or smoking more, changes in eating patterns, putting off doing things, shouting, passive behaviour, withdrawal, taking on too much, lower work standards. Stress also effects the body because when danger is perceived the brain sends a signal to the sympathetic nervous system to prepare the body to defend itself, either to fight or to runaway—the fight or flight response. Physical changes people may notice are: a rise in heart rate and blood pressure, faster breathing and more muscle tension, sweat to cool down the body, sharper vision, a dry mouth and slower digestion.

Thus, stress affects the individual, their ability to do their job and to manage relationships.
Individual approaches to managing stress . A sensible place to start is at the beginning. It can be helpful for people to identify which situations they find stressful so that they can prepare for them both practically and emotionally.

Further, by becoming aware of their own ‘stress signature’ people will recognise when they are stressed earlier on, which increases their chances of successfully managing it. People can find these two tasks difficult, so it can be helpful to talk to trusted family, friends or colleagues as they may be well placed to share their observations.

Given that a person’s view of the world is central to the way they perceive work related situations, it can be helpful for staff to become more familiar with their thinking styles.
Thinking styles can prevent someone from looking at a situation objectively or assessing all of the available information.

The following questions can help people to evaluate their thinking:

• What is the evidence for/against the thought?
• What is the worst/best/most realistic outcome that can happen and can I cope with it?
• What would I say to a friend in a similar situation?
• What has happened in the past?

Unfortunately, sometimes a person’s most dire work related predictions are realistic, so challenging their thoughts may be unhelpful. If the predicament cannot be changed it may be appropriate to temporarily distract themselves from thinking about the difficulty, or conversely, to accept their thoughts about the situation.

Compounding a person’s sense of stress is their belief that they should be able to control the excessive demands made on them. This is not possible and becoming more comfortable with uncertainty and a lack of control is essential in stress management. Hence, the aim is not to get rid of stress, but to learn to manage it better.

A person’s behaviour can contribute to the maintenance or resolution of a stressful experience. If a problem, such as double booking of meeting rooms, can be solved then it makes sense to look for solutions rather than to avoid the problem or only to manage the emotions that arise from the difficulty. However, if the problem cannot be changed then trying to change it may be a frustrating and futile experience. In these circumstances it is important to manage the emotions which arise from the situation.

Behaviour outside of work contributes to a person’s ability to cope at work. It is important to have a good work-life balance, to have opportunities for enjoyment and achievement, like hobbies, and to take annual leave. Research has found that people who leave work for a stimulating and supportive environment experience have lower levels of after-hours stress than colleagues who do not return to a similar environment. This is because people who engage in activities outside of work spend less of their leisure time thinking about work. This is important to note, as 60% of Hong Kong employees recently indicated that they had a poor work life balance and 49% reported that they had no time for their partner and family (Source: Community Business, State of Work-Life Balance in Hong Kong Survey 2008). In 2006, a Hong Kong government survey found exercise was reported to be the most frequently utilised stress coping method. Other ways to manage the physical component of stress are relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation or visualisation, controlled breathing, meditation and yoga.

Directly changing emotions can be difficult as they are ethereal, however, a person who explores their thoughts, adapts their behaviour and manages their bodily feelings will notice changes to their emotions. Additionally, people can talk to others who make them feel better. Unfortunately, there are times when people cannot turn to someone they know for support. In these situations, it may be helpful to call a helpline such as the Samaritans or to seek professional help. In summary, finding ways to manage stress is like developing a really good tool kit: the more tools a person has, the more likely one of them is going to work in any given situation. Initially, it may be a process of trial and error; however, as a person explores and practises different approaches they increase the utility of their tool kit and are likely to have the tools to do the job. Thinking styles which contribute to stress:

Why should organisations manage occupational stress?
The current economic situation is creating levels of stress and anxiety within organisations, which have not been seen in decades, if ever.  This climate increases the likelihood that staff will see the work demands made on them as greater than their ability to cope, which in turn raises the stress barometer; thus, a negative cycle of overwhelming stress and reduced occupational performance develops.

When the workforce perceives work pressure as too high this can lead to an organisation being overloaded and exhausted; paradoxically, when perceived pressure is too low staff can be frustrated or bored, thus under perform.
Optimal organisational performance occurs when a company is able to manage the workload so that the workforce perceives some stress–not too little, not too much.

Organisational approaches to managing stress
Managing occupational stress is a challenge for organisations as different employees respond in their own way to different situations. It is not possible for organisations to develop a panacea approach to occupational stress, as one size does not fit all. Therefore, organisations need to tackle occupational stress on a number of different fronts:
Primary interventions
A good first step is to carry out a stress audit, a staff survey aimed at eliciting aspects of the organisation’s culture and tasks which employees find particularly stressful. This highlights difficulties related to particular teams, tasks, ‘level’ of employee or to general organisational culture, such as management style and reward systems. However, a stress audit is only helpful if management proactively respond to the findings; to not respond may elicit staff apathy.
Research has identified a number of organisational factors that contribute to occupational stress. These include firstly, excessive job demands such as work overload and difficult work shifts/patterns. Secondly, a lack of job control and autonomy regarding the speed or nature of decisions. Thirdly, low social support either emotional support such as trust and social cohesion, or instrumental support such as resource and assistance. Hence, an organisation that sets realistic goals, encourages people to become engaged in managing their workload and facilitates a supportive culture will experience lower levels of staff distress.

In today’s economic climate many employees are concerned about job security. Change needs to be managed and communicated clearly to people. When companies do start recruiting, as many already have, they need to consider whether potential employees will be both role competent and culture competent: i.e. do the person’s goals and behaviour fit with the organisation’s culture? Employees who are both role and culture competent will experience a more satisfactory work life.
Despite financial and political constraints on employee remuneration, companies can demonstrate their commitment to the workforce by actively engaging them in conversations about career pathways and training. Although this takes time out of an already busy day, it is time well invested when the result is a workforce that is more enthused and dedicated to the company’s aims and objectives, thus increasing productivity and reducing absenteeism. Conversely, people who are genuinely unwell—physically or emotionally—should be encouraged to take off the necessary time to recuperate. There is a cost attached to the burgeoning culture of ‘presenteeism’.

Flexible work arrangements and equal opportunity policies such as sexual orientation, race and disability also demonstrate to staff that they are valued. However, policies must be clearly demonstrable both internally and externally to increase staff commitment and brand loyalty respectively.

Secondary interventions
In addition to developing the right culture organisations need to ensure their workforce has the occupational and psycho-social skills to preempt and manage stress as it arises. ‘Secondary interventions’ include the promotion of healthier lifestyles; guidance in managing the emotional, behavioural, physiological and mental aspects of stress, and skills in managing occupational tasks and the working environment.
Cognitive-behavioural coaching, either as individuals or in small groups, can help people to understand the role of their thoughts in the stress process. For example, commonly held unhelpful thought patterns that contribute to stress include ‘expecting the worst to happen’ and ‘mind reading’ others instead of directly communicating with them. Naturally, these thoughts influence a person’s emotions, behaviour and how their body feels. Training staff to become aware of their own thought biases and to evaluate their thinking provides them with a tool to moderate their stress response.
To manage the physical component of stress, people can engage in activities or coping behaviours such as relaxation using, for example, progressive muscle relaxation or visualisation; controlled breathing exercises; meditation; yoga and general exercise. In 2006, a Hong Kong government survey found exercise was reported to be the most frequently utilised stress coping method. Companies can provide information on the benefits of, and how to access, these activities. Initiatives aimed at promoting exercise, stopping smoking and moderate drinking can improve the overall wellbeing of a workforce.

Information is key and face-to-face workshops or online updates on daily occupational processes such as time management, assertiveness training, social skills and problem solving will enable employees to work more effectively. For example, research has found that approximately five minutes of planning at the start of the day can save about one hour in a seven hour day. Staff members who have good communication skills create a more comfortable working environment and increase productivity as clearly explained tasks reduce error time.

Additionally, people who are assertive and stand up for their own rights in such a way that they do not violate the rights of another person are better able to regulate their workload which means that they are less likely to be under or overloaded. Problem solving is an important occupational skill, however, people vary as to how good they are at it. Training in problem solving and goal setting can create a workforce that is able to think about solutions to today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. This skill means that people are more likely to believe that they can cope with their work demands and are consequently less likely to experience overwhelming stress.

Tertiary interventions
Regardless of the efforts of the most conscientious organisation there will be people who become distressed within the work environment and need additional support. It is unusual that an organisation is able to directly provide psychological care. However, organisations can develop relationships with external bodies that are able to provide psychological care for their workforce. At the very least companies should make information available to their employees via their intranet on appropriately trained local psychologists. However, organisations should be aiming higher, either by providing comprehensive medical insurance that covers the provision of psychotherapy, as most policies do not cover psychotherapy, or by providing employee assistance programmes.