Workplace Stress - The American Institute of Stress
Although the Institute is often asked to construct lists of the “most” and “least” stressful occupations, such rankings have little importance for several reasons. It is not the job but the person-environment fit that matters. Some individuals thrive in the time urgent pressure cooker of life in the fast lane, having to perform several duties at the same time and a list of things to do that would overwhelm most of us — provided they perceive that they are in control. Stress is a highly personalized phenomenon and can vary widely even in identical situations for different reasons.
Fake It Til You Make It? Not So Fast
Our lives and careers are filled with examples of inauthentic behavior. We feign interest in meetings or laugh at our boss’s bad jokes in order to be positive team members, build relationships, and accomplish shared goals. This is how we get along—and it is how some of us get ahead. But according to Maryam Kouchaki, a professor of management and organizations at the Kellogg School, our chronic phoniness comes at a cost. “We shouldn’t overlook the psychological distress that comes with inauthentic behavior,” she says. Feeling Icky Kouchaki’s research is the first empirical demonstration that authenticity and morality are linked in this way. "Staying true to yourself matters, even if it is difficult, because we notice that there is a cost involved in straying too far from your personal values.” The researchers also found that recalling one’s inauthenticity led to a desire for self-cleansing. Moral Compensation If inauthentic behavior makes us feel less pure, what do we do to compensate?
To successfully reduce stress at work, it takes the...
What Great Managers Do Daily
So much depends upon managers. For example, a Gallup study found that at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement scores is driven by who the boss is. This is disconcerting because the same research found that about 70% of people in management roles are not well equipped for the job. This state of affairs is hurting not just employee engagement and quality of life, but also corporate performance. Most companies understand the importance of having highly effective managers, but few invest heavily in training to help them get there. But there’s new data that can help. We recently had the opportunity to combine behavioral KPIs with employee engagement survey results for two Fortune 100 clients comprising thousands of knowledge workers. Managers lead by example when it comes to working hours. However, managers need to ensure even allocation of work. Effective managers maintain large internal networks across their company. One-on-ones remain vital.
12 things that kill innovation in your organisation
by Shaun McCarthy Innovation – the word that's on everyone's lips right now as organisations grapple with the realities of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity in today's somewhat turbulent world. But innovation doesn't just happen by "being more innovative" or hiring creative types and putting them in special "innovation" teams. For innovation to happen, a considerable body of research shows that there are certain organisational conditions that must be tackled. Through Human Synergistics' work with clients, which is based on research into the organisational factors that influence organisational performance by our chief executive, Dr Robert A. Cooke, we've discovered there are 12 key innovation killers in organisations. 1. Your culture either works for you or against you in your search for innovation. 2. For people to think in an innovative manner, they must see that the organisation is striving to achieve a higher purpose, not just aiming to be good at making money. 3. 4. 5.
12 Ways To Eliminate Stress At Work
The average business professional has 30 to 100 projects on their plate. Modern workers are interrupted seven times an hour and distracted up to 2.1 hours a day. And four out of 10 people working at large companies are experiencing a major corporate restructuring, and therefore facing uncertainly about their futures. This may be why more than 40% of adults say they lie awake at night plagued by the stressful events of the day. "People are asking me for answers," says Sharon Melnick, Ph.D., a business psychologist and author of just released Success Under Stress. Is there a way to maintain steady focus throughout the day? Act Rather Than React "We experience stress when we feel that situations are out of our control," says Melnick. Take A Deep Breath If you're feeling overwhelmed or are coming out of a tense meeting and need to clear your head, a few minutes of deep breathing will restore balance, says Melnick. Eliminate Interruptions Schedule Your Day For Energy And Focus Change Your Story
Wat er met je hoofd gebeurt als je het lichaam vergeet
Nooit eerder hebben we zo weinig met onze handen en zoveel met ons hoofd gewerkt. Soms lijkt het alsof ons lichaam voornamelijk dient als de woning van ons brein. Maar van een instrument waarvan de aanwezigheid weleens vergeten wordt zolang het goed werkt, heeft het lichaam zich de laatste jaren ontwikkeld tot een steeds zichtbaarder onderwerp. Toch heb ik het gevoel dat al die dingen niet per se betekenen dat we steeds beter omgaan met ons lichaam. Dat ik over deze vervreemding wil schrijven, komt door de burn-out Hoewel er onenigheid is over de precieze definitie, wordt met 'burn-out’ doorgaans mentale uitputting bedoeld die tot langdurige emotionele, cognitieve en psychosomatische klachten leidt. De leidende vragen: Het lichaam als hoofdpijndossier, kan dat ook anders? Wat is een burn-out? Eerst wat opvallende cijfers. Toen ik in een stoel bij het raam zat, bedacht ik dat mijn lichaam misschien méér was dan een scorebord Toch is dat wat ik mis in de gangbare opsomming: het lichaam.
A Model of Stress at Work
9 CEOs Share Their Favorite Productivity Hacks
Photo Andrew Neel/Unsplash. We all have the same number of hours in a week, but for some of us the demands on our time are greater. This is true with CEOs. A study published in Harvard Business Review found that each week CEOs work an average of 62.5 hours and attend 37 meetings. Getting the most out of their hours is critical. Here are nine tricks successful CEOs use to squeeze more productivity out of themselves and their employees: Keep One Day a Week Free From Meetings Thirty-seven meetings a week is a lot, and Asana CEO Dustin Moskovitz makes sure at least one day a week is meeting-free, implementing a company-wide “No Meeting Wednesdays” (NMW) rule. “The high-level goal of NMW is to ensure that everyone gets a large block of time each week to do focused, heads-down work,” he writes on the company blog. Moskovitz wants managers to be makers some of the time, so NMW ensures they get some flow time, too, he said. Make Time for a Nap Use Downtime to Think Be Specific With Email
Five lines that are killing your CV
by Amber Rolfe Struggling to set your CV apart? With a number of jobs seemingly requiring similar skillsets, CVs can often end up looking like virtual replicas of one another, making the hiring process more difficult (and more irritating) for recruiters. To help you ditch the clichés, here are five lines you should steer clear of when you’re writing your CV: 1. Hiring managers aren’t immediately attracted to candidates that constantly apologise. Not only does it show a lack of confidence in your ability to do the job at hand, it also emphasises your shortcomings instead of focusing on what skills you actually do have. If it’s a skill or qualification that is essential for the job you’re applying for, apologising isn’t going to persuade the employer to consider you, and if it’s not 100% necessary, why mention it? Either way, you’re unlikely to ever come out in a positive light after your admission. Remember: think about what you can offer in a role, not what you can’t. 2. 3. Simple. 4. 5.
