chapter 16 stress management and personal productivity

CHAPTER 16

STRESS MANAGEMENT AND PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY

2Human Relations: Interpersonal Job-Oriented Skills, 11/eAndrew J. DuBrin

© 2012, 2009, 2007, 2004 Pearson EducationUpper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

PRELIMINARY THOUGHTS

When work and stress are under control you can focus better on interpersonal relationships.

You might be or will become a corporate athlete—a worker who engages in high-level performance for sustained periods.

To be a corporate athlete you must manage energy and stress well, plus have good work habits and time-management.



THE NATURE OF STRESS Stress is an adaptive response to

an action, situation, or event that places special demands on a person.

A stressor is a force creating the stress.

Individual differences in the perceptions of an event determine if it is a stressor.

Minor demands can accumulate to create stress.



SYMPTOMS AND CONSEQUENCES OF

STRESS Physiological changes are responsible

for most stress symptoms. The fight-or-flight response is the

battle against the stressor. The brain decides whether a situation

is stressful, and produces the response.

Hormone activation when faced with stressor produces short-term physiological reaction such as increased blood pressure.



Symptoms and Consequences of Stress, concluded

Continuous short-range physiological changes can lead to annoying and life-threatening conditions.

Eventually, immune system is suppressed and memory is impaired.

25-year study found that work stress doubles risk of dying from heart attack.

Under intense stress, people tend to exaggerate their weakest tendencies.



JOB PERFORMANCE CONSEQUENCES OF

STRESS

Hindrance stressors have a negative effect on motivation and performance.

Challenge stressors have a positive effect on motivation and performance.

Performance tends to be best under moderate amounts of stress.

Distressed workers are more likely to be absent, therefore accomplishing less work.



BURNOUT AND STRESS Burnout is a condition of emotional,

mental and physical exhaustion in response to long-term stressors.

Burnout is complex including a feeling of limited autonomy and low recognition.

Charismatic leadership can reduce some factors contributing to burnout.

Studies show that burnout can damage physical health as much as smoking or too much bad cholesterol.



PERSONALITY FACTORS RELATED TO STRESS

Low perceived control (how well workers believe they can control adverse event).

Low self-efficacy (lacking confidence to accomplish the task is stressful)

Type A behavior and hostility (being demanding and impatient creates stress, and hostility leads to heart disease).

Negative affectivity (nasty disposition)



JOB SOURCES OF STRESS

Any job situation can be stressor for some workers but not necessarily for others.

Role overload including extreme jobs (being overloaded is stressful, as is working 60 hours and more per week with tight deadlines and heavy travel).

In extreme form, role overload can kill (Japanese term is karoshi ), including suicide.



Job Sources of Stress, continued

Role conflict and role ambiguity (competing expectations; ill defined expectations)

Adverse environmental conditions, such as

a) unpleasant or dangerous situationsb) ergonomic problems leading to

musculoskeletal disorders including carpal tunnel syndrome

c) heavy commuting (for some people)



Job Sources of Stress, continued

Adverse interaction with customers (including unreasonable demands and harassment by clients and customers)

Emotional labor—having to control the expression of emotion to please or avoid displeasing a customer (keep smiling!)

Environmentally induced attention deficit disorder (technology and activity overload)



Job Sources of Stress, concluded

Job insecurity a) Worrying about losing job creates

problems even if jobs are plentiful.b) Survivors of downsizing may fear

future cuts, loss of friends, workload increase.

Job loss (often leads to stressors of financial problems and relationship conflict, and sometimes suicide)



METHODS AND TECHNIQUES FOR STRESS

MANAGEMENT

General principle is that distress is less likely if you have right resources.

Substantial individual differences in terms of effectiveness of stress-management techniques.

Eliminate or modify the stressor (get at root of problem to reduce the stress).

The cognitive behavioral approach helps you overcome stress-inducing thoughts.



Stress Management, continued

Get appropriate physical exercise. Rest sufficiently (napping is beneficial). Maintain a healthy diet (nutritious food is

valuable for physical and mental health). Build a support network—people who

listen to your problems and give you emotional support.

Practice visualization and meditation (imagine a pleasant scene; concentrate).



Stress Management, concluded

Practice everyday methods of stress reduction:

a) Learning how to relax helps cope with tension and anxiety from all stressors.

b) A wide variety of everyday techniques help a person relax, including inhaling and exhaling, doing a small and constructive task, taking idle time, and helping a person in need.



PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND STRESS MANAGEMENT

Moderate physical exercise a key to managing stress and achieving wellness.

Avoid overexertion and injury. Walking is effective stress reducer with a

minimum risk of physical danger. Physical exercise produces endorphins

leading to euphoria and pain reduction. Yoga is physical exercise that also

develops attitudes to calm body and brain.



DEALING WITH PROCRASTINATION

Commit to what you want in life. Calculate the cost of procrastination. Follow WIFO (“worst in, first out”). Break the task into manageable

chunks. Make a commitment to other people. Remove some clutter from your mind. Satisfy stimulation quota constructively. No tangible rewards for procrastination.



ATTITUDES AND VALUES FOR PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY

Begin with a mission and goals (a purpose that propels you toward good use of time).

Work smarter, not harder (plan your task and use deliberate practice).

Value orderliness and cleanliness (yet some people work well amid clutter).

Value good attendance and punctuality (productivity requires being at work in the company or office at home).



Attitudes and Values for Productivity, continued

Attain a balance in life and avoid being a workaholic (avoid distress and burnout):

a) Learn to say no diplomatically to your boss and family members.

b) Workaholism is an addiction to work in which non-work is not fun.

Increase your energy (rituals for body, emotions, mind, and spirit).



WORK HABITS AND SKILLS FOR PRODUCTIVITY

Prepare a to-do list and set priorities. Streamline your work and focus on

important tasks. Concentrate on one important task at

a time instead of multitasking. Stay in control of paperwork and

electronic work. Work productively from virtual office. Enhance your Internet search skills.



TO-DO LIST SUGGESTIONS

No escape possible: a to-do list is at the heart of every time-management system.

First, sort out all your tasks. Second, lay out the steps necessary to

accomplish the tasks (goals) on the list. Set priorities for items on the to-do list. Re-vamp the list to meet changing

needs. The to-do list should not become an end

in itself—do not become obsessed.



POTENTIAL PROBLEMS OF MULTITASKING

Can lead to problems in concentration and significant errors for most people.

Errors increase, and amount of time to perform the task may double.

Task may be done inefficiently. Rudeness problem occurs when

multitasking in presence of others. Highly dangerous when lives are at

stake.



WORKING AT HOME OR FROM VITUAL OFFICE

Need to be self-starter, self-disciplined. Act as if you work in traditional office. Stay in touch with teammates and

other workers as well. Minimize conducting personal life at

the same time as working. Schedule regular times for meals and

snacks.



OVERCOMING TIME WASTERS

Time wasting depends on its purpose, such as chatting with a coworker to avoid work versus building a relationship.

Even 10 minutes a day saved results in an enormous productivity gain for the year.

Start with a time log for two weeks. Time wasters include daydreaming,

over-checking e-mail, perfectionism.



YOU KNOW YOU ARE A PERFECTIONIST WHEN

YOU… Often correct the speech of others. Keep checking and rechecking your e-

mails and text messages before sending. Check the expiration date on food so you

can purchase the freshest. Rarely start a new assignment until you

have finished the previous one. Become upset when you make a

mistake.

chapter 16 stress management and personal productivity

Documents

nature of stress stress

stress burnout

stress symptoms

stress management

intense stress

human relations

e andrew

moderate amounts of