meeting tight deadlines and minimizing employee stress

8/2/2019 Meeting Tight Deadlines and Minimizing Employee Stress

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stress

productivity

EAP Networker

I n f o r m a t i o n o f

I n t e r e s t t o M a n a g e r s , S u

p e r v i s o r s a n d H u m a n R e

s o u r c e s P r o f e s s i o n a l s p r o

v i d e d b y

V o l u m e 1

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Many studies suggest that meeting deadlinescauses more stress for workers than anyother single factor. Managers and supervi-

sors can feel this pressure even more severely.

Coaching youremployees tomeet deadlines isboth a skill andan art. You must,of course, outlinethe work anddelegate tasksappropriately.But motivatingworkers to face achallenge takescreativity, focusand a calmresolve.

General tips

As you push others to the finish line, keep commu-

nications open. Tell employees, “I’m open to hear-ing your suggestions.” To save time, do this via e-mail or any method that doesn’t require a meeting.

Ideally, you can go to your own boss for ideaswhen the heat is on. Furthermore, have mentors inplace in case you reach a crossroads or crisis.

When a tight deadline first enters the picture, makesure your employees can honor the work that’s

already on their plates. Don’t just postpone it.

Ask employees to deal strategically with everyclient who will be affected by any delays. Somemay not require an explanation, but make sureemployees let the others know what’s going on.

When a deadline looms

Avoid forcing outcomes. Plan well to make sureyou can meet your department’s deadline. Be realis-

tic. You may need to hire temps or outsource spe-cific tasks. Or, you might need to call certainclients and negotiate an extended deadline.

Tackle the most stubborn parts of a project first.Say to your employees, “Let’s figure out the equip-ment, research and resources that will be difficult

to get in place.” Doing the hard parts first will helpyou meet your deadline. This prep work creates theflow and gets everybody’s energies in sync.

Encourage employees to alert you to problemsearly. Tell them, “I want to know if you hit a stum-bling block or brick wall.” Certain employees maytry to hide important problems—perhaps acting outanger about having to work overtime. Sniff outanyone who’s not coming through early on.

Be honest with your own boss. If you will needcertain resources to make sure you can meet yourdeadline, tell your boss. Never promise what youknow your department cannot deliver.

Help employees pace themselves. Employees usu-ally know how to manage their stress levels andwhere they can focus best. For example, some maywork best from home a couple of days each week.Others may wish to work late.

Protect employees from energy drains. Employeessave energy when they can focus on the tasks athand. Your goal is to help workers avoid interrup-tions and plan how they will obtain focused timeand a relaxed working space, if possible.

Encourage rest breaks. It’s easy to forget thatworking harder, without rest, is counter-productive.As 6 p.m. comes and goes every night during an

overtime marathon, remind employees to stand up,move about and get their blood flowing.

Make sure everyone understands everyone else’srole. Interface these roles on an assignment sheet.

Draw a clear picture of what you need on paper.Write down expectations, outline them or drawthem on paper. Ask employees to fill in the details.

Do your best, and forget worry. When you stay

calm and do your best, you’re more receptive toideas and better able to fine-tune your approach orfind last-minute advisors.

Meeting Tight Deadlines: Minimizing Employee Stress



gestures

environment

Body language is often portrayed as a window

into a person’s true thoughts. Many books andmagazines offer advice on how to translate the

gestures, facial expressions and posture of others. Forexample, one author explains that if a person casuallyrubs her eye with one finger, it means she feels unsureabout what you’re saying. Another author points outthat crossed legs signal disagreement.

Actually, interpreting nonverbal communication isn’tthat simple, some experts say. Consider the whole mes-sage—including nonverbal, verbal and environmental cues—when communicating with others.

Don’t rely on body language alone

The media has mythologized body language, notesCurtis LeBaron, PhD, a professor at Brigham YoungUniversity’s Marriott School of Business, who specializesin organizational communication. “That is unfortunate,

irresponsible and very misleading,” LeBaron says. Manypublications just offer crude interpretations, heexplains. “What any one hand gesture means has a lotto do with what the person is saying, what other peo-ple have said and done previously and what’s going onin that situation.”

Relying on nonverbal communication to read minds cancause serious misinterpretations. In any situation, peo-ple should consider:

• their own nonverbal behaviors (LeBaron prefers theterm “visible behaviors”) as well as other partici-pants’ nonverbal behaviors

• the contentof the con-versation andthe impactof their

words onparticipants

• the settingin which thecommunica-tion takesplace

• the material resourcesavailable

LeBaron teaches up to 150 MBA students every year

about human interactions. As part of his classwork,LeBaron videotapes students’ group meetings and laterasks them to analyze their vocal and visible behaviors.The process helps demonstrate how all of the elementsin a situation affect communication. Increasing aware-ness of those interactions is important for people inleadership positions, negotiators, mediators, salespeo-ple, and even those who want to improve their personal relationships.

The role of nonverbal communication

Nonverbal communication includes facial expression,tones of voice, eye contact, gestures, touch, spatial arrangements and expressive movement, among others,according to researchers at the University of California,Santa Cruz.

Clinical psychologist and author Clare Albright notes

the importance of paying attention to others’ nonverbal signals. Albright offers additional tips for increasingyour awareness of nonverbal communication:

• Tune in to your audience. Don’t forget to look forsigns that indicate other people’s interest levels, andchange your behavior if you need to.

• Stop and ask people what their nonverbal behaviormeans if you’re not sure.

• Make an effort to notice the effects your words haveon others.

• Express gratitude when your audience seems respon-sive.

Most importantly, make an effort to orient your bodytoward other people in appropriate ways when youspeak, LeBaron says. An effective leader, for example,

points his face, eyes and body in the direction of thepeople he’s talking to. On the other hand, an ineffec-tive leader may turn his back or focus on somethingelse, like shuffling papers.

Verbal communication

Of course, talk plays an essential role in communica-tion. “Rapport building is important in conversations,”LeBaron says. “We have ways of showing people we’reon the same page.” LeBaron emphasizes that responsesplay just as big of a role as the initial comment.

Nonverbal Communication

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performance

morale

Even the most competent employees can’t accom-

plish everything single-handedly. As a manager,you rely on other people to contribute key pieces

to every project. Your ability to build and maintainstrong teams can make or break those projects. Beforeyou embark on the next big assignment, try somestrategies for turning your staff into a highly effectiveteam.

Build a strong team

Even if you’re working on a complex project, thinksmall. Gather the smallest possible number of people toget the work done. Large, loosely organized teamsinevitably experience problems with communication andpersonality clashes. With that advice in mind, startbuilding your winning team:

Clearly articulate your goals and visionsfor the future. Pick team members who

believe in the cause.

Select team members who will work welltogether. Team members need to trust themotives of their colleagues; ongoing con-flicts can derail a project.

Take note of the skill sets each poten-tial team member will bring to the proj-ect. Diversity and creativity are essential

ingredients for a strong team. Find peoplewith complementary talents, includingtechnical and functional expertise, inter-personal skills and problem-solving anddecision-making abilities.

Maintain a strong team

You may face obstacles in building astrong team, but maintaining the team’s

effectiveness may prove an even biggerchallenge in the end. Long-term assignments and tightdeadlines can certainly test the true strength of ateam. As the team leader, you can take steps to keepeveryone on track:

Remind people of your goals and highlight accom-plishments—often. Keeping people happy helps ensureyou won’t be alone in your mission. Others will take theflag and charge.

Feed team members’ egos. Each person must have

enough self-confidence to respect other team members.

Give each person an area in which to excel.

Stay on the lookout for distractions and unproduc-tive tangents. You must work hard to keep the projectfrom going astray.

Be alert for personality clashes and people with con-sistently negative attitudes. Don’t let those issuesaffect the team.

Hold frequent group meetings and encourage infor-mal interactions between group members. Regularget-togethers help build solidarity, illuminate possibleproblems and reinforce goals. Your team membersshouldn’t need nametags to recognize one another. Whynot celebrate successes with a pizza party or brainstormover coffee? Little efforts can make a big difference.

Facilitate commu-

nication betweengroup members.When people don’ttalk to each other,work gets duplicat-ed, frustrationsrise and projectscan easily grind toa halt.

Empower your team members.When appropriate,allow responsibleemployees to makemajor decisionsthat will affect theteam, or even takepart in hiring newteam members.

Assign tasks forgroups of two team members to finish together so thateveryone can make a contribution and feel a sense of accomplishment.

Create an environment in which team members canpractice and make mistakes. Undue pressure canquickly create a negative work environment, affectmoods and steadily decrease productivity. Talk to teammembers to make sure that they feel comfortable intheir everyday work environment and understand that itis OK to ask questions and make mistakes.

Building and Mantaining a Strong Team

continued on page 4



observe

teamwork

Building and Maintaining; continued from page 3

EditorAmy Daugherty

Contributing WritersJudi Light Hopson

Kristin Knight

Graphic DesignerAmber Hudson

Nonverbal Communication; continued from page 2

EAP Networker

Manage conflict

Even teams that work like a well-oiled machine breakdown every once in a while. But conflicts don’t have toruin a project. Try hard to anticipate problems, andwhen they do arise remember to:

Attack the problem, not people. Do your best toensure that team members follow the same principlewhen handling problems.

Focus on what can be done, rather than what can’t bechanged. It is a waste of time to dwell on mistakes of the past.

Encourage people to accept ownership for their rolein the situation, but avoid handing out punishments.Condescending attitudes can lead to resentment.

Start honest dialogue, but discourage blaming.

Hold a debriefing meeting for the whole team to dis-cuss “lessons learned” and how to avoid similar situa-tions in the future.

It’s inevitable, teamwork always poses challenges, nomatter how much you try to avoid them. However, withforethought and preparation, you can use those chal-lenges to help create a successful product.

It’s important to remember that all participants con-

tribute to the meaning of a conversation.

Be aware of what you say and how you react to whatothers say. Take the example of a supervisor who wantsto fire a “problem” employee. Problems are never “indi-vidual,” LeBaron says, “they’re interactive.” Both thecomments of the employee and the responses of thesupervisor have contributed to the situation. “If asolution’s going to happen, it’s got to happen togeth-er,” LeBaron says.

Environment

The environment and resources available in any situa-tion also affect communication. “The material environ-ments we inhabit constrain our interactions or provideresources and support for our interactions.” If you’rehaving trouble getting a point across or coming to anagreement with other people on an important issue,consider your environment. Physical structures can

influence behavior. For instance, a team sitting in asmall room at a long rectangular table might have moretrouble seeing each other and talking as a group thana team sitting in a large room at a round table.

But LeBaron also notes that our ability to use material resources depends on our skills with nonverbal and ver-bal communication. He cites a study he conductedamong architects, in which he found that those whoused their hands to explain spatial arrangements totheir clients and paid attention to clients’ body move-ments were better able to draw successful plans.

Read the total message

To avoid misunderstandings and keep conversations ontrack, pay attention to both the content and condi-tions of any conversation. That includes physical, emo-tional and behavioral signals, according to the authors

of Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When theStakes are High. “Visible behaviors are extremely impor-tant,” LeBaron says, “But they become meaningful andinterpretable through coordination with talk, andthrough their situational occurrence within a social andmaterial setting.”

meeting tight deadlines and minimizing employee stress

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