Workplace stress is preventable and identifying the potential sources of stress begins and ends with YOU

 

 MANAGING WORKPLACE STRESS

 Workplace stress is preventable and identifying the potential sources of stress to employees in an organization is the first step in addressing them. Effective interventions for reducing workplace stress can be classified as primary, secondary, and tertiary.

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PRIMARY INTERVENTIONS 

Primary interventions involve proactive measures to prevent stress by removing or reducing potential stressors. This level of intervention focuses on the sources of physical and psychosocial stress in the workplace. Examples of primary interventions include:
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Redesigning the work environment
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‍Providing breaks and nap-times for employees
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‍Increasing employee participation in decision making and work planning

‍Increasing time and resources for completing specific job tasks

‍Matching job description with employee skills and qualifications

‍Creating clear promotion and reward pathways

‍Eliminating physical hazards

‍Substituting with safer equipment and technology

‍Establishing control measures to reduce worker's exposure to occupational hazards
‍Promoting the use of personal protective equipment

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SECONDARY INTERVENTIONS 

Secondary interventions are corrective and are focused on altering the ways workers perceive and respond to stressors. These interventions aim at improving worker's ability to cope with stress and detect stress-induced symptoms early. Examples of secondary interventions include:
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Training and education of employees

‍Cognitive behavioral therapy training for workers

‍Routine health surveillance - screening for high blood pressure and stress symptoms

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TERTIARY INTERVENTIONS 

Tertiary interventions are forms of control at the level of the illness. These are initiated for workers who are already experiencing stress. Tertiary interventions involve providing treatment, compensation plans, rehabilitation programs, and return to work programs for affected workers. Tertiary interventions include:
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• Providing medical care and employee assistance programs to affected workers
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• Return-to-work plans including modification and redesign of work
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.... BUT IT ALL BEGINS AND ENDS WITH YOU

We all know the things that we could be doing to keep ourselves physically healthy, but we’re not so sure about the things that we could be doing to keep ourselves mentally strong and healthy.

Here are some top tips for or keeping mentally well in the workplace

Remember who you are and the things that are really important to you. Your values are the things that are really important to you and the things that help you make your life meaningful. Spend some time reconnecting with your work and life values.  What are the things that you would refuse to compromise on?  What, if anything, is preventing you from living to those values?

Understand the way you think. Just because you think something, it doesn’t make it true. Your thoughts are just your thoughts. It’s easy to get into poor habits of thinking, jumping to conclusions, thinking that everything is going to go wrong, thinking that you can read minds, focusing on the negatives, feeling responsible for everything that happens, but these are just thinking styles, and they’re not reality.  Learn to recognise the automatic thoughts that pop into your head and learn to let them go, replacing them with more balanced, realistic, objective thoughts.

Remain curious. Being curious about the world is good for your mental health. Try new experiences. Rediscover old interests. Explore new places. Cook different foods. Meet new people. Explore the world around you.

Think positively. People who have a positive attitude cope better with stress.  At the end of each day, spend a few minutes remembering the great things that happened in your day. Learn to reframe your experiences, seeing the good things and recognising the opportunities that they bring.

Focus on the things you can change or influence. The only thing in life that you can directly control is yourself and your decisions.  Focus your valuable energy on the things that you can change.  You might not be able to change the situation that you’re in, but you can change the way that you respond to it.

Learn to let go. Everyone holds on to things, whether it’s possessions, bad habits, relationships, or past mistakes.  You visit these in your head again and again and again.  You don’t need to – you can let go, allowing your feelings of frustration and regret to float away and allow acceptance and peace to take their place.

Keep active. Incorporate more physical activity into your day.  Take a walk at lunchtime. Take the stairs instead of the lift.  Get off the bus a couple of stops early and find a sport or exercise you enjoy.  It doesn’t have to be the gym or running.  It could be dancing, cycling, playing tennis, walking, yoga or skateboarding.

Learn to relax. Find time for things that you enjoy – reading a book, watching a film, walking in the park, riding your bike, listening to music.  Learn short relaxation techniques, tensing and relaxing your muscles in turn.  Visualising a peaceful scene for five to 10 minutes or practising, taking long, slow, deep breaths in and out through your nose.

Build and use your social networks. Connect with people around you and find time for your friends. Think quality not quantity. You don’t need lots of friends -hundreds of friends – just one or two people who you enjoy spending time with and who you can call if you need help.

Manage technology – don’t let it manage you. Technology has revolutionised the way that we work, helping us to become more flexible and productive. But you can become a slave to technology constantly checking emails, updating Facebook, taking work calls late into the evening. Manage your technology. Turn your phone off during meetings. Have separate work and personal phones so that you can turn the work phone off. Limit the times you check and respond to emails. Resist checking up on your social networks until break times. Schedule in focus work time when your telephones are turned off.

ROUNDING UP

Workplace stress is a silent, and oft-neglected, factor which impairs employee health and productivity. It not only affects the workers but also contributes significantly to a decline in a company's overall success. Employers should begin to tackle this worrisome concern to create a healthier, safer, and more productive work atmosphere.

With best compliments

Dr Wilfred Monteiro