Remember when “stress” was a buzz word that worked its way into our conversations?
“I’m so s-t-r-e-s-s-e-d.” It was a top of mind medical concern, an issue employers were told they should try to minimize for their workers. We were supposed to do aerobics with Jane Fonda to relieve it. And avoid turning into the Japanese who were working so hard they had a word for dying from overwork: karoshi.
It seems to me that we don’t really use that word anymore. We talk about wellness, about walking 10,000 steps for better health, and getting employees to commit to wellness goals. But, unlike the 80s when it seems to me “stress” hit the radar screen as an important, urgent issue, now it seems it’s just part of life. In the same way that traffic congestion makes your commute longer. And mother-in-laws give unsolicited advice. It’s just part of life.
Worries
But, stress hasn’t disappeared from American life. It’s just gone underground. We’re all dealing with a lot of stress, but most of it seems rather mundane. And, it’s the accumulation of stressors, the sheer number of things we’re worrying about all at once that amazes me. For example, I’m currently worried about a sick relative, my finances, my son’s transition to high school in the fall, not working out enough, the economy, getting new next door neighbors, bringing on a new employee, the state of my business, the state of everyone else’s business, the list goes on and on.
I got a call from an office manager yesterday. She needed advice about workplace practices to improve the efficiency of her front office staff. She also needed to talk about her mom who has Alzheimer’s. And although this was a business call–I don’t know her personally– we got on the subject of her own productivity. She told me that up until now she’s only used four sick days in her five years of work.
This year, she fears she’ll use up all of her PTO and may need to ask for more. She’s simultaneously concerned with improving client satisfaction and finding her mother a night nurse. And those are only the two stressors she shared with me. How many more is she carrying around that are too personal to discuss?
Caring for an ailing parent is an obvious stressor. It’s feels pretty legitimate and justifiable to go ask for time off or a flexible work schedule if your mother’s dying. But what about more mundane, less dramatic stress? Take a look at my list and tell me if you’d give me time off to deal with my stuff. You don’t have too, because I’d be too embarrassed to ask.
Productivity
Yet, my stress is impacting my productivity this week. I’m not working as much as I normally do. It’s not because I have errands to run or calls to make during regular business hours. It’s because I don’t have the mental energy. Right now I need to rest. I need to veg out on the couch. I need to spend more time with my kids.
If I had to work in a traditional 9 to 5 (who’s kidding who: 8 to 6:00) environment, this week I’d be cleaning out my files (see Jaime’s blog) or catching up on the lives of co-workers through conversations in their cubicles.
Wellness
We all have lives that are stressful. Some stress is for public consumption, some is private, but it all affects our work. In an era when stress is no longer considered an acute problem but a chronic one, the solution is to loosen the strings on work hours and formal FWA (flexible work arrangement) requests. Recognize that stress is a productivity killer.
Having employees wear pedometers and conduct walking meetings is a “step” in the right direction, but it’s far from sufficient. Wellness goes beyond diet and sleep and exercise. It extends to energy levels, to control of when we feel like working and when we don’t.
Let your people breathe. Trust them to be in touch with their own work rhythms and productivity cycles. The quality of their work will improve. Employees will feel more connected to your business and energized about solving your company’s problems.
Posted by Kyra