How stress affects the workplace

There has been quite a lot in the news recently about management and stress.  For instance a New Zealand study found that managers were twice as likely to exhibit signs of stress than the population at large.  They're also the heaviest drinkers amongst us.  Management it seems is stressful business.

New research investigates the stresses caused by conflicts between work and home, and importantly whether this effects the productivity of ones co-workers.  Lieke L. ten Brummelhuis and colleagues studied 1,430 pairs of employees from a Dutch policing organisation.  They measured whether the work/home stress in  employee A correlated with an increase in sickies and desire to leave the company in employee B.  They found that it did, with employee B both more likely to be off sick and more likely to want to leave if employee A was stressed.

The researchers explained this as an example of emotional crossover, the process by which an individual’s emotional state influences the emotional state of another individual.  This result follows a similar outcome to earlier studies.

What causes this?

ten Brummelhuis and colleagues measured various states commonly associated with such stress, including burnout and low levels of employee engagement.  Interestingly, whilst they found that both produced the negative crossover effect, each did in slightly different ways.  Burnout was more likely to lead to sickies being pulled, whereas low engagement was more likely to lead to resignations.

How to reduce stress at work

You'll never be able to eliminate stress completely, but there are a few things you can do to reduce stress levels at work.

1. Know your triggers.  If you know what causes your stress you'll be in a much better position to deal with it.
2. Try to relax.  Exercise is well known as a stress buster so use your lunch break to take a break, get some fresh air and stretch your legs.  
3. You are what you eat.  Eating small but frequent meals throughout the day maintains an even level of blood sugar in your body. Low blood sugar makes you feel anxious and irritable. On the other hand, eating too much can make you lethargic.
4. Get enough sleep.  A good nights sleep is a great way to tackle the worries of life.  An afternoon nap has also been proven to increase productivity at work.  Burning the candle at both ends is a sure fire way to stressville.
5. A problem shared.  Not everyone is out to get you! It's crucial to remember that it's in most people's interests for the workplace to be as stress free as possible so seek advice from colleagues.

How do you reduce stress at work?