What is the Cost of Stress in the Workplace?

Stress is a topic that comes up often. It seems we can’t really escape it. Traffic, deadlines, irate customers, overbearing bosses, nosey co-workers, taxes, bills, braces for the kids… I could use the rest of this column detailing things that cause us stress - but I won’t.

Today I’d like to focus on a smaller, niche area of stress – stress in the workplace. Just for fun, before I started writing I did a Google search on “stress in the workplace” and found a return of 360,000 items. I think this is a substantial number for a tightly defined topic. Interestingly, “stress + disease” returned 6.85 million. Obviously, there is something going on with stress in our world – big surprise, right?

I heard an interesting statistic from an executive at Scottsdale Health Care. She told me that the Surgeon General reports that 75% of chronic diseases in America are preventable. I am curious about two things: how many of those diseases are stress-related (or even stress caused) and what is the amount of stress in the workplace that can be avoided by taking some pro-active steps? I’m sure a little time searching this would produce some startling answers. (I’ll get to work on that soon)

Think about your own job or your company for a moment and consider how much stress is created by these three situations.

• Stress caused by the conflict of two (or more) well-meaning, adequately trained people who have to work together but seem to be “cut from a different cloth.”  Both people are nice… they’ve each taken personality profiles and skills-based assessments and they both do their jobs well but they do them so differently that, when they need to work together, sparks fly.

• Strain caused when a person believes that how they should do their job is different from they way they believe it needs to be done. Notice, I’m not talking skill base here; nor am I talking about desire. They want to do the job well and they know how to do the job but they are under strain trying to do it in a certain way that is not natural for them. I bet this has never happened to you, has it?

• Tension created when the boss’ expectations of how to do the job are different from their own. It’s not that the person isn’t fulfilling their job description or they aren’t qualified for the position, because on both counts, they are. There is just a different expectation that usually surfaces at meetings and reviews. And often time neither the boss nor the employee can put their finger on the problem, they just know it’s there. Oh, I’m sure you’ve never experienced this one…

So what’s going on here? The answer is much too long to cover in this space so if you want to learn more, please contact me directly. I can however, provide an overview and some insights into the problems and solutions. Believe it or not; these problems are easily identified and remedied – and there is a ton of science and statistical evidence to back this up.

Here’s the basics. We all do things according to “hard wired” striving instincts that we have. Some people have a need to organize, systematize, and create orderly space while others (like me) work best out of piles and files (as long as the files are where I can see them!) Some people have a need to research while others need to find new innovative ways to solve problems. Some are abstract thinkers and only need to talk about ideas while others will say, “Come with me… let me show you.”

These basic talents – yes “talents” are non-negotiable in each individual. Meaning, they do not change! These talents are unaffected by mood or intelligence. The better news is that they are perfect – in every person - regardless of how different we all are. You see, so many times we assume something is wrong with us – or with the other person. In this view of the world, nothing is wrong with anyone. We might be trying to do a job in a way that goes against our natural grain and that is the cause of the stress –  it is not a problem with the person.

Rather than employees trying to change to fit the job, how much stress in the workplace would be eliminated if we adjust the job to fit the person? How much conflict would simply end because people understand, accept, and appreciate their inherent differences. I mean “appreciate” differences in a real and deep sense; not the short-lived euphoria that often follows “team building” exercises.

How much strain would go away when a talented employee utilizes her natural problem solving instincts to get her job done… in less time… with less effort by doing it her way? Even if her approach was unconventional, as an owner, manager, or boss; aren’t results the real reason you hired her?

Once again, consider your work environment. Do any of these situations seem familiar? If you are planning on changing jobs or careers, or just getting started in a career, wouldn’t it be priceless to know your natural talents – prior to interviewing?

If you are hiring people now, ask yourself, “how much does a bad-hire cost?” How much better would our company be if we identified the talents we need and advertised in such a way that we would attract more of those people and then screened and interviewed from that pool?

What would your company look like if everyone were encouraged to use their natural instincts in combination with their training to the best of their ability? I wonder, don’t you, what percentage of the “stress in the workplace” would be eliminated… and what would happen to profitability, absenteeism, “presenteeism”, sick days, etc. I wonder…

Is it possible to eliminate stress in the workplace completely by putting these ideas into action? No. Stress, in one form or another will always be present. But don’t you just wonder – what would your company look and feel like? How would your employees flourish when they go with their instincts instead of working against the grain? How much better would you sleep being employed in a company like that? If you are the owner, imagine for a moment the peace of mind you can have when you know your company provides that unique type of positive environment to your team.

A more detailed overview is available in a special free report: “Stress in the Workplace: Stop Working Against the Grain and Start Letting Your Talents Shine.” Send an email to George@JanusCenter.com and I’ll get the E-Report right out to you so you can discover for yourself the power that comes from identifying, understanding, and utilizing your natural instincts and talents.

Whether you own a business or are currently looking for a job, this information can be the competitive edge to enable you to think productively, feel courageous and act intuitively.

Janus Center for Personal Growth is taking a slightly new direction in 2008. We still have a busy private practice and will be adding a new focus on bringing information like this to businesses throughout the Valley in lunch and learn seminars, workshops and consulting. To learn more, email George Gillas.