Workplace stress is an expected part of life for anybody. Any situation that requires any two individuals who are not identical in every way, to be productive together, is going to result in some level of workplace stress. But is workplace stress always a bad thing? Are there some aspects of it that might actually be beneficial to the company overall?
One of the biggest sources of workplace stress is when any one, or more, members of a given team don’t carry their own individual weight on the team. This obviously increases the demands on the other employees involved and should be recognized by management whenever it occurs.
We’re only going to be looking at some of the particulars in regards to this source of workplace stress today. The entirety of the topic could fill volumes of books by itself. No single publishing could contain all of the details and aspects of such a topic as human beings working together and the resulting workplace stress.
But even in such a case, where certain workers are truly being ’done wrong’ by the circumstances, any wise manager can turn it into an opportunity for growth, inter-dependence for the team, and an overall sense of ’team spirit’…not to mention how much more productive a happy team is.
How can a good manager turn this source of workplace stress into an opportunity as wonderful as all of that? Simple. Call it out in front of the team. If one employee is slacking, in spite of the fact that most people are acutely aware of their company’s expectations, then maybe a little bit of embarrassment might help. Cruelty isn’t needed here. A strong sense of humor can be helpful here too as most people who feel ‘exploited’ truly appreciate a leader who will offer them ‘vindication’ and amusement all at once.
While humor that’s particularly harassing might cause even the best of managers trouble, usually the worst case is that, the employee who’s been pointed out and embarrassed, to quit. They sometimes even ‘huff’ out the door in a big emotional show. Since the particular employee wasn’t part of the game plan anyway, this might actually bring some relief, and a second wind to the more loyal, productive employees.
Regardless of a person’s line of work, workplace stress is a normal part of the day-to-day functions, of any company, group, or organization. Most employees are well aware of that. The problem for most folks seems to stem from management’s inability, or unwillingness to, use the opportunity to show their team that, a good environment can be maintained as possible.
Sources:
http://www.isma.org.uk/pdf/publications/crr00311.pdf
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/stress/whatis.htm#negative
Personal experience
