Stress Management in the Modern Workplace: Mastering the tides

Written by Lifalaza P.R Simataa Industrial Psychologist & Ethicist

Stress is an inevitable part of both organisational and personal life. It is essential to develop the ability to navigate stress in order to maintain a healthy and productive lifestyle. By understanding the effects of stress and implementing proactive measures such as proactive planning, skill development, support systems, work-life balance, team cohesion, and effective communication, individuals and organisations can effectively manage and mitigate its harmful consequences. While there are numerous techniques available to deal with stress, this article will focus on one aspect: understanding stress and its impact on organisations.

Understanding Stress and Its Impact

Stress can be defined as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation or challenging circumstances. This tension can manifest physically, socially, and in terms of productivity. High levels of chronic stress have been associated with physical symptoms such as fatigue, insomnia, and high blood pressure. Moreover, stress can adversely affect interpersonal skills, leading to irritability, aggression, and difficulty in engaging with others. Ultimately, it impairs efficiency and hampers one’s ability to execute tasks effectively.

Preparing for Stressful Periods

One valuable tactic for navigating stress is to anticipate and prepare for periods when stress levels are expected to be high. For instance, university students often experience heightened stress during examination periods, which occur at predictable times throughout the academic year. Similarly, organisations have specific periods during which workloads may surge, resources may decline, or client interactions may undergo significant shifts. This can be likened to the tides of the ocean—there are moments of high tides, low tides, and these tides can be expected to behave a certain way at a certain moment.

Mastering the Tides

As Human Capital Practitioners within organisations, it is crucial to become masters of these tides. By understanding when to expect low tides and preparing for high tides, we can equip our teams with the necessary skills, support, and guidance to navigate stressful periods successfully. Different organisations experience stressful moments, or high tides, unique to their specific sectors and industries. For instance, accounting firms face deadlines associated with the accounting fraternity, and medical sectors encounter increased injuries and patients during festive seasons. Moreover, organisations may also be aware of internal trends, such as team members going on maternity or study leave, resulting in understaffing for a particular period. By preparing teams to handle such situations, the impact of stress can be alleviated.

Mastering the tides of stress and preparing for them effectively, is one of the many techniques that an organisation can adopt in dealing with stress and creating a more resilient and successful organisational culture.