A Guide to Understanding and Managing Workplace Stress June 2014

Transcription

1 A Guide to Understanding and Managing Workplace Stress June 2014 PRESENTER: Janey Wheeler, M.Ed., LPC CIVSA Emeritus Counselor, Oklahoma City Community College

2 Burnout defined A state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion caused by long term involvement in emotionally demanding situations. - Ayala Pines & Elliot Aronson A state of fatigue or frustration brought about by devotion to a cause, way of life, or relationship that failed to produce the expected reward. Herbert J Freudenberger

3 Burnout defined The two factors that are the essence of burnout: Exhaustion and long term stress contribute to burnout although a deep sense of disillusionment lies at its heart. Things become too much Working too hard for too long The problem being solved is too great The resources available are too meager Supportive mentors move on replaced by leaders who don t value the work Leaders don t subscribe to ideals that drive performance Team members make too many emotional demands People being served prove to be ungrateful and difficult

4 Assessing Burnout MAKE A LIST of the things that give real meaning to your work! What attracted you to your current job or profession? What things about it do you find fulfilling now? What is the value of your work to humanity? What excites you about your work? What do you want to achieve within your profession? What is important to doing your job well? Identify the 5 things on this list that give the greatest meaning to your work and inspire you (in their order of importance).

5 Assessing Burnout List the things that frustrate you most about your work! This may involve things like: inadequacy of resources lack of recognition bureaucracy Include the factors that are causing you difficulty and which are likely to cause stress in the future.

6 Symptoms and Risks Physical symptoms: physical fatigue frequent illness sleep problems THE RISK Exhaustion and a loss of satisfaction with work.

7 Emotional symptoms: Symptoms and Risks disillusionment with the job the loss of a sense of meaning cynicism towards our organization or clients feelings of helplessness frustration of efforts and a lack of power to change events strong feelings of anger against those we hold responsible for the situation feelings of depression and isolation THE RISK Exhaustion and a loss of satisfaction with work.

8 Behavioral symptoms : Symptoms and Risks increased detachment from co-workers increased absenteeism an increased harshness in dealing with our teams marked reduction in our commitment to our work increased alcohol consumption THE RISK Exhaustion and a loss of satisfaction with work.

9 What Does Your List Look Like? Work through your list of things that give you meaning item-byitem. For each item, look at the list of frustrations. Where these threaten the things that are most important to you, make a notation. These are particular pressure points that you need to monitor. Think these through carefully, and plan in advance how you will handle build-ups of stress in these areas.

10 Managing Workplace Stress Too much to do too little time! Cut away low yield work Assess your time management skills Learn to delegate tasks to other people Assess if you are too accommodating (learn to say no ) Make sure you are using your support network fully Learn to ask for help (it is not a sign of weakness)

11 Managing Workplace Stress Political and people problems! Make time to communicate effectively with stake holders Take the time to correctly manage your support network Avoid allowing too many people to rely too heavily on you Find the balance between being reasonably available and distancing yourself from those who drain emotional energy Find a way to balance home and work demands while still leaving time for yourself

12 Managing Workplace Stress Avoiding Exhaustion! Make the time to take real vacations and leave your laptop and work cell phone behind. Realize being a workaholic is not something to be proud of Make sure you get plenty of sleep and rest Research and utilize relaxation techniques such as: guided imagery mindfulness proper breathing meditation deep muscle relaxation relaxation tapes

13 Managing Workplace Stress Protecting the Meaning of Your Job! Assess how much meaning in your life your work holds Use Your List to avoid disillusionment with your job Realize you are responsible to the people you serve If your job is badly designed, take steps to correct things Participate in ongoing career development Assess if you need to consider changing your career path

14 Self Assessment This session will begin with a self assessment tool Option for conference attendees and CIVSA members unable to join this session in person: Send an to janeyswheeler@gmail.com with subject line: CIVSA 2014 session materials request. Please include your name, institution and contact number with a message indicating you were unable to attend this session. Replies to requests along with supporting documents will be honored the week following conference.

15 Resources to Take Away You are most vulnerable to burnout when the stresses you experience impact negatively on the things that you find most fulfilling in your job. Understand what gives meaning to your work and steer the development of your job to give yourself the greatest job satisfaction. ONLINE RESOURCES:

16 Looking back at the times where I allowed my work to create stress and frustration in my life, I now realize what I thought was important really was not. I am not saying you should not take your work seriously; what I am saying is that we need to realize that life is all about balance. ~ Catherine Pulsifer