General understanding of stress tolerance

INTRODUCTION:

Sometimes we need Pressure to work in fast paced environment so as to motivate in competitive workplace, which helps us perform better, but stress can turn us off mentally and physically. Stress can bring negativity to any activity, place, or person. It also directly effects on our productivity; a person will suffer from health problems, or he or she will lose interest in work, resulting in errors which automatically hamper our daily life.

Work provides an income and fulfills a variety of other needs; - mental and physical exercise, social contact, a feeling of self-worth and competence.

Jobs take up a big part of our days. Other than sleep, work takes up most of our time. With so much time spent with an activity, who needs the problem of a difficult co-worker? Going to work each day and facing a toxic co-worker adds to your stress level, making it more difficult to get your job done. Even personality clashes and different work habits can affect the quality of the work day. Learning how to tolerate a difficult and challenging co-worker will make you a better employee and make your job a whole lot easier.

A good way to check for stress-inducing factors is to identify issues that routinely cause you to worry.

Unlike pressure, which helps us perform better, stress can turn us off mentally. Depending on its source, stress can bring negativity to any activity, place, or person. It also has direct effects on productivity; a person will suffer from health problems and have to bow out of working altogether, or he or she will lose interest in work, resulting in errors that would normally be avoidable.

The course work of Manager’s Labor Organization discipline allows consolidating the theoretical knowledge from the course and getting the skills needed for registration and analyzing of working time in order to improve the performance of personnel; job description and working place developing which is the purpose of the course work.

The actuality of the research is great because there is every day the manager is faced with making important decisions, communicating with customers, organization of staff. Too busy schedule and a lot of responsibilities can lead to stress. We'll look at the course work solutions and how to avoid stress at work.

The defined purpose necessitates solving of the following tasks:

• defining the methods of identifying stress tolerance of manager;

• analysis of different ways of solving the problems at workplace;

• development of job description of Director of marketing ;

• identification of necessary working conditions.

The object of the research is personnel management. The subject of the research is stress tolerance, job description developing, and office design.

The course work consists of introduction, 2 chapters, conclusion, references and appendixes.  

PART ONE. THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF STRESS TOLERANCE OF MANAGER

1.1 General understanding of stress tolerance.

Stress Tolerance - effectively handle highly stressful or adverse situations, making good decisions, working calmly and accurately, and helping to calm others.   Maintaining stable performance under pressure or opposition (such as time pressure or job ambiguity); handling stress in a manner that is acceptable to others and to the organization.

Understanding Stress and Workplace Stress

Stress is normal. Everyone feels stress related to work, family, decisions, your future, and more. Stress is both physical and mental. It is caused by major life events such as illness, the death of a loved one, a change in responsibilities or expectations at work, and job promotions, loss, or changes.

In response to these daily stresses, your body automatically increases blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, metabolism, and blood flow to your muscles. This stress response is intended to help your body react quickly and effectively to any high-pressure situation. [2]

However, when you are constantly reacting to small or large stressful situations, without making physical, mental, and emotional adjustments to counter their effect, you can experience stress that can hurt your health and well-being. It is essential that you understand both your external and internal stress-causing events, no matter how you perceive those events.

Stress can also be positive. You need a certain amount of stress to perform your best at work. The key to stress management is to determine the right amount of stress that will give you energy, ambition, and enthusiasm versus the wrong amount which can harm your health and well-being. [19]

Smaller, daily events also cause stress. This stress is not as apparent to us, but the constant and cumulative impact of the small stressors adds up to big impact.

Your Stress Tolerance Point

Notice I say managing your stress, not eliminating it, because eliminating all stress is impossible. As I mentioned earlier, some stress is actually good for you. It can get you charged up just when you need a boost. It makes life more fun, more interesting, more exciting. Don't we all crave some stress? We get bored with the daily routine and long for an exciting vacation. We desire that feeling of falling in love, the excitement of meeting someone new, the challenge of a promotion, the spark generated by learning a new subject, visiting a new place, even getting lost (for just a little while) in a new city or even an unfamiliar part of town.

In other words, while too much stress is bad, some stress is good. Therefore, it doesn't make sense to eliminate all stress from your life. Good stress can be great, as long as it doesn't last and last and last. Eventually, most of us like to get back to an equilibrium, whether that is a routine, an earlier bedtime, or a home-cooked meal. [18]

Maybe you've noticed that some people thrive on constant change, stimulation, and a high-stress kind of life. Think about roving reporters, traveling network administrators, or people who can make the most mundane life events into great dramas. Others prefer a highly regular, even ritualistic kind of existence. Think of the people who have rarely left their hometowns and are perfectly happy that way, thank you. Most of us are somewhere in the middle. We like to travel, to experience the occasional thrilling life event, but are usually pretty glad to get back home or have things settle back to normal (normal being the equilibrium where we function best). [3]

Whichever type of person you are, the changes in your body that make you react more quickly, think more sharply, and give you a kind of “high” feeling of super accomplishment only last up to a point. The point when the stress response turns from productive to counterproductive is different for each person, but, in general, stress feels great and actually increases your performance until it reaches a certain turning point — your Stress Tolerance Point. [4] If stress continues or increases after that point, your performance will decrease, and the effects on your body will start to have a negative rather than a positive effect.

Executive work

Executive skills are brain functions or cognitive skills that neuroscientists have located in specific regions of the brain, primarily the frontal lobes. These functions develop starting at birth; they’re hardwired into every person, and fully developed by adulthood. The skills are called executive skills because they help people execute tasks.

Every individual has a set of 12 executive skills (self-restraint, working memory, emotion control, focus, task initiation, planning/prioritization, organization, time management, defining and achieving goals, flexibility, observation and stress tolerance). Each person has two or three that are their strongest and two or three that are their weakest, and they are not dramatically changeable for life.

For example, if a person’s weakest executive skill is stress tolerance, several stress-relieving seminars or classes taken are not likely to dramatically change it. The executive skill of stress tolerance is the ability to thrive in stressful situations and to cope with uncertainty, change and performance demands.

Slightly more than a third of executives and managers were high in stress tolerance while only four percent were low in the skill. The remainder, just more than half, had a medium level of the executive skill.

Some executive skills are typically opposites of others. For example, a person high in the executive skill of stress tolerance typically is low in the skill of time management, which is the capacity to estimate how much time one has, to allocate it and to stay within time limits and deadlines.

A person who is high in stress tolerance would have a high tolerance for ambiguity and be emotionally steady in a crisis. They would be able to handle deadlines being moved up and even welcome the challenge of working until something is finished. Someone low in stress tolerance would become emotionally stressed in a crisis and only feel comfortable when they know their schedule for the next few weeks. After making a mistake in a presentation, they might obsess about it for days. [5]

A person’s weakest executive skills fail first when under pressure, so if a person is low in stress tolerance and is pressed hard, that person will become even more emotionally charged, perhaps even angry when asked to modify something. A person high in stress tolerance can generally handle and even thrive in high pressure situations and even uncertainty while someone low in stress tolerance should do whatever it takes to avoid those situations. [17]

S = P > R

Stress occurs when the pressure is greater than the resource

Pic. 1.1Formulation of stress

Stress causes

Stress is caused by various factors - not all of which are work-related of course, (which incidentally doesn't reduce the employer's obligation to protect against the causes of stress at work). Causes of stress - known as stressors - are in two categories: external stressors and internal stressors.

External stressors - physical conditions such as heat or cold, stressful psychological environments such as working conditions and abusive relationships, eg., bullying.

Internal stressors - physical ailments such as infection or inflammation, or psychological problems such as worrying about something.

From the above, it is easy to see that work can be a source of both external and internal stressors.

Stressors are also described as either short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic):

Short-term 'acute' stress is the reaction to immediate threat, also known as the fight or flight response. This is when the primitive part of the brain and certain chemicals within the brain cause a reaction to potentially harmful stressors or warnings (just as if preparing the body to run away or defend itself), such as noise, over-crowding, danger, bullying or harassment, or even an imagined or recalled threatening experience. When the threat subsides the body returns to normal, which is called the 'relaxation response'. [16]

Long-term 'chronic' stressors are those pressures which are ongoing and continuous, when the urge to fight or flight has been suppressed. Examples of chronic stressors include: ongoing pressurised work, ongoing relationship problems, isolation, and persistent financial worries.

The working environment can generate both acute and chronic stressors, but is more likely to be a source of chronic stressors.

 

 

 

 

 

1.2 Considering a manager at workplace, identifying his stress tolerance and behavior in work environment.

Nearly everyone agrees that job stress results from the interaction of the worker and the conditions of work. Views differ, however, on the importance of worker characteristics versus working conditions as the primary cause of job stress. These differing viewpoints are important because they suggest different ways to prevent stress at work. [6]

Examples of individual and situational factors that can help to reduce the effects of stressful working conditions include the following:

• Balance between work and family or personal life
• A support network of friends and coworkers
• A relaxed and positive outlook

Fig. 1.1 Model of Job Stress

 

Tab.1.1

Examples of things that cause stress at the workplace.

 In the workplace, stress can be the result of any number of situations. Some examples include:

Examples of Sources of Stress	Examples of Sources of Stress
Factors unique to the job	workload (overload and underload) pace / variety / meaningfulness of work autonomy (e.g., the ability to make your own decisions about our own job or about specific tasks) shiftwork / hours of work skills / abilities do not match job demands lack of training and/or preparation (technical and social) lack of appreciation physical environment (noise, air quality, etc) isolation at the workplace (emotional or working alone)
Role in the organization	role conflict (conflicting job demands, multiple supervisors/managers) role ambiguity (lack of clarity about responsibilities, expectations, etc) level of responsibility
Career development	under/over-promotion job security (fear of redundancy either from economy, or a lack of tasks or work to do) career development opportunities overall job satisfaction
Relationships at work (Interpersonal)	supervisors (conflicts or lack of support) coworkers (conflicts or lack of support) subordinates threat of violence, harassment, etc (threats to personal safety) lack of trust lack of systems in workplace available to report and deal with unacceptable behavior
Organizational structure/climate	participation (or non-participation) in decision-making management style communication patterns (poor communication / information flow) lack of systems in workplace available to respond to concerns not engaging employees when undergoing organizational change lack of perceived fairness (who gets what when, and the processes through which decisions are made). Feelings of unfairness magnify the effects of perceived stress on health.
Work-Life Balance	role/responsibility conflicts family exposed to work-related hazards

 

Adapted from: Murphy, L. R., Occupational Stress Management: Current Status and Future Direction. in Trends in Organizational Behavior, 1995, Vol. 2, p. 1-14.

 

How do I know if someone is (or if I am) having trouble coping with stress?

There are many different signs and symptoms that can indicate when someone is having difficulty coping with the amount of stress they are experiencing:

Physical: headaches, grinding teeth, clenched jaws, chest pain, shortness of breath, pounding heart, high blood pressure, muscle aches, indigestion, constipation or diarrhea, increased perspiration, fatigue, insomnia, frequent illness.

Psychosocial: anxiety, irritability, sadness, defensiveness, anger, mood swings, hypersensitivity, apathy, depression, slowed thinking or racing thoughts; feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, or of being trapped, lower motivation.

Cognitive: decreased attention, narrowing of perception, forgetfulness, less effective thinking, less problem solving, reduced ability to learn; easily distracted.

Behavioural: overeating or loss of appetite, impatience, quickness to argue, procrastination, increased use of alcohol or drugs, increased smoking, withdrawal or isolation from others, neglect of responsibility, poor job performance, poor personal hygiene, change in religious practices, change in close family relationships. [7]

What are some general tips for dealing with stress at the workplace?

Since the causes of workplace stress vary greatly, so do the strategies to reduce or prevent it.

Where stress in the workplace is caused, for example, by a physical agent, it is best to control it at its source. If the workplace is too loud, control measures to deal with the noise should be implemented where ever possible. If you are experiencing pain from repetitive strain, workstations can be re-designed to reduce repetitive and strenuous movements. [8] Job design is also an important factor. Good job design accommodates an employee's mental and physical abilities. In general, the following job design guidelines will help minimize or control workplace stress:

• the job should be reasonably demanding (but not based on "sheer endurance") and provide the employee with at least a minimum of variety in job tasks
• the employee should be able to learn on the job and be allowed to continue to learn as their career progresses
• the job should comprise some area of decision-making that the individual can call his or her own.
• there should be some degree of social support and recognition in the workplace
• the employee should feel that the job leads to some sort of desirable future

What can the employer do to help?

Managers should assess the workplace for the risk of stress. Look for pressures at work which could cause high and long lasting levels of stress, and who may be harmed by these pressures. Determine what can be done to prevent the pressures from becoming negative stressors.

Managers can address stress in many ways.

DO

• Treat all employees in a fair and respectful manner.
• Take stress seriously and be understanding to staff under too much pressure.
• Be aware of the signs and symptoms that a person may be having trouble coping with stress.
• Involve employees in decision-making and allow for their input directly or through committees, etc.
• Encourage managers to have an understanding attitude and to be proactive by looking for signs of stress among their staff.
• Provide workplace health and wellness programs that target the true source of the stress. The source of stress at work can be from any number of causes – safety, ergonomics, job demands, etc. Survey the employees and ask them for help identifying the actual cause. 
• Incorporate stress prevention or positive mental health promotion in policies or your corporate mission statement.
• Make sure staff have the training, skills and resources they need.
• Design jobs to allow for a balanced workload. Allow employees to have control over the tasks they do as much as possible.
• Value and recognize individuals' results and skills.
• Provide support. Be clear about job expectations.
• Keep job demands reasonable by providing manageable deadlines, hours of work, and clear duties as well as work that is interesting and varied.

DO NOT

• Do not tolerate bullying or harassment in any form.
• Do not ignore signs that employees are under pressure or feeling stressed.
• Do not forget that elements of the workplace itself can be a cause of stress. Stress management training and counselling services can be helpful to individuals, but do not forget to look for the root cause of the stress and to address them as quickly as possible.

Also I am considering questions, which can show feelings and emotional position of employees. [9]

The questionnaire is presented in appendix 1.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.3 How manager can build his stress tolerance? Methods and techniques.

Methods of personal stress management and stress relief

If you are suffering from work-related stress and it's beginning to affect, or already affecting your health, stop to think: why are you taking this risk with your body and mind? Life's short enough as it is; illness is all around us; why make matters worse? Commit to change before one day change is forced upon you.

If you recognize signs of stress in a staff member, especially if you are that person's manager, don't ignore it - do something about it. It is your duty to do so. If you do not feel capable of dealing with the situation, do not ignore it; you must refer it to someone who can deal with it. You must also look for signs of non-work-related stressors or factors that increase susceptibility to stress, because these will make a person more vulnerable to work-related stressors. These rules apply to yourself as well....

Stress relief methods are many and various. There is no single remedy that applies to every person suffering from stress, and most solutions involve a combination of remedies. Successful stress management frequently relies on reducing stress susceptibility and removing the stressors, and often factors will be both contributing to susceptibility and a direct cause. Here are some simple pointers for reducing stress susceptibility and stress itself, for yourself or to help others:

 Stress relief pointers:

• think really seriously about and talk with others, to identify the causes of the stress and take steps to remove, reduce them or remove yourself (the stressed person) from the situation that causes the stress.
• Understand the type(s) of stressors affecting you (or the stressed person), and the contributors to the stress susceptibility - knowing what you're dealing with is essential to developing the stress management approach.
• improve diet - group B vitamins and magnesium are important, but potentially so are all the other vitamins and minerals: a balanced healthy diet is essential. Assess the current diet and identify where improvements should be made and commit to those improvements.
• reduce toxin intake - obviously tobacco, alcohol especially - they might seem to provide temporary relief but they are working against the balance of the body and contributing to stress susceptibility, and therefore increasing stress itself.
• take more exercise - generally, and at times when feeling very stressed - exercise burns up adrenaline and produces helpful chemicals and positive feelings.
• stressed people must try to be detached, step back, look from the outside at the issues that cause the stress.
• don't try to control things that are uncontrollable - instead adjust response, adapt.
• share worries - talk to someone else - off-load, loneliness is a big ally of stress, so sharing the burden is essential.
• increase self-awareness of personal moods and feelings - anticipate and take steps to avoid stress build-up before it becomes more serious.
• explore and use relaxation methods - they do work if given a chance - yoga, meditation, self-hypnosis, massage, a breath of fresh air, anything that works and can be done in the particular situation.
• seek out modern computer aids - including free downloads and desktop add-ons - for averting stresses specifically caused by sitting for long uninterrupted periods at a computer screen work-station, for example related to breathing, posture, seating, eye-strain. [10]