Health and the Workplace
Job Stress and Your Health
Office Conflict Resolution: 11 Communication Tips for a Healthy Workplace
Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel, Jr, MD, FACP, FACR
 Misunderstandings and communication problems remain one of the most common
sources of workplace strife, and interpersonal difficulties are magnified when
conflicting work styles coexist in one setting. Generational differences (baby
boomers vs. GenX-ers), personal management styles, educational background, and
cultural diversity are all potential sources of office
misunderstandings.
While conflict is inevitable, it need not ruin your
workday or cause unbearable stress. Try these conflict resolution tips to make
your work environment a less stressful, more productive place:
- Be specific in formulating your complaints. "I'm never invited to
meetings" is not as effective as "I believe I would have been able to
contribute some ideas at last Thursday's marketing meeting."
- Resist the temptation to involve yourself in conflicts that do not
directly involve you or your responsibilities. Even if someone has clearly
been wronged, allow him or her to resolve the situation as he/she chooses.
- Try to depersonalize conflicts. Instead of a "me versus you" mentality,
visualize an "us versus the problem" scenario. This is not only a more
professional attitude, but it will also improve productivity and is in the
best interests of the company.
- Be open and listen to another's point of view and reflect back to
the person as to what you think you heard. This important clarification
skill leads to less misunderstanding, with the other person feeling heard
and understood. Before explaining your own position, try to paraphrase and
condense what the other is saying into one or two sentences. Start with, "So
you're saying that..." and see how much you really understand about your rival's position. You may find that you're on the same wavelength but having
problems communicating your ideas.
What is job stress?
Job stress can be defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses
that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities,
resources, or needs of the worker. Job stress can lead to poor health and even
injury. The concept of job stress is often confused with challenge, but
these concepts are not the same. Challenge energizes us psychologically and
physically, and it motivates us to learn new skills and master our jobs. When a
challenge is met, we feel relaxed and satisfied. Thus, challenge is an important
ingredient for healthy and productive work. The importance of challenge in our
work lives is probably what people are referring to when they say "a little
bit of stress is good for you." When the challenge has turned into job
demands that cannot be met, relaxation has turned to exhaustion, and a sense of satisfaction
has turned into feelings of stress, the sate is set for illness, injury and job
failure.
What are the causes of job stress?
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.
According to one school of thought, differences in individual characteristics
such as personality and coping style are most important in predicting whether
certain job conditions will result in stress -- in other words, what is
stressful for one person may not be a problem for someone else. This viewpoint
leads to prevention strategies that focus on workers in ways to help them cope
with demanding job conditions.
Although the importance of individual differences cannot be ignored,
scientific evidence suggests that certain working conditions are stressful to
most people (for example, excessive workload demands and/or conflicting
expectations). Such evidence argues for a greater emphasis on working conditions
as the key source of job stress, and for job redesign as a primary prevention
strategy.
According to the NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health), these are job conditions that may lead to stress:
- The design of tasks. Heavy workload, infrequent rest breaks, long
work hours and shiftwork; hectic and routine tasks that have little inherent
meaning, do not utilize workers' skills, and provide little sense of
control.
- Management style. Lack of participation by workers in
decision-making, poor communication in the organization and lack of
family-friendly policies.
- Interpersonal relationships. Poor social environment and lack of
support or help from coworkers or supervisors.
- Work roles. Conflicting or uncertain job expectations, too much responsibility,
too many "hats" to wear.
- Career concerns. Job insecurity and lack of opportunity for growth,
advancement, or promotion; rapid changes for which workers are unprepared.
- Environmental conditions. Unpleasant or dangerous physical
conditions such as crowding, noise, air pollution, or ergonomic
problems.
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What is stress?
Stress may be considered as any physical, chemical, or
emotional factor that causes bodily or mental unrest and that may be a factor in disease causation. Physical and chemical factors that can cause stress include trauma, infections, toxins, illnesses, and injuries of any sort. Emotional causes of stress and tension are numerous and varied. While many people associate the term "stress" with psychological stress, scientists and physicians use this term to denote any force that impairs the stability and balance of bodily functions.
If stress disrupts body balance and function, then is all
stress bad? Not necessarily. A mild degree of stress and tension can sometimes be beneficial. For example, feeling mildly stressed when carrying out a project or assignment often compels us to do a good job, focus better, and work energetically.
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