Managing stress in the workplace

There is little doubt that most of us experience some type of stress in our workplace.  Regardless of what position you hold in your company, managing that stress is important. Those who are not successful at managing stress in the workplace often find that they feel their position is untenable and it makes work far less enjoyable.  Stress related to work comes in various forms, and it’s likely that you’ll have to find ways to manage it better.

The nasty co-worker

Whether it’s a gossiping co-worker, a rude co-worker or a lazy co-worker you’re going to have to learn to deal with them. One of the first ways to deal with this type of stress is to try talking to them. Make your position clear while not attacking the person, attack the behavior instead. Make sure that your co-worker understands that they are making the workplace untenable for you. If this approach does not work, you may have to go to a supervisor or your human resources department to get assistance.

The nasty boss

At some time or another in our careers, we’ll run across a boss that we simply cannot deal with. This could be for a number of reasons, they may be mean, they may have unrealistic expectations, or they may simply be allowing their “power” to go to their heads. Few things are more stressful than working with or for a boss who is simply nasty all the time. The good news is that most people are not intentionally mean, and they sometimes do not even realize that they are making others feel bad. Talk to your boss if you are suffering from work stress related to bad behavior. Maybe they are not aware and a private discussion can help. Unfortunately, if this doesn’t work, you will have to be prepared to go over their head and discuss this with their superior or the human resources department.

The stressful workload

Sometimes stress in the workplace is caused by too much work. If you find that your workload is constantly growing and that you are overwhelmed, it’s time to talk to someone! Either ask for help from other team members or let your boss know that you have more work than you can easily manage.   Provided you are not wasting time, most bosses are happy to take a look at your overall workload and adjust accordingly.  If you are simply not managing your time well, then you need to consider improving your time management skills to reduce your stress.

Some stress in the workplace is inevitable;. However, there are external stresses in the workplace that can be overcome if someone knows about them. Dealing with “impossible to deal with” bosses or co-workers and a heavy workload can help reduce the amount of workplace stress and make your life a lot easier.