MANAGING STRESS IN OTHERS – WHAT YOU
CAN DOTo manage stress in others you need to do the following.
■ Be aware of organizational policies and procedures as set
out above, and be prepared to implement them for your own
staff.
■ Tailor your demands on people according to their capacities
- it is a good idea to agree stretching targets but they must be
achievable (with effort but without undue stress) by the indi-
vidual concerned.
■ Look out for symptoms of stress and try to establish the
cause as the basis for alleviating them.
■ If an individual is under stress because of undue pressure,
try to adjust demands to a more reasonable level, possibly by
redesigning the job or transferring duties to someone else.
■ Be prepared to listen and respond to individuals who
complain of being over-stressed – you don’t have to accept
what they say but you should certainly hear them out.
MANAGING YOUR OWN STRESS
If you feel that you are unduly stressed, here are 10 things you
can do:
- Try to establish why you are stressed – are there any specific
causes or is it a general feeling that the work is getting on
top of you? - Talk to someone about it – your boss (if likely to be sympa-
thetic), colleagues, HR, friends, your partner. - If the stress is serious, ask if the organization can provide
advice from a professional counsellor. - Discuss your workloads and deadlines with your boss to see
if they can be alleviated in any way. - Consider if there is any scope to delegate more work to your
staff. - Decide what is beyond your control and put it firmly to one
side. Focus on what is within your sphere of influence and
get on with it.
How to Manage Stress 185