The menace and management of stress

STRESS MANAGEMENT is drawing more and more attention nowadays, particularly in the corporate context. There is no such thing as a stress-free job. Everyone in his work is exposed to tension, frustration, and anxiety as he gets through the duties assigned to him. Of course, we are paid to work, and hence, we are expected to work hard. In order to make our work experience and environment as pleasant as possible, it is better that we learn the technique of moderating and modulating our personal stress levels. In fact, stress can be used as a positive and forceful ally for achieving success in our life, for giving us the right level of motivation and drive to win through any obstacles on the way.

When people talk about stress in the workplace, their views fall into two major divisions. First, we have the people who treat it as some kind of an ailment, something akin to a threat and a hindrance, something to be dreaded and eschewed at all times, and at any cost. The second position inform us that we must ``appear'' to be stressed - all the time - so that we are accepted as efficient persons. When someone looks relaxed, there must be something wrong about him. It is essential that there is an air of pseudo-urgency in whatever we do, to convince people just how important we are to the company.

There is a midway between these two disparate and divergent perspectives, which neither shies away from stress, nor seeks it fanatically. Doubtless there is a position of healthy pressure (accompanied by feelings of achievement and elation), when we work hard and attain, or even exceed, the prescribed and predetermined deadlines, and score a spectacular performance.

We must understand that stress per se is not the problem. The snag surfaces only when the degree of stress we undergo is not suitable to us. There is an optimum level of stress, where we work at our best. This may vary from person to person. Public speaking exponents, and for that matter, any stage performer such as a musician, actor and dancer, will have experience of this phenomenon. Therefore, some stress is better than no stress; the objective is not to abolish stress, but administrate stress; stress is necessary for success, but it needs to be monitored and managed.

Our bodies are the product of millions of years of evolution. In the distant past, basic survival was often in question and always the top priority, and man had to respond quickly and physically to dangers. It is, hence, our bodies have developed the habit to ``rev up'' for a short time. This mobilisation of instant energy is sometimes referred to as the fight or flight reaction. Unfortunately, this kind of reaction is inappropriate to most of the pressures imposed by modern life. We have all had moments of sudden personal crises which have led to panic, confusion, and agitation. All at once, we begin to feel out of control, and we may easily do something in a hurry, which we may regret later. Such episodes can and do happen anywhere, but for most people the more vulnerable spot is their workplace.

There is an irrational element in us all - a kind of demon sitting inside. The normal tendency is to resist and ignore its presence; whereas the correct thing to do is just the opposite. If we can only admit that there is this demon within us, and if we can take a close look at it, we shall then understand that it is only a sort of pressure valve. The fact of the matter is that we ought to be more in touch with this pressure valve, instead of ignoring or fearing or suppressing it.

When we feel that an outburst of some sort is imminent, it is better that we do not suppress that feeling inside us. Instead, we must face up to that situation, and find out why we feel the way we feel. If someone has provoked us in some way, we may have to deal with that person, we may have to make up with that person. There is no need for a fight; there is also no need for a flight, or an escape. In any case, let us not bottle up our reactions and become resentful.

The Japanese seem to adopt an excellent technique to resolve such issues. Most industrial and commercial establishments, where people gather and get together, a private room is earmarked, inside which a soft-cushion human form is hung from the ceiling. There is even a provision to write down the name of the person who provoked the upset, and affix it to the figure: then, the affected employee begins a boxing session with that human figure, which lasts till he is physically tired and worn out. Finally, the employee takes a wash in the adjoining restroom, and walks out psychologically fresh and fit, with malice towards none.

Let us remember that our stress reactions are commonplace and natural. The tendency to play down their intensity or impact on us - if it is there - will deprive us of the opportunity to get support from others. If we can be more open and transparent about them, it is the people closest to us, who can possibly help us with the answers. Otherwise, we shall feel desolate and live with our problems, besides perceiving the world out there to be wrong and vicious; whereas all that we need may be some finetuning and adjustment of our intrinsic personality.

Family is an excellent source of unconditional support; that is the type of support, where nothing is expected in return. Some of us avoid speaking about work, when we are at home. ``Talking shop'' may not be considered good etiquette in a social gathering. Whereas taking in confidence our life partner, or discussing with an empathetic elder brother, or sister can do us a lot of good, especially in respect of people problems. A neutral third party, as intelligent as we are, who knows us very well, who is trustworthy, and who is sufficiently distanced from the scene of action, can always analyse the issues objectively and dispassionately, and give us their wise counsel.

In today's economic environment of job insecurity, flatter organisations, and intense work pressures, there are quite a few managers who feel trapped where they are, and such a feeling of being in a rut can turn into a persistent source of stress. If we feel that our career has reached its zenith and final plateau, and if we are happy and content with that position, and do not look forward to any further rise or responsibility, then that is fine. But if we feel frustrated in that job, we ought to do something about it.

When we see successful people, we tend to assume that their careers have been smooth upward paths. Whilst we are required to climb and clamber the rough terrains of the mountain, they seem to have free tickets in the cable car straight to the top. It is not so. Let us remember that they have, also, struggled like us; not only have they been ``plodding their weary way'', but like us they might have missed their turnings, they might have faced foul weather, they might have even slipped back thanks to an avalanche.

People who are seen to move up the management ladder step by step have no secret ticket or password. They simply work hard, watch for opportunities, await their turn, prepare and equip themselves for the bigger roles, and maintain a positive outlook on life. Second, it is not always necessary to switch jobs, to make our professional life more interesting and rewarding. Let us not presume that we have no power or means to improve the profile or lifestyle of the job which we are, now, doing. Where there is a will, there is a way. If we have a good idea, we must persevere with it, refuse to accept a negative response, and leave no stone unturned until we get it implemented. The sense of fulfilment and achievement motivation which ensue will elicit enduring satisfaction. What is more, a track record of such determination and indefatigable zeal cannot be ignored for too long, and the rewards will follow sooner or later.

Whenever we are faced with a change in any area of our lives, and should we feel that we lack the ability and skill to lead with that situation, stress is bound to occur. Change can affect us at different levels - the personal level, the job level, the group level, or the organisational level. As we move up in the organisation, we become more and more responsible for initiating and directing change, rather than for merely managing to work. Management is about coping with complexity, but leadership is about setting a direction and creating a vision for the business.

Companies must realise the fact that people, right across the board, have a natural resistance to change. So, if our company is on the threshold of facing some sort of a change in the near future, we have to anticipate and preempt the possibility of any resistance. The change must be sold to the people: they must be convinced that it is good for them in the long run. That way, the fear of change may be reduced, if not removed, and to that extent stress will be less.

If we are suffering from stress, it can be safely assumed that all is not well with our time management. This includes difficult work schedules being imposed on us. Managers often profess that by themselves they are good at managing their time, but it is the other people who create problems by nudging them into impossible schedules.

If someone is thrusting an impossible work schedule on us, let us curb the instinct to suffer in silence; but summon sufficient strength to call a spade a spade. Let us stand on our two feet, take ownership for things happening around us, modify or mollify them where warranted, and save ourselves needless stress.

The idea that we are helpless to change a negative culture must be challenged. Every issue we can think of in the world can be couched in negative, or positive terms; it is all a question of our mental disposition. If we want to win, we will win; if we do not win, it simply means that we did not want to win.

``Make haste slowly'' is a well-known maxim in the Far East. Rushing around can simply be an escape from discontent. Good time management involves three basic attributes: clear vision and objectives; forward planning; and getting the full value for the time at our disposal. While the objective is not to waste time, let not time become a tyrant, or a Frankenstein thereby creating a different type of stress.

Sometimes we confuse what is urgent, with what is important. Sometimes we are pressurised by someone else to do what they want, at the cost of what we know to be important. All such idiosyncrasies can be corrected by proper prioritisation. Many people resist writing lists, or memoranda, for fear that others will pooh-pooh at them, that it betrays a lack of memory.

Nothing can be farther from the truth. A written follow-up list is an excellent and efficient method of getting things done. It is a fool-proof system, a simple and effective technique, which facilitates prioritisation and prompt execution of tasks. The axiom is that a short pencil is more reliable than a long memory. It prevents needless stress resulting from forgetfulness.

Delegation is entrusting a task, or an activity to someone else for execution. While the authority and the responsibility to carry out the job are delegated together, the senior person still has the overall accountability for performing the task. In order to spread the workload evenly, and to enable everyone's job to be as fulfilling and unstressed as possible, delegation is always adopted as a useful and universal tool.

Deadlines and targets constitute a relentless part of our working life, and ipso facto they can cause a lot of stress. As a rule, we must incorporate these measurement indices in our planning process, and internalise them as part and parcel of our operating system. We must treat them as friends, and not fiends; we must get accustomed to their omnipresence in our daily working life, so that by sheer familiarity they will cease to be a terror anymore.

A good manager will deploy his limited resources in the most optimal and advantageous manner, to complete the tasks expected of him, in accordance with the corporate objectives. The most accessible and obvious resources to us are our own skills and abilities; and second the skills and abilities of our team. Doubtless we work with a lot of zeal and zest, nevertheless, we must know when and where to stop.

What is implied is that we must stop adding to our care and commitment, at some point of time, which is as close and congruent to the optimum level of our efficiency. We must not allow our work to become an addiction, or an obsession. Some form of recreation and relaxation is necessary, even to maintain the rate of efficiency at a uniform level, and not let it taper down. ``All work and no play makes jack a dull boy'' is valid from nursery through an adult life.

We must establish a balance, a via media between work and leisure. We must learn when to transfer from one to another. Towards, this, we ought to develop a serious interest in some extra-professional activity, or game, which will provide us with the necessary diversion; and which will give us equal joy and pleasure as our work itself. The moral here is that if we have a passion outside our work, then it will be easy for us to impart a similar degree of passion into and inside our work; and such an attitude of binary loyalty and dual dedication will drive stress miles away.

An ability to laugh is an excellent antidote to stress and anxiety. Laughter is a good medicine, a panacea for all seasons. ``You are not fully dressed, without a smile on your face'' is an adage always to remember. The smile has been defined as a curve on the face which helps straighten tense issues in life, besides squaring up people problems which otherwise warrants going round in circles.

Stress management involves three main types of intervention. They are: stress prevention, employee training, and employee counselling programme. We ought to observe that there is a cyclical nature in the sequence of these interventions. Stress prevention comes into play first, because this aspect will mitigate the need for the other two. Despite the best prevention strategy, some training inputs will be useful and necessary, because work is, by definition, stressful. The better the training, the less will be the need for employee counselling. In due course, the more effective the training, and the counselling components of this programme are, the higher the prevention level will become.

At the corporate level, we need to think about strategies such as ergonomics, work design, job rotation, participative management, and flexible work schedules as preventive measures. Employees attending training courses on stress management seem to gain a deep insight into the principles. Care must be taken to institute effective follow-up activity to forestall a fall back into the old system. Employee counselling programme is a voluntary and confidential service, which provides help to employees and their immediate families in dealing with their personal, or work- related issues.

In the ultimate analysis, stress is not a disease, it is not an illness. It is just a condition of the mind. The extent to which stress may impinge on the course of our life is dependent mostly on the strength of our psychic and internal personality. If we are determined to admit only the positive aspects of stress into the stream of our personal and professional activities, and screen all its negative and sinister complexions (like the modern, sophisticated camera filters and forbids the unwanted rays of colour and light), we can then comfortably coexist with stress and its syndrome.

R. Devarajan

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