Guidance from our subject matter experts

 

That was quick – off we go into the fall. As our COVID quarantine ebbs, we start to plan for the beautiful leaves and holidays.

This is a great time to think about stress (I hear you laughing!!). Whether at work or at home, stress has been a constant companion for all of us, long before August. It’s easier to NOT think about your stress, but the stats are concerning, according to the company Perspectives...

• Stress-related ailments cost the nation $3000 billion each year in medical bills and lost productivity.
• Elevated levels of stress are directly correlated with low Employee Engagement, higher turnover, poor morale, low productivity, undesirable team dynamics, and increased absenteeism.
• To mitigate stress requires awareness of physical, emotional, and cognitive behaviors.

 

The Stress Quotient

 

The Stress Quotient, developed by TTI Success Insights by Rick Bowers and Dr. Ron Bonesetter is a report that measures seven categories of stress that break down into 17 sub-sections. It is a diagnostic tool that is extremely powerful as it provides actionable data related to workplace stress. Tackling the causes of stress leads to higher performance, fewer missed days and, most importantly, reinforces the fa that your company truly cares for its employees.

This tool can be used for individuals, teams, and organizations to get an accurate snapshot of stress levels including:

• Overall levels of stress.
• The impact of each of the types of stress to the overall levels of stress being experienced.
• Quantified ways in which stress is impacting the group/individual being assessed.

 

Stress is Sneaky

 

Let’s look at the seven ways stress can sneak up on you.

 

 

DEMAND

Being challenged at work can escalate into having a highly demanding job. Often a result of poorly designed jobs, stress resulting from excessive demand happens when workloads become overwhelming or skills or talents don't match the position.

 

EFFORT/REWARD BALANCE

When high levels of output and effort are met with minimal rewards – whether that be compensation, a promotion or simple recognition for a job well done – an individual’s stress can skyrocket. Without an effort/reward balance, an employee can feel disconnected, unmotivated and even angry.

 

CONTROL

Feeling powerless is a universal cause of job stress. Lack of control comes from high responsibility paired with low authority, not being heard, not being involved and others not understanding your work.

 

ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE

Changes within the organization– from management restructuring to new policies and procedures – impact individuals differently. For some, it brings apprehension, insecurity and confusion – all which can raise stress levels when changes are not properly communicated or understood.

 

MANAGER/SUPERVISOR

Reasonable directives from your boss should be expected. It’s when he or she creates enormous pressure or challenges, to the point of it hindering your workload, that cause stress to increase.

 

SOCIAL SUPPORT

An unsupportive social environment can cause workplace stress. Managers who don’t provide clear and consistent information and co-workers who fail to assist one another leaves employees feeling unengaged and unproductive.

 

JOB SECURITY

Fearing for your job is extremely stressful. However, stress can also be caused by lack of advancement, being promoted too slowly or being promoted too quickly to be successful in the job.

 

Symptoms of Stress

 

You own your stress. Using your results from this profile, you can find the most effective approaches for you. Notice that this shows high to low stress. This allows you to be clear where the stress is coming from.

Stress drives physical reactions. The average for this Stress Symptom at the top is 69. The additional breakdown of that 69 varies among the four. This helps identify where the stress is REALLY coming from.

 

 

Taking Control of Your Stress

 

Here’s another graph that shows positive and negative stress together. Much like Emotional Intelligence, Stress Quotient helps you to increase and improve awareness. You can’t fix a problem unless you know there is a problem in the first place. In other words, you have the power and choice to grow or lower your own stress. Stress Quotient will tell you where you need to focus on lessening stress, and it’s your job to learn to mitigate. 

If you are interested in the Stress Quotient, we are going to make this available for $45 (Regularly $100) until September 1st. Please contact us for more info.