Stress Awareness: Speaking of Stress at Work

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010 Michael Kerr

Speaking of Stress

April is Stress Awareness Month. So how aware are you of the level

of stress for the rest of the members on your team? People often

tend to bottle everything up inside until the cork blows (and

not in a fun, champagne celebration kind of way).Take the time

to sit down with your team and ask a few simple questions:

- What is everyone’s level of stress these days?

- What are people doing to cope with their stress?

- What can the rest of the team do to help?

Do this on a regular basis so that people don’t feel like they’re

alone, and so that the entire team can generate ideas for reducing

or managing stress at work. Just even talking about your stress is

a simple and proven way to lower your stress level, and by sharing

you can not only come up with some great ideas, you can also identify some

stress-busting habits that may inadvertently be causing MORE stress at work!

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Mike’s Fun at Work Tip

Create a superhero nickname for everyone on your team. (I’m sticking

with “The Workplace Energizer”, but you have to picture me in tights,

a red cape, and a big lightning bolt on my chest.) Award a prize to

the person who comes up with the most creative or fitting moniker.

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Quote of the Week

“Once we realize that the boundaries between work and play are artificial, we can take

matters in hand and begin the difficult task of making life more livable.” Mihaly

Csikszentmihalyi

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It’s a Wacky World

Here are some rather innovative excuses employees gave for not making

it into work, courtesy of a manger survey at CareerBuilder.com:

- My Mom said I was not allowed to go into work today

- I got sunburned on a nude beach and can’t wear clothes

- I’m just not into it today

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