Balancing Act: The Art of Achieving Work/Life Stability
(ARA) - The phone is ringing. Your inbox is overflowing with new projects. You have exactly ten minutes to meet a deadline and the morning has just begun. Stress in the workplace is common, but research conducted by Kelly Services reveals that the American workforce is less stressed than Europe’s.
Among thousands of respondents in the Kelly Services Global Workforce Index survey, 11.7 percent of Americans described their work as “extremely stressful,” while 27.1 percent of European respondents reported that their work was “far too stressful.”
“Understanding stress -- what causes it and how it affects you -- is an important step in managing life’s pressures effectively,” advises George Corona, senior vice president for Kelly Services, a global staffing solutions provider.
Stress is a normal occurrence in our daily lives and its negative effects are hard to overlook. But when it comes to the workplace, stress can also be viewed in a positive sense. Many employees seek challenges in their jobs, and increased stress can actually be exciting and motivating.
For others, elevated stress can lead to anxiety and a decrease in work performance. “Employees should strive to manage stress and achieve balance, so that their work can be stimulating without it leading to overwhelming demands,” says Corona.
Regardless of the stress level, American workers generally seem to keep their tensions under wraps. According to Kelly Services, 25.6 percent of survey respondents described their work as “somewhat stressful but manageable,” while 18.6 percent say their workplace is “rarely stressful.”
“A strong American work ethic seems to be alive and well, but with more hours on the job comes additional responsibility and increased levels of stress,” says Corona. “However, it’s also notable that most American workers seem to be finding a way to accomplish a manageable work-life balance.”
Kelly Services offers the following suggestions to help manage job-related stress.
* Get organized. Take a few minutes first thing every morning to organize the day ahead of you. Establishing realistic goals and prioritizing your workload will help you manage expectations and keep deadlines top-of-mind.
* Take hold of your career. If stress levels have escalated because of the job itself, talk to your supervisor. There may be options to redistribute the workload, or tailor your position to match your particular skill sets.
* Nobody’s perfect. When we are under stress, many of us add to our problems by trying to be everything to everybody. It’s important not to take yourself or the job too seriously. Learn from your mistakes and move on.
* Unplug. Wireless technologies have made today’s workforce extremely mobile. But at the end of the day, strive for balance by establishing boundaries between your career and personal activities.
Courtesy of ARA Content
