Common Mistakes

Not noticing the problems.

Job stress, (as opposed to the kind employees bring to work with them), will appear as certain symptoms. These occur over a time period ranging from weeks to months, or even years, depending on the circumstances. It is important to remember that people don't typically show these responses to short term pressure. They are responding to an intolerable duration and level of pressure in the workplace. Remember also that stress can affect all levels, and nobody is immune.
These signs are a workplace version of the fight/flight stress reaction, common to all animals. They primarily manifest in three ways, escape, fight, or mental and emotional fatigue.

Escape
Escape behaviors remove the employee from the site. Physically, it shows in absenteeism, or being AWOL. The "sickie" is one of the favourite refuges of the dissatisfied employee. Mentally, there may be behaviours such as daydreaming, use of alcohol or other drugs, or looking for other jobs. Staff turnover rises significantly in a toxic workplace, like rats leaving the proverbial sinking ship. Leaving, under these circumstances, is not a bad idea.

Fight
Apart from these escape behaviors there may also be a rise in conflict. People will be quicker to anger, have less patience with themselves and others, and will not extend the kind of tolerance necessary to work with a group of other people. Their thresholds for frustration, ambiguity, and disappointment will all be lowered. Bitching and moaning are common. People look for someone to blame for the situation, and direct and indirect hostility are common. Sabotage becomes more likely.

Wear and Tear
Psychological and emotional wear and tear occurs as a result of long periods of stress. Fatigue, memory problems, disorganization and loss of concentration can cause accidents and errors. Physical symptoms such as headaches, backaches, OOS, exhaustion, and frequent illness are often associated with stress. Emotional strain shows in many ways. Tearfulness is more common with women, irritability with men. Apathy and cynicism are also forms of emotional escape, and their function is to disconnect the person from risk and disappointment. Things may have deteriorated so that employees may dread coming to work. Sleep is often affected, with people waking and fretting about work Most commonly this collection of symptoms is known as burnout, with the individual exhausted and hopeless about the job. This is a serious issue and more severe medical conditions may result.

Hoping everything will be OK soon

If patterns similar to the ones mentioned above appear, stressful conditions have been happening for a while, and are not likely to go away on their own. Workplace stress is not mysterious. It happens because of a definite mix of causative factors. If the mix doesn't change, neither will the stress. Action needs to be taken, and the solution is probably not within the power of the ordinary workers. If it were, they would probably have already fixed it. It is time for intervention from a higher level.

Not going by the book. (Or not having a book)

Discipline will not fix this problem. Nevertheless, there may be a need to curb the excesses of a few individuals. If this is necessary, it is crucial that this is; a) done absolutely by the book, and; b) that it is recognized that the behavior is probably symptomatic of the problems of the larger organization. This may be difficult for an overstressed manager, with a tendency to "shoot first and ask questions later". It is tempting for many managers to punish individuals when they are only the tip of the iceberg. (Make sure you don't make any Titanic errors of judgement!) If this happens, serious and irreparable damage may be caused to the morale and productivity of the workplace. Litigation may ensue if employment laws are not rigorously followed.

Making it personal.

Because everybody's stress levels are up, errors of judgement can be made, and an unskilled manager can resort to primitive and ineffectual methods of discipline, such as screaming, bullying, threatening or humiliating the individual. At such times, polarization of groups, the "Us against Them" phenomenon is likely to gain strength. Do not let this happen. A good manager does not take the situation personally, and displays his or her commitment to reaching a satisfactory solution. Listen to complaints, suggestions, without defensiveness. It means recognizing that the emotion behind many comments is the product of frustration, and is not meant personally.

Use of brute force

Some managers might think "I could just make them do what I want". True - but this would just add to everyone's stress and probably things would only get worse. Likewise, doing more of the same, harder and for longer, isn't necessarily going to change things. The rationale of "things are tough everywhere, we all just have to work harder" is a dangerous one, for two reasons. It helps to conceal what may be serious organizational problems, and also to stifle any creative problem solving, which is so crucial in many areas. Sorting out the problems is the most productive and humane answer in the long term.

What should you do?

Start by asking a few questions such as "If I don't take effective action, how much will this cost me?", "How much can I afford to put into a solution?", and then identifying the causes of the stress. These might be physical, intrinsic to the work itself, or procedural, from a source internal or external to the organization. Let the employees tell you, after all, its what's been driving them nuts for so long. You may be surprised at the wealth of ideas they can offer. Recognize that there is a whole system at work here, and quick fixes are unlikely to have a lasting effect. Don't just throw employees a stress management course and hope for the best. Unless it is part of a comprehensive plan, you are wasting your money.

Look for ways you can directly protect your staff from toxic factors, as well as enhancing their ability to withstand pressure when it does occur. Look especially for ways of reducing frustration and isolation amongst workers, and increasing job satisfaction and autonomy. Be realistic and honest about what can, and can't be changed. Above all, see the workplace as a unique environment, with its own groups, culture and activities. Recognize it as a system with a constant flow of rewards and penalties, albeit often subtle, unscheduled ones. See also that letting the penalties outweigh the rewards for any length of time, will undoubtedly cause stress.