Parcel - October 2008 - (Page 30)

management IS YOUR JOB KILLING YOU? If so, you’re not alone. Here’s what to do about it By Mark Taylor eadlines, interruptions, upset customers, unreliable employees, mistakes. Is this how it is in your world? Are you steaming because your boss just yelled at you or a customer complained? Did you sleep well last night? Do you have teenagers? Are you struggling to make ends meet with the high cost of fuel and the number of people losing their homes and jobs? In this day and age, it is no wonder that most of us are experiencing stress at increasing rates. It affects our work performance, our families and our happiness. Most organizations never broach the subject, and many managers intentionally create additional stress out of a false belief that it will motivate their workforce. Job stress has been linked with everything from loss of sleep, depression and heart disease to decreased productivity, missed work days and violent behavior. A Gallup Poll found that: D of stress can include headaches, gastrointestinal complaints and backaches, while the emotional fallout of chronic anxiety includes impatience and temper outbursts, often felt by those we live and work with. The New York Times reports job stress costs the American economy $1 trillion every year, and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health states that the health costs contributed to job stress are $200 billion annually. Substantial scientiﬁc research has shown that stress reduction programs produce dramatic improvements in cognitive function, emotional well-being and physiology. Organizational beneﬁts include reduced employee turnover, increased employee satisfaction and engagement, improved customer loyalty as well as greater productivity. The ﬁrst step in reducing stress is to become aware that you are stressed. TV psychologist Dr. Phil’s life law #4 is, “You cannot change what you do not acknowledge.” How are you feeling right now? Is your jaw tight? Do you have a knot in your stomach? Have you been unable to get a good night’s sleep? Are you eating or drinking too much? Or taking mood altering drugs? Do you feel constantly worried or anxious? Can you acknowledge that you are feeling stressed? In some circles, managers believe that pushing employees will make them more productive. I had a boss once that did everything to encourage his salespeople to get bigger cars, new clothes, nicer furniture and elaborate vacations so that they would take on more debt. He assumed that they would work harder and thus sell more to pay off their bills. It is ironic that the opposite is the truth. We perform much more effectively when we are relaxed. The challenge is if you are in a culture that perpetuates stress, if you publicly admit that you are stressed, management may look at you as weak, incompetent, fragile or unable to perform the job. Regardless of the falsehood, these characterizations can reduce your chances of a promotion, bonus or raise. So even if you can honestly acknowledge your stress to yourself, the pressure is to cover up and act like everything is ﬁne, which actually increases stress. www.PARCELindustry.com 80 of workers feel stress on the job, nearly half say they say their coworkers need such help; of respondents had felt like striking a coworker in the % need help in learning how to manage stress and 42% 14% past year, but didn’t; 25% stress, 10% are concerned about an individual at work they fear could become violent; have felt like screaming or shouting because of job 09 % and 18% had experienced some sort of threat or verbal are aware of an assault or violent act in their workplace intimidation in the past year. Stress is a serious problem that is affecting the vast majority of us. An estimated 75% to 90% of visits to primary care physicians are for stress-related complaints. Physical symptoms 30 October 2008 http://www.PARCELindustry.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Parcel - October 2008

Parcel - October 2008 Contents Editor's Note What Would Augello Say? Best Practices Survey Results Going with the Flow Is Your Parcel Network Optimized? Last (Mile), but Not Least Moving From Manual to Automated Fulfillment A Race for Excellence Making Ends Meet Is Your Job Killing You? Software Selection Demystified Controlling Costs On the Mark Product Profile New Products & Services Advertiser Index Wrap Up

Parcel - October 2008

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