Two-Step, Work-Place, Stress-Buster Programme
Step 1 - Identify your work capacity
Oftentimes stress is created in the work environment due to work overload. This can be a result of a manager either inadvertently or recklessly piling work onto team members without due consideration of their work pipeline. A contributing factor to this problem are staff who simply accept more work from their boss without question. This acceptance can be due to their lack of understanding of their own work capacity. It maybe that they have never considered that they have a limit to the amount of work they can do in a given day.
The signs that an individual has reached or breached capacity can be reflected in their behaviour. They can be easily irritated, work late and make mistakes, they would not normally make. If the capacity overload continues for a long period it can lead to sickness, absenteeism and eventually burnout.
Certain jobs are easier than others to establish work capacity. If you are a pilot of a commercial airplane, you know you can only fly one plane at time. If you are an architect, it may not be so clear cut. Any job that you have been working at for a period time, affords you an understanding of its nuances and acceptable work practices. It is up to you to find a way to measure your work capacity regardless of the job.
In order to reduce stress caused by work overload, you need to identify you work capacity and monitor work load on a regular basis. If you establish capacity has been breached or will be breached you need to move to step two in order to rectify the problem.
Step 2 - Learn to say “No.”
Refusing additional work due to work overload is not necessarily easy. Due to social conditioning most people in the work environment believe that they need to comply with instructions from their manager. However, the downside of long-term work capacity breaches are so serious they should counter the resistance to question authority. Left unchecked, an individual who is constantly exposed to work stress will buckle.
How can you say no with confidence to additional work that will lead to serious work overload? Firstly, you will need to know your work capacity and clearly explain to your manager your current work flow. Secondly you will know the additional time needed to do the new work you are being requested to undertake. After you have articulated your position you manager may be reasonable and accept what you say. Alternatively, your manager may be unreasonable and may insist you do the work anyway, sound familiar?
Your options are now limited. You can simply accept the new work resulting in work overload, resulting in stress, until it becomes unbearable and you get sick, or quit your job. Or you can explain the consequences to the unreasonable manager and refuse to do work that you cannot do within your normal working time allocation. Conflict may ensue, but the positive outcome of conflict can be a resolution. Even if you reluctantly capitulated to resolve the stalemate at this stage, you have now set a maker. Your manager may not be so quick to dump excessive work on you in the future as you have asserted a reasoned argument to support your case.
