“I need this done ASAP!”
“Is that done yet?”
“This is not what I wanted!”
Think about the last few conversations you have had with employees.
Pull out your parts of the conversations, and write them down.
Now for the hard question: Does your list resemble the captured conversation above?
If so, as they say, “Houston, we have a problem.”
This is how your employees remember conversations with you – in snapshots.
Here is what they were likely thinking between those lines.
“I need this done ASAP!”
“Everything is an ASAP! What is ASAP?”
“Is that done yet?”
“You just gave it to me!”
“This is not what I wanted!”
“I did the best I could, given the limited direction and information you provided. You could at least be thankful.”
Workplace stress is a serious issue.
According to research, 40% of workers reported their job was very or extremely stressful, and, alarmingly, 25% viewed their jobs as the number one stressor in their lives.
In a Harvard study, it was determined that “nearly half (44 percent) of working adults say that their current job affects their overall health, but only 28 percent of those believe that effect is a good one.”
Stress has serious side effects – physical, mental, and behavioral. According to a publication by Eastern Kentucky University Online, this translates to financial losses of $602 per employee per year for every missed workday, in addition to its effect on productivity on the days employees are at work. Collectively, the cost of stress is estimated to be $300 billion annually for health care and missed work days.
How can you develop a healthier, happier, and more engaged workforce?
While many address workplace stress from different (and important) angles, there is one major factor many fail to consider. It is the impact of communications.
With just a few minor corrections, you can begin to create a healthier, happier, and more engaged workforce.
1. Deadlines – No “ASAP’s”
ASAP is essentially an undefined term. Your definition of ASAP is likely to be “immediately.” Your employee, however, may be looking at it in terms of their overall workload, in which case ASAP would be two days from now.
Stress Point: The gap between these two internal definitions will surface as stress.
Solution: Define the Deadline.
There are certain personalities who use ASAP quite often. In these cases, it is not about priorities; it is about their personality. For them, an idea is an ASAP. A menial task is an ASAP. Anything to be done is an ASAP.
The reason is because they want these things out of their heads, off their list, and moving forward. As quickly as they can pass them off to others, they are free to explore new ideas and possibilities, and get results.
Consider the impact of this term on a dedicated employee who truly wants to help you. In their mind, a mental fire alarm goes off. It tells them they must take immediate action because this is very, very important. Adrenalin is released. They are ready to fight the fire.
Except…this the tenth fire of the day. They are engulfed in overwhelm.
Now the employer has no idea this is happening because they have released the burden and have now begun to explore other new ideas and possibilities.
This scenario creates a cycle of stress, which you easily could avoid by clear communication of deadlines and determination of priorities.
2. Details – No Ambiguity
As a busy executive, you think fast and move fast. You expect that your team members will intuitively keep pace with your thoughts and intentions. In fact, you would be thrilled to have someone who could read your mind regarding what was needed and just “make it happen.” At the least, you expect that you can say “what” needs to be done, and they will know “how” to do it.
Although there are many who are gifted in working efficiently and knowing the “how,” even they will need to discuss a few details so the project is completed according to what you envision.
Stress Point: The lack of clarity creates a stressful blank canvas.
Solution: Discuss the Details.
This is an important point of communication for both sides. As a leader, it is your responsibility to convey clear vision to your people. Expect questions, and allow time to address them.
As an employee, learn to listen closely to the vision as it is conveyed, and to quantify your questions succinctly. Think in bullet points more than narrative, and engage a “rule of three” in conversation wherever possible. What are the three details you need to start the project in the right direction?
3. Delivery – No Accusations
If you have chosen qualified candidates to fill positions and have dedicated employees with good character habits, you have a very valuable resource. In fact, even in this day of automation and technology, the human resource is still your most important asset.
But what happens when a team member fails? How do you handle it?
Stress Point: Their best effort doesn’t meet your expectations.
Solution: Determine the Difficulty
First and most important, unless you know otherwise, give the employee the benefit of the doubt. Acknowledge that he or she has given their best effort based on the information provided and in the time allotted. Then asked yourself where the breakdown occurred, starting with yourself as the leader. Did you…
- Convey clear vision?
- Provide enough time and detail for them to do it right?
- Clarify expectations?
- Make available the resources needed to complete the project?
- Assign the project based on the strengths of the employee?
If they truly feel they have done their best, and you truly feel it is not good enough, talk with them respectfully to determine the underlying issue. Most likely, it is a communication issue, where details were not properly conveyed or the employee is not understood in terms of their strengths, skills, and preferred types of work.
The bottom line is this: Negative stress is unhealthy across the board – from the leader of the organization, to the employee, to the customer, to the organization’s bottom line. Seeking to lessen the stress has a major and positive impact on the organization.
And communication is key to creating positive impact.
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