To check the health of anything we put it through the usual ‘Stress test’. Whether you build a Ship or an Aircraft or even a Spaceship; all go through the rigors of a stress test. The reason I took this example is that any of these machines when unable to withstand the stress from their journey can lead to a catastrophic consequence leading to loss of precious life.
Even our mandatory health check up at the clinic requires us to use the ‘treadmill’ to see if our heart is able to withstand the stress of the workload it is put to on a day to day basis.
Isn’t it therefore important for organizations to regularly conduct ‘Stress tests’ of their most precious resources the human capital.
Employees after all do get affected by the ‘stressors’ of life, which in turn effect the quality of their work and personal life.
They could be affected by the following types of stress;
- Mismatch of expectations from self and others (organization and family)
- Whether their capabilities are good enough for the demands of their job or life
- Maintaining or sustaining a lifestyle
- Meeting their monetary expectations
- Working with people who have their own agendas, goals, egos and varying expectations
- Poor physical health
- Poor psychological health
The signs of people going through stress can be seen from the following behaviors;
- Lack of concentration
Increase in the number of excuses and explanations- Absenteeism
- Lying
- Irritability
- Conflicts with fellow workers and family
- Aloofness
- Non cooperation
- Rebelling and objecting to all what is thrown at them and more….
Are you as an organization thinking of conducting ‘Stress tests’ for your employees?
Inspite of the initial costs of conducting such tests in the short terms there are immense benefits to get in the long term. Organizations can proactively deal with situations arising from workplace stress such as ‘interpersonal conflicts’, ‘lack of collaboration’, ‘teamworking’, ‘lack of productivity’, ‘attrition’ and the ‘cost of finding replacements’.
The savings can be immense.
Sree Kumar Palakkal
