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Are you stressed out? You have to recognize self-imposed stress before you can reduce it; here are six steps to help you accomplish both. O P I N I O N
I f you are like most of your peers, you did not think about what your everyday stress level might be when you chose to pursue a career in the AEC industry. You considered the magnificent buildings you would design, the vital infrastructure you would develop, or the positive societal impact your projects would provide. You did not consider the stress caused by the hunt for work during a recession, the search for staff during the recoveries, or the clients who demand immediate attention.
STEPHEN LUCY
Some of the causes of this stress are outside your control, but much of the stress in your job is caused by you, either through your own actions or by the processes you have established in your firm. Just as stress can be a major contributor to health problems, stress can also be a major source of dysfunction within a company. So what can you do to recognize the problem areas and mitigate the stress within your professional life? STEP 1. Admit you have a problem. No one likes to admit to themselves or others that they have a problem, but without acknowledging that you want to change, nothing positive will happen. This ad- mission not only gets you ready to make changes, but it also shows others within your firm that you want to make changes that will probably be benefi- cial to everyone. As a leader, you set the tone and have a significant impact on the work experience of those around you. Odds are, if you make sound life and business decisions that result in reduction of your stress levels, you will do the same for your most valuable asset – your staff. STEP 2. Recognize the benefits and the harm of technology. All you have to do is sit back and look around to see how tied people are to their smart- phones. Every aspect of life, including recreation, has been permeated by technology. I have been in a meeting where the person next to me has sent me text messages about the meeting we were both sit- ting in instead of turning to me and talking. Don’t get me wrong, I am a big proponent of incorporating new technology into business practices, but dependence or focus solely on technology as a means to conduct business is problematic. In a society driven by immediate satisfaction, we must understand that technology may not make our lives easier, only more demanding. Address this by setting parameters on how often and willing you are to interface with clients and employees throughout the day and especially after work or over the weekends. Just as we recognize the importance of vacations, we need
to disengage at regular intervals to recharge. STEP 3. Understand that not all firm benefits are beneficial. As with many of your firms, we offer flextime and remote work options with the thought that we are allowing our staff more freedom. How- ever, with those “benefits,” are we really providing more freedom or are we actually tethering our staff to the office? Is there an expectation of a higher level of responsiveness because we have been so magnanimous to our staff? Ready to reduce the stress of your job? It all starts by admitting you want to make a change and then following through with the plan. In a recent Gallup study that explored the effects of mobile technology on business and well-being in the U.S., Gallup interviewed 4,475 working U.S. adults and found that nearly half of all adults working remotely at least seven hours per week experienced more stress from the previous day than those who reported no remote work time. This study indicates that what is presented as a benefit to employees is actually damaging their well-being. The best benefit is one that benefits the recipient. We must be realistic about evaluating the true purpose of the perks we provide and how we oversee their use. STEP 4. Learn to say “no.” As service providers, we are predisposed to be pleasers. When asked if we can help, we immediately say “yes” before we know the full extent of what is being asked of us. Why bother worrying about the minor details of staff availability or fees as the client wants us, and that is reward enough?
See STEPHEN LUCY, page 12
THE ZWEIG LETTER DECEMBER 14, 2015, ISSUE 1131
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