The Silver Lining of Work Stress – higher productivity and creativity
I search “work stress” on Google News every day. Well over a hundred thousand results greet me and the daunting task of separating the wheat from the chaff begins. I tend to look for new information and trends from the credible companies that track this stuff worldwide. Taking note of global trends, perhaps we should all put work stress on our personal “fix-it” list.
Breaking Work Stress News
The latest Towers Watson survey for example, was a stunner. The global professional services company found that 98% of the respondents in their survey (companies that measure well-being at work) indicated stress management was the key focus toward improving employee productivity. The study is out of the UK, but it’s certainly a wake up call for us all.
Note: This feature originally ran in Huffington Post but I felt it was important to share here to.
Did your work stress go up a notch when you learned of the Boston bombings? How many were glued to iPhones and computers, absorbing the images and sounds of terror? Hi-tech devices and the Internet deliver it in real time. In an evolving workplace culture courtesy technology, a dip in attention can happen in an instant upon breaking news, and potentially linger for hours or days. Arguably, it’s an external workplace stressor that we’re not talking enough about.
In a galvanizing feature on CBS Sunday Morning by correspondent Martha Teichner, she articulated the impact of real time technology as Boston’s tragedy came to us vividly in the moment, with social media carrying the torch of instant information.
The afternoon lull at work only adds to the stress of the workday. Too tired to kick into high gear, we might languish in the it can wait till tomorrow world of productivity. But registered dietician Manuel Villacorta, MS says it doesn’t have to be that way, with a little due diligence and prior prep before heading to work. Diet, he says, can be the key to less stress and better productivity.
Villacorta is a national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, contributor to Huffington Post and author of Eating Free: The Card-Friendly Way to Lose Inches, Embrace Your Hunger and Keep the Weight off for Good.
FLKR- Courtesy hahatango
The tragic events in Boston this week lead WorkLifeNation.com’s Work & Well-Being Update #Vlog (which I record weekly on Google Hangout) for the third week of National Stress Awareness Month.
Being here in New York and watching how the terror attack unfolded, two things came to mind: 9/11 and the incredible resilience of the human spirit. I can’t help but send love out to my friends in Boston, especially at the Boston College Center for Work & Family. And through it all there is this spark of connection and humanity. We don’t leave our hearts at the door of the workplace and this event has arguably brought up memories from 9/11. Working through tragedy requires enormous resilience and as a nation we know a lot about that.
Judy’s CD offers three breathing exercises to help consume the chaos of daily living, and use it as fuel for transformation in life and at work. The meditations are complimentary to any belief system. As conscious human beings we generally rise to the occasion in a time of chaos. Sometimes we just need a little nudge to remember the brilliance of who we are, and the strength and fortitude that we possess.
