Workplace Challenges
Is stress limiting your career success?While most Canadians experience stress in the workplace, new research indicates that at least two employees of every five experience stress frequently, which is limiting productivity, says a clinical psychologist. |
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 [ 2007-07-25 ] |
Dr. Steven Stein, who is also an expert on emotional intelligence (EI), says that 41% of employees are experiencing frequent workplace stress, which can break down EI. This, in turn, slows productivity and can prevent employees from climbing the corporate ladder.
Emotional intelligence, Stein explains, is defined as a person's ability to monitor and interpret their emotions and the emotions of those around them.
"IQ is what gets you hired -- it's what gets you in the door. EI is what helps you move up the ladder," he says.
His research, for Multi-Health Systems Inc., of which Stein is president, shows that there are two main things causing stress in the workplace -- high workload and lack of workplace social support systems.
"With high workloads, you have to sit down with your manager and be clear that you both want the same thing, but in order to get your work done, you may have to delegate or delay some duties," he says.
"And what I recommend is that you get yourself a best friend at work -- someone you can talk to about your day."
Stein, whose company is publisher of the world's most comprehensive and scientific measures of emotional intelligence, says that while 82% of Canadians experience stress in the workplace due to personal or work-related matters, 56% are unfamiliar with the negative effects of stress on their EI and 58% don't realize the significance of EI on professional success.
Also, men and women are affected differently by stress, with research showing that 44% of women are frequently stressed out in the workplace and 37% of men are experiencing the same thing.
"It may have to do with women working both in the home and at the office," Stein says.
Combating stress is important from both the employee and employer's viewpoint, says Stein, because "a happier, more successful employee, gets a lot more done."
"This is something that progressive employers are taking a close look at and more should be doing it," he says. "When a person is stressed, they may find it hard to adapt to change, work with others or maintain a positive attitude -- all of which are part of the ideal formula for workplace success."
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