Are your employees under increasing workplace pressures? Help them take control to boost their motivation... and your company's productivity.

Think for a moment about the motivation and performance of your employees. During times of change, uncertainty or strong competition, business strength depends upon workers performing with effective morale and focus. If you think ignoring uncontrolled stress is a good idea in this era of strong competition for employees and from other businesses, think again. Leadership expert Robert Pater says that stress can boost performance, but only when it is well-controlled. Unmanaged tension and uneven morale can be the cause for a plethora of workplace woes... and none of them are beneficial to the bottom line.

"I define stress as 'the feeling of being out of control'," explains Pater, founder of Strategic Safety Associates and the MoveSMART safety and leadership program. "That's what people really mean when they say they're 'stressed.' It's a problem with potentially serious consequences. Recent reports by the National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health and the American Psychological Association confirm that mental disruptions can strongly affect performance, safety and morale. Besides resulting in employees being less focused and committing more errors, unmanaged pressures sidetrack creativity, communications and effective customer service."

If you prefer not talking to your workers about stress - and admittedly, you may have good reason not to - consider helping them acknowledge realistic pressures with an eye toward overcoming them, rather than merely whining or complaining.

It's not surprising that so many employees are under stress, he adds. Downsizing, fear of job loss, unrealistic expectations on "survivors", increased pace resulting from greater demand, the general uncertainty that accompanies swirling change - all result in low motivation and performance at a time when leaders increasingly expect creativity, involvement and commitment.

One or two employees feeling stressed is detrimental enough. But what happens when an entire department - or company - is suffering? According to Pater, the effects of stress can travel through an organization like an insidious virus. Such "invasive stress" is guaranteed to result in across-the-board motivational problems.

Here are just a few of the symptoms of unmanaged organizational stress:

"Whining and Pining."
You hear lots of complaints focused on what employees perceive as negative changes. They pine away for "the good old days." (Example: "It wasn't like this ten years ago... we were appreciated back then.")

The Silent Treatment.
You can walk down the hall or through the factory and hear a pin drop. No one is laughing or chatting. Instead of joking around at the beginning of meetings, people sit in tense silence.

Angry Explosions.
People may slam doors or yell or cry. You may sense lots of fear, blaming and bad-mouthing, out-of-control displays of emotion.

Clumsiness.
There may be an increase in accidents, both at work and outside of work. This is often due to the "tunnel vision" that comes with stress... employees' attention spans tend to narrow.

Mistakes.
Workers make mistakes, communicate poorly or are easily distracted.

Avoidance/Separation.
People may take extra long breaks, come in late, or daydream. They may call in sick more often. You notice an increase in absenteeism.

Turnover.
How many people have recently left "great" jobs because the stress level was too high?

If unmanaged stress has indeed infected your workplace, don't feel helpless. You can take action to improve the situation. The key, says Pater, is to begin with yourself. If your coworkers are feeling the effects of unmanaged pressures, you probably are, too. And you can't do for someone else what you can't do for yourself.

"Martial arts master Dan Inosanto relates a story where he asked a teacher what he could do to make the world a better place," says Pater. "The teacher replied, 'develop yourself first.' There's a lot of wisdom in that. Focus on your own motivation, adjust your own level of attitude, practice attention-control methods."

"Then and only then can you help your employees," he adds. "And the best part - at least from a business standpoint - is that your actions will ultimately boost productivity, employee retention... and profits."

How to Manage Pressure - And Boost Motivation - In the Workplace. Maintain your perspective. Do not allow yourself to get "tunnel vision." When you are under stress, your attention span tends to narrow and you can't see the forest for the trees. Have you ever looked frantically for your car keys and finally found them... in your hand? Stress-induced tunnel vision inhibits your ability to plan effectively for the future and make sound decisions. Remember and focus on a mission in which you believe. Then help others to do the same. Expect the best from life. It's too easy to focus on what we're not getting, on what's going wrong in our lives. Negative thinking can foster a "down" attitude in yourself and then rub off on your employees. Why not make the decision to be grateful for all that you have? Get in touch with the beauty of nature. Create meaningful connections with the world. Act in such a manner that you become the person you most admire. You'll be amazed at the extent to which your positive attitude improves the attitudes-and motivation-of your employees. Intervene with out of control employees... but do so carefully. Watch for warning signs of low motivation and high stress in your organization. (See list, above.) Intervene in a way that's acceptable to your employees; be careful not to say or do things in the heat of the moment that burn bridges. There is a time to act and a time to be silent. Watch and wait... you'll know the right time to intervene when it presents itself. Offer them access to a confidential Employee Assistance Program. Let them know their overall well-being is important to you, that you are concerned about them as people, not just as "numbers" (of course, to maintain your credibility, your actions have to be consistent with your words). Enlist support for yourself and others. Studies show that reported work stress is lower when people feel support from others. Nurture your outside support system so you don't feel emotionally consumed by work. And develop a workplace support system to help your employees. For example, consider providing - or better utilizing - an employee assistance program to confidentially help employees with otherwise-disruptive personal issues. Provide effective training on performing well under pressure. Establish employee committees devoted to safety and other issues. Help yourself and others maintain a sense of humor (not hysteria) that relieves pressures. Remember Confucius' principle of Reciprocity. When you support others, they in turn will support you. So don't be afraid to get involved... and invite involvement from others. Nurture - and share - your sense of humor. Working under pressure can lead to our taking ourselves too seriously. And that's too bad, because laughter is a great stress-reliever. To activate your sense of humor, just look around and realize how silly all of us human beings can be. Have you ever set your watch ahead to "fool yourself" into being on time? You look down and think "Uh-oh, I'm late," and then "Oh, no I'm not"... and un-fool yourself. It's silly, but it's the type of thing we all do and it's ok. Set the example - manage stressful situations with a sense of decorum. Develop a strong sense of self-awareness of how you behave in stressful situations - your employees and co-workers may be following your lead. Under the most stressful conditions, leaders who are able to manage stress, rather than allow the stress to manage them, are more successful managers, and in turn, produce more efficient and productive employees. They focus on the task at hand, not the stress they are under. Employees may recognize this ability to control stress and follow suit. On the other hand, if you allow yourself to be controlled by the stress, your chaotic behavior may negatively influence co-workers, causing them to behave more emotionally and erratically. Pressure doesn't have to overwhelm you or your staff. By applying realistic and strategic methods, you can help your people become stronger, more effective and more in control. Credit: Robert Pater is managing director of Strategic Safety Associates, Inc., an international leadership and safety consulting firm whose clients are found in more than 63 countries. They have trained leaders and trainers for organizations such as 3M, Alcoa, American Airlines, Amtrak, Anheuser-Busch, Boeing, BP, Conoco, Delphi Automotive Systems, DuPont, Harley-Davidson, James River Corp., Kodak, Nabisco, National Steel, and Textron. He holds a Master's of Arts degree in Industrial Psychology and has been a black-belt instructor for many years. With decades of experience as consultants, martial artists, and safety experts, Pater and his MoveSMART® master-trainers teach companies of all kinds and sizes how to incorporate practical martial arts techniques towards making step changes in safety and organizational culture. He is also the author of Leading From Within: Martial Arts Skills for Dynamic Business and Management (Park Street Press, 1999, ISBN # 0-89281-794-1). For more information, visit www.movesmart.com. Dec 2000 Portland, OR