Workplace Stress - What A 100 Year Old Experiment Can Teach Us About Workplace Productivity

Are you STRESSED Enough? WHAT A 100-YEAR-OLD EXPERIMENT CAN TEACH US ABOUT WORKPLACE PRODUCTIVITY In 1908, psychologists Robert Yerkes and John Dillingham Dodson conducted a study in which rats were guided through a maze using mild electrical shocks. They found that when rats received mild electrical shocks, they navigated the maze more quickly. When the rats received stronger shocks, however, they became over-stimulated and failed to complete the maze. This relationship between performance and arousal became known as the Yerkes-Dodson Law. The Yerkes-Dodson Law dictates that performance increases with mental arousal, but only to a certain point. Likewise, with to0 much or too little mental arousal, performance decreases. Human Performance Curve An employee in the "calm" spectrum is not mentally stimulated enough in the workplace. Eustress eu-stress /yo0' stres/ noun moderate or normal psychological stress interpreted as being beneficial for the experiencer. dis-stress /də ' stres/ noun extreme anxiety, sorrow or pain. Under- Stimulated Optimal Performance Distress ONLY 51% 13% 62% of employees report feeling "not engaged" at work. of employees report feeling "engaged" at work. of Americans have called off sick due to stress. Measure and Manage Workplace Stress Under- Stimulated An under-stimulated employee can benefit from an increase in workplace challenges and engagement. SIGNS TO LOOK OUT FOR: Lacks urgency to complete tasks on time Arrives late or Less Browses the web departs early detail-oriented frequently HOW TO MANAGE "CALM EMPLOYEES" Initiate a conversation with your employee and or she feels challenged by current responsibilities. Listen carefully to your employee, then establish next steps. You may want to add to his or her responsibilities or offer opportunities to learn a new role. ask According to CBS News, the State of American Workplace Report estimates that excessive disinterest and discontent in one's professional life costs the U.S. $450 billion to $550 billion per year. Appster: Listening Is Key App developing agency, Appster, promotes the importance of listening to your employees through weekly anonymous vent reports, monthly team meetings to address the vent reports and individual in-person check-in meetings for all employees. Eustress If your employee has eustress, he or she may show signs of being in an optimally productive state. SIGNS TO LOOK OUT FOR: Focuses on the Uses time efficiently Self-manages his or her work Increased motivation task at hand HOW TO MANAGE "EUSTRESS EMPLOYEES" You want to keep your employee's stress level here. Keep the flow going by continuing to set realistic deadlines, assigning appropriate workloads and keeping the two-way communication open in case your employee starts to feel over or underwhelmed. Eustress vs. Distress It can be difficult to differentiate between eustress and distress. Here are the key characteristics of each: Short-term Long-term Perceived to be within Perceived to be outside our own coping our own coping Motivates and focuses Demotivates and energy focuses energy Feels exciting Feels unpleasant Improves performance Decreases performance YERKES AND DODSON FOUND THAT OPTIMAL STRESS LEVELS VARY NOT ONLY BY PERSON, BUT BY TASK. SIMPLE TASK STRONG Under stress, performance decreases more quickly for more complex tasks. COMPLEX TASK WEAK LOW HIGH Arousal "At a track meet, it is almost impossible for sprinters to get too aroused for a race. The On the other hand, a basketball player making a game-deciding free throw faces a more sensitive and complex task is direct and uncomplicated: Run as fast as you can for a short distance. task. Excessive arousal is almost certain to hurt his or her performance." - DENNIS COON & JOHN MITTERER, 2007 Distress If your employee is feeling distress, you may notice a major shift in his or her productivity and overall character. SIGNS TO LOOK OUT FOR: Takes frequent Poor employee and sick days Lack of focus and Easily overwhelmed by general tasks workplace relations increase in mistakes HOW TO MANAGE “DISTRESS EMPLOYEES" Distress doesn't necessarily have to stem from the workplace; it could also be the result of multiple factors such as family or finance issues. Ask if there is anything you can do to help alleviate the stressors, such as simple modifications to your employee's workflow. Balancing work/personal lives 20% Lack of job security 6% Main Causes of Workplace Stressors Management Methods That Lead To Distress V Giving out Unequal delegation of work unrealistic Workload People issues 28% 46% deadlines Micro- Lack of management communication Google: Make Time for Meditation Google has recognized that company perks are not the only answers to stress management. To further combat high stress levels Google offers classes to employees such as Meditation 101, and encourages the practice with an online and in-person community called gPause that organizes daily meditation sits, "mindful eating meals" and occasional meditation retreats. CHRIST ABOVE ALL Sources: BRYAN |COLLEGE http://www.stress.org/workplace-stress/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11721311 http://randsinrepose.com/archives/bored-people-quit/ http://psychology.about.com/od/yindex/flyerkes-dodson-law.htm https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/types-of-stressors-eustress-vs-distress/ https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/staff/policy/hr/managersguidetomonitoringstress/ http://www.gallup.com/poll/181289/majority-employees-not-engaged-despite-gains-2014.aspx http://www.fastcompany.com/3053048/lessons-learned/how-google-and-other-companies-help-employees-burn-off-stress-in-unique-ways http://www.kronos.com/pr/kronos-global-absence-survey-shows-employees-around-the-world-playing-hooky-with-china-leading-the-pack.aspx Performance --- -- -