HR - On The Job

Is Your Workplace Stressful?

Stress has a bad reputation. But not all stress is bad. Stress that causes you to think sharper, be more productive and to "reach beyond your grasp" can be very positive. But too much stress, or the wrong kind of stress can also be a killer. It can kill motivation, quality and people. At work, stress needs to be an issue of concern.

Not all workplace stress is caused by the workplace. Many people create their own frantic pace as part of their lifestyle. They may over schedule their life; use poor time management and bring a lot of personal and social problems into work everyday. The causes for these problems are neither found, nor can they be solved in the workplace.

Having recognized that, it's still fair to say that most workplace stress is caused by the workplace. The way things get done at work; the environment and the atmosphere are how we define "Corporate Culture".

There are ways to make your corporate culture less stressful. Here are 8 areas to examine for stress:

  1. Communication Style. Take a look at how you communicate now. Is it done formally, in writing, at scheduled meetings? Or is word-of-mouth the way it happens? For general information, do you e-mail everyone or send out a printed memo or just pass it along to those you pass during the day? Are all problems examined in a "who's to blame" mode? Find out from each member of your group how they would like you to communicate. Everyone may need to make compromises, though, in order to find the style that works best for the group. But also remember to communicate often and to everyone.
  2. Hierarchy. How defined is your "chain of command". Does everyone rigidly stick to the hierarchy? How formal do you want the getting-work-done process to be? Can an informal process do it better? Some companies need a firm structure to manage the complexities of a growing, dynamic company. Other companies are not so large or complex. For them teamwork is the best process. Which do you need? Which does your group want?
  3. Teamwork. Are projects and information shared freely, or are you expected to work entirely on your own? Do you have group brainstorming sessions (formal or informal) or are ideas saved for a one-on-one with the boss? Are coworkers pleased or offended when someone offers suggestions about their work? Does your company need loners who take personal charge in getting things done, or teamwork players who share the load and support each other? What works best for your company and your employees?
  4. Leadership. What is the role of the boss? Does he or she do the thinking, solve the problems and delegate the functions? Or does each individual produce the results with the resources he or she has or can generate? Does management lead or support? Do they guide, coach or micromanage? Does the person in charge have the respect and trust of the group? Should there be buffers between the executives and the crew that gets things done or should the top folks and the crew folks be communicating face-to-face? In some companies, the best leader is one who stays in the background and draws the best from everyone to the surface. They let the leaders emerge from the group. In other companies, the best leader may be the one out in front leading the team in his/her direction.
    What kind of leadership do you need or want? What kind works best for you?
  5. Appearance. Is there a dress code? Is it a formal written policy? If standards of dress are too casual or even unkempt, self-respect can deteriorate. The way people dress when they meet is still a sign of respect to each other. Of course overdress can make the workplace too stuffy and uncomfortable. Individuality may be a virtue, but the more one does to separate themselves from the group, the more one will be separated from the group. Set the standard that works for your company.
  6. Your Workspace. Prisons are cold, hard colorless places where drabness, silence and regimentation is the standard. They are intimidating environments that discourage interaction, creativity and teamwork, because that's the way prisons want prisoners to feel. Is your workplace colorful, open and alive? Do employees feel free to call out to someone in another group, to go beyond the defined boundaries of their work and extend themselves into every area where they are needed or where they feel they need to be?

    Do walls and cubicles work best for your group? Would the newer "open office" or "virtual office" concepts work? Ask employees for their feelings and suggestions.
  7. Office Relationships. Do these people like each other? Have they had a chance to do anything together except work? Do they know about a coworker's family activity or problems? Do they go out together? Are there any company non-job related events or activities for the group? Some employees want to be left alone to do their work. Others really want to be part of a larger family. Create a culture that provides those activities and that interaction for those that want it and still allows a loner to be so.
  8. The Pace. Many successful companies have workplaces that are hectic, stressed and fast paced. Most of us would rather be at the beach or a party. But all human endeavors require focus, involvement and intensity. Few companies can survive if everyone in their workplace were focused on comfort, fun and going home. Employees can live with and thrive on stress. But it cannot be constant. It cannot be a non-stop train of panic and worry. An Olympic long distance runner doesn't win by going full speed all the way. Winners are those who can pace their effort. A stressful, frantic, pace may be part of the job, but don't let it be a continuous river of activities. You can see to it that there is a break between the rushes.

Take the time out of your busy schedule to examine to your corporate culture and workplace environment. Make sure you have done your part to reduce workplace stress, which should result in a happier and more motivated workplace.

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Hitchhiking on the Information Highway

Dateline: February 2010

(Note: Although we attempt to provide the HRU update on the first of each month, we are normally delayed awaiting the release of several monthly government statistical reports. We will hereafter update the information as each report becomes available without waiting for all of them to be released.)

Who's Your Buddy?

When you have a problem at work, who do you turn to for advice, your best friend, your boss, your HR manager? And was that advice good or bad? Who do you think is the best person to ask for advice at work? Well, according to a new survey by The Creative Group, the worst place to go for advice is in fact, where most employees do go, to their co-workers. Although 25 percent of the respondents said they have never received bad career advice, almost 60 percent of them identified coworkers as having provided them with bad advice they wished they hadn't followed.

The national survey asked employees "Have you ever received bad career advice from any of the following (include all that apply):

Bad Advice From Ranked
Coworkers 58%
Bosses 54%
Parents/Relatives 35%
Spouses/Significant Others 30%
Mentors 25%
Never Received Bad Career Advice 25%

What kind of advice did they get? That was as varied as were the problems. Many were told to "play it safe", "keep quiet", "stick with it", and "stay put". Others were told to take overly risky moves such as "walk into the CEO's office and say "we need to talk about my salary today!", or "quit and join that new start-up" which closed 6 months later. Some of the advice came with ulterior motives as when one colleague told a respondent to quit, and then went after (and got) her job.

Donna Farrugia, executive director of The Creative Group says, "As with any advice, consider the source. Although many managers and colleagues have your best interests at heart, the fact that your actions may affect them may color their judgment."

"It's not what happens to you,
but how you react to it that counts"
- Epictetus

So Sue Me, Jackass!

Amy Epstein Feldman and Robin Epstein are the authors of a new book on employee lawsuits called "So Sue Me Jackass". It's a fascinating look at the kinds of lawsuits employees want to file, or are filing. They provide snappy answers, based on actual employment law, that provide often surprising information. Here are a few excerpts:

My free speech rights

"When my coworkers complained that I was hoarding office supplies I started calling them communists. My boss threatened to fire me if I kept it up. How is that not a violation of my free speech rights?"

So Sue Me, Jackass says: "You're making the classic fourth-grader mistake - Yes, the first amendment grants you the right to freedom of expression, but it only applies to the government. The amendment only requires your government to give you the right to free speech. It doesn't apply to private entities, which are within their legal right to prevent you from freely expressing yourself on their time."

"When we start talking politics in the office, things get heated and angry. Can the company stop this talk?"

So Sue Me, Jackass says: "Talking politics can be rough stuff. But companies can, in fact prevent employees from engaging in political discussions. Again, your "right" to free speech is only a right when dealing with the government. The constitution does not protect people from rules against what they can and cannot say in private entities like employers. Therefore, companies are well within their rights-and during a heated election may be well advised- to create policies that require collegiality among employees."

Working on holidays

"My boss is making some of us work on a holiday. Isn't it illegal to make people work on legal holidays?

So Sue Me, Jackass says: Unfortunately for you, it's not illegal for an employer to make an employee work on a national holiday. It may be mean, but it's not illegal. And, under federal law, the employer is also not required to give employees extra pay or premium pay, or double or triple time for working on a holiday. However, if the employee is non-exempt under the FLSA, and working that holiday results in working more than 40 hours in that work week, overtime pay will be required."

Condition of employment

"If you want to have a workplace that's just "a little harass-y", can't you make it a condition of employment that the employees have to put up with that atmosphere? They can always turn the job down if they don't want it."

So Sue Me, Jackass says: No you can't. "Don Charmey, CEO (and underwear designer) for American Apparel tried that approach. He warned all applicants for employment in words and deed (he conducted interviews in his underwear) that the environment fostered by the company was one of sexual openness. If applicants didn't like it, they shouldn't take a job here. The argument didn't work. Unwelcome sexual advances, request for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when it implicitly affects a person's employment or interferes with his or her work performance or creates an offensive environment. Simply telling an employee up front that the workplace will have harassment in it won't protect you in a lawsuit." Working in a non offensive environment is a federal right for every employee. No employee has the authority or right to surrender or sign away such rights.

"Since problems are the only excuse for government,
solving them is out of the question"
- P.J. O'Rourke

© William J. Cook