The insecurity of unemployment is stressful. The insecurity of much employment is stressful, too. Without a reliable and predictable way of being employed, you're going to suffer the doubts and fears of being dismissed unless you can adapt to massive change in the workplace. The whole concept of individual contracts and hours at work and time off is being transformed in our society.
The weekend is disappearing as the hours spent travelling to work increase. The idea of working at home is traded for the reality of being always contactable or potentially available.
Stress at work is often a result of poor communication and relationship skills in the workplace — including both workers and management. Many conflicts result from unrealistic perfectionism or intolerance. Then there are the workmates or managers from hell.
At the positive end of the scale, there are recognised factors that are likely to help you enjoy a low-stress workplace.
These include:
- Shared decision-making.
- Positive feedback.
- Planned activities and working hours.
- Taking personal/family needs into account.
- Recognition of extra efforts.
Like other causes of stress, work conditions aren't always something you can change. The solution is to develop coping strategies that will help you deal with the effects of the stress.
Learning to be assertive
Assertiveness means taking the initiative to express your needs (how you
feel, what you want) in a direct, honest way. A big part of assertiveness is the ability to say no.
Assertiveness versus aggression
If you deliberately trample on other people's rights, you swamp their needs with your own. This is aggression, which triggers an immediate stress response. If you let the needs of others swamp your own, then you suffer from under-assertion. Both of these states cause frustration and poor communication. Assertiveness, on the other hand, is a positive social skill which protects your rights and promotes mutual understanding.
Understanding the following elements is crucial to learning how to be assertive:
- Assertiveness allows you to behave appropriately when threatened.
- Assertiveness is neither rude nor aggressive.
- Being assertive is one of the quickest ways to deal with tension due to frustration with other people's behaviour.
- Being assertive is not interfering with the rights of others.
- Assertiveness is in your control — use it as you need to.
- You need good listening skills to be properly assertive..
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