Articles & News About Jobs & Employment

Why Stress Management Programmes Don't Work

Why Stress Management programmes don't work...

It seems that every week there's yet another report telling us how serious the problem of Stress is becoming – how many working days are lost (anything between 6.5 million and 90 million days depending on whose report you read), how much it costs industry, what percentage of workers experience Stress, and so on. And despite the publicity, nothing seems to be changing. If anything, Stress seems to be becoming even more widespread, and at an alarming rate.

So why are things getting worse instead of better, and why don't Stress Management programmes seem to work?

From an individual perspective, managing Stress is a bit like getting fit. There are people whose idea of getting fit is to walk down to the bookshop, buy a book on fitness and exercise, take it home and read it... and do nothing. Or even worse, not even walk to the bookshop at all but buy it on the Internet! People can only get fit by exercising – getting fit means taking action.

It's the same with Stress. Some people think the way to manage Stress is to go to a Stress Management workshop. What they don't realise is that to manage their stress they need to do something different. And why don't people take any action to manage their stress better? Why do they seem to be stuck in Stress?

There can be many reasons, but one of the most common ones seems to be fear of the consequences, that is, fear of how they will be seen by their employers and colleagues. The message that many organisations give out is that "It's not OK to be stressed, and it's certainly not OK to take the steps you need to manage your stress effectively". It's rarely stated explicitly, but it's there in organisational cultures nevertheless.

Another reason is that when people are already stressed, and they then have to think about taking time to exercise or relax, the thought creates more stress. It's yet another task in an already busy lifestyle, and so people are reluctant to make time for it -- even though we know it leads to better health, more effective working and quality of life.

The third reason is that many people make other things more important than their own health and well-being. Bizarre though it may sound, people will put time and effort into meeting their boss's expectations in preference to looking after their own health.

The reality, of course, is that unless we look after ourselves properly as employees the job will never be done properly anyway. So self-management has to be a priority.

Most stress management courses fail because they are "band-aid" solutions. They try to treat the symptoms instead of the underlying causes. To make Stress Management truly effective needs a fundamental shift in attitudes, both in individuals and employers. Employees must begin to put themselves and their health first. And employers need to make it OK for people to say they are stressed and to take proper care of themselves.

Many companies penalise their staff for arriving at work late. But how many companies do you know who penalise their staff for staying late at the end of the working day? One senior manager at a large IT company was seen recently throwing people out of the building at 6pm, telling them to go home and chill out. He recognised the law of diminishing returns – and realised that if his team were to be effective in their work they needed to have a healthy balance between work and personal life. He not only made it OK for his staff to develop work/life balance – he made it mandatory!

So many companies claim that "people are our most important asset". If it's true, why are they still stressed?

Rob Mottram and Lichfield Associates offer Work/Life Balance programmes aimed at helping organisations to become stress-resistant. For more information contact Rob Mottram on 01886 833588 or visit http://www.lichfield-associates.com

Other Article Sites

findabook.com  moneycd.info  a-mortgage.info   about-lemon-laws.info  aboutstudentloans.info
all-about-publishing.info  auctions-articles.info  bestcollege-university.com  bestispconnection.com
biblefolder.com  blogger-website.com  books-used.info  brokers-guide.info  buywindows.info  cable-dsl.info
career-miner.com  carpel-tunnel.info  cashinaflash.info  cashloanreviews.info  casinobell.com  chat-house.info
clearmycredit.info  collegeloantips.info  crones.info  depression-articles.info   dirnic.net  dishguides.info
divers-below.com  expodog.info   financewizz.com  fire-insurance.info  getgood.info  handleit.net   it-idea.info
health-supplies.info  hosting-right.com  insidealert.com  insurance-facts.info  jobs-employment.info
justgood.info  lookgold.net   lowcost-travel.info  money-source.info  myhostzone.info  numisblog.com
peoplesearchfinder.info  pr-articles.info  realeas.com   refinancing-guides.info  spyware-remove.info
telelot.info  the-law.info   toppaid.info  travel-deals.info  travelcorrect.com  wedding-guide-site.com
your-blog.info  your-credit.info

Work at Home Agent - Job Ideas For a Work at Home Agent
Are you interested in jobs that require you to spend hours on the phone talking to customers If you like personal relations work and have good interpersonal skills, then do consider the opportunity of being a work at home agent

4 Legit Work From Home Jobs That Work
Everybody is turning to the internet to work from home and hopefully leave their day job. This means that finding legit work from jobs has become more popular than ever and you can understand why when hundreds of people weekly are quitting their day job and are working out of the comfort of their home.

Work From Home - How To Prepare For A Work From Home Job
Surely, you must have already heard about the perks of working from home Not only do you get the opportunity of being with your loved ones, but also the chance of earning good money doing what you like

Legitimate Work At Home Jobs - Become Wealthy Working From Home
It all started when I was franticly going from company to company passing out my resume, needing a job so bad it hurt I had a college degree but could not get hired no matter what for the life of me

Being A Work At Home Business Opportunity Seeker And Finding Work From Home Jobs
The problem with work from home jobs is simply that so many people want to have them Because of this, there are lots of people who want to take advantage of people who truly want to be able to have the freedom of a home business

Work at Home Data Entry Jobs, Work at Home, Data Entry Jobs
37 Work at Home Data Entry Jobs - The New Age Career Move

Legitimate Work From Home Jobs - 4 Important Things to Consider Before Starting This Career Path
When you are selecting legitimate work from home jobs career, money is important, but there are some other factors that should be considered before making the final decision Before beginning even legitimate work from home jobs career, you should think about some of the factors that will help to make your venture succeed or fail

At Home Work - Find Your Next Work At Home Job
At home work is easy to find these days thanks to the internet Work from home jobs are a form of self employment, which is hitting today's society in huge numbers

Work at Home Businesses Versus Work at Home Jobs
Is a work at home business better than a work at home job? You bet. Hands down. But each option has pros and cons. It may be that for right now you're just not ready to start a work at home business. Its a big committment. That's OK. But if you're dedicated, smart and willing to work harder than most, settling for a work at home job could be selling yourself short.

Finding that Work at Home Job - A Job in Itself
The trend of corporate America creating work at home jobs for telecommuters is growing, which is good news for those of you who are looking to do your work in your pajamas every day. Technology has made the work at home job more appealing to both bosses and employees, though it does not mean the trend has hit the mainstream, so a work at home job can still be hard to find.

Legitimate Work at Home Jobs Career - 4 Amazing Tips to Increase Efficiency
When you have picked one of the many legitimate work at home jobs career and are ready to settle down and make some money, it helps to make your home based business as efficient as possible One of the most important benefits resulting from obtaining legitimate work at home jobs career is the ability to improve income levels through increased efficiency in performing the tasks associated with the jobs

Work At Home Job Versus Work At Home Business
I often hear people complain about how they shouldnt have to pay for a business opportunity because "you wouldnt have to pay to get a job outside the home." It irritates me when I read that. Not because I think you should have to pay for a job - even a work at home position - its because they think that their should be no investment to start up a work at home business.

Work From Home Jobs For Moms - Jobs You Can Do at Home
A Legitimate Work from home job is a desire that many moms have, and being able to generate a great income while working from home is very possible I created this work from home jobs for moms lens to give you information about legitimate work from home jobs for moms, and for anyone looking to make part time to full time income

Job Work From Home On My Computer
In my long quest for a job, work from home on my computer seemed to be the best available option Especially, since I needed to work around the many schedules of my family