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SKILL: Cluster 1a: Dealing with Complexity
EQF LEVEL (INTERNAL REFERENCE): EQF3
Keywords
1 STRESS
2 WORK
3 CAUSES
4 CONSEQUENCES
5 SUGGESTIONS
Introduction
By the end of this LU you will learn the causes and consequences of job stress related to the complexity of our world, and some tips for reducing its negative effects.
Content
We experience complexity every day, both at work and in our private lives. It is the element that most shapes our activities. It takes the form of uncertainty, high performance standards, challenging new roles and increasingly articulated objectives. This situation often generates stress, tension and anxiety that can negatively affect the workplace climate, performance, results and internal and external personal relations. In organisations, in addition to having technical competence, we have to be able to manage quickly, effectively and dynamically the challenges of everyday life. This requirement makes us increasingly alert, versatile, and proactive, but also makes us tired, tense, and doubtful about what to do. The pressure to be more and more efficient and to manage high-pressure situations obliges us to learn a new skill: the ability to manage stress. The ability to manage pressure and the stresses it creates, is precisely what either positively, or negatively, influences the results we achieve.
Is it possible to manage complexity without stress? Stress is not always a bad thing, but we need to learn better how to control it and keep it at a manageable level. We must therefore learn to enhance and sustain our performance, through a constant recovery of our inner energy, and a functional and conscious management of stress. It is precisely the ability to consciously manage our personal inner energy that allows us to be more proactive, high-performing, attentive, concentrated person, who is focused on organisational goals. Company management must invest in this, through strategies of empowerment and stimulation of well-being, amongst employees and team members.
Stress is a general syndrome of adaptation; it affects our management of work and, if harmful may be evidenced by:
The causes are usually work overload and an increasing demand to always be available to work.This leads to high emotional pressure; deadlines not being met within the allotted time; concerns about such factors not being recognized or addressed in the work environment; as well as a sense of a lack of fairness or inability to share company values.
Obviously, these conditions, if unchecked, generate negative consequences for both the individual and the organisation. Stress leads to a decline in individual performance and service quality; increases absenteeism and staff turnover; and a deterioration in the organizational climate, that in turn negatively affects relationships and deepens negative attitudes towards oneself, clients, colleagues and the work to be done. Production costs also increase due to constant errors and rework, inevitably affecting the perceived quality of the product or service delivered.
The most effective response to managing and reversing the negative effects of stress, while promoting high performance, lies in the development of a mindfulness-based approach. As well as strengthening knowledge and skills, it is necessary to invest in the development of the individual and his or her well-being as part of an ongoing process of change. The effects will be positive for that person, but also for the entire organisation. It is helpful to provide the most suitable tools for individuals to:
NOTES (IF RELEVANT):
Language Point
Using Rhetorical Questions
This question appears above on page 1 “Is it possible to manage complexity without stress?”
Rhetorical questions are a useful technique in persuasive writing. They communicate directly with the reader, or an audience and allow people to focus, pause and think about a key point. In the above text, the writer introduces the key point, acknowledges that stress is a part of the modern complex world, then offers strong reasons why it is important to learn how to manage stress.
TEST
Select the correct statement from the following:
Identifies the three possible causes of work-related stress
Indicates whether the statement is true or false
To improve stress management, it is advisable to:
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