Stress – Text
Check unknown vocabulary before you read the text:
obvious – easily seen or understood; evident
resource – something that gives help, support etc when needed; a supply
to obstruct – block or close
accordingly – in agreement
immense(ly) – very large or very great
to distract – draw aside (the mind or attention of)
to undermine – weaken (eg a person\'s health or authority)
to lack – have too little or none of
to maintain – continue; to keep in good condition
layout – the manner in which something is displayed or laid out
to emphasize – put emphasis (stress) on
blinds – something, such as a window shade, that shuts out light
to muffle – deaden the sound of
to combat – fight against; to oppose
insidious – seemingly harmless but actually with strong effect
to deplete – to make smaller in amount, number
Minimizing Stress
The way in which your working environment is arranged can be a major source of stress. An obvious case is where the people andresources you need are not immediately at hand. Here, physical barriers and distance stand in the way of being able to work efficiently. This obviously obstructs people's achievement of work goals and causes stress accordingly.
A less obvious source of stress comes with the difference between working in an open plan environment and working in individual offices. On one hand, it is much easier to work as a team in an open plan environment because walls and barriers get in the way of good team performance. On the other hand, open plan offices can be immensely distracting when you are doing a job that needs intense concentration. The noise of telephones and of people talking can significantly undermine performance in these jobs.
Open plan offices also lack privacy. This is important because it forces people constantly to “maintain appearances”, and to be constantly sociable when they may be more efficient focusing on the job in hand. This requirement for constant sociability can be a source of stress, as people really need to be able to control the level of social activity they participate in, and the way in which they interact.
Being pragmatic, the layout of your working environment may or may not be something you can control. If it is, try to arrange things so that people have easy access to the people and resources they need. This normally works best by organizing workspaces around the processes people operate, or the types of work that they do. The idea here is to make it as easy as possible for people to do their jobs.
If the layout of your workspace is not in your control, then consider making a well-thought-out suggestion as to how things could be improved to the person responsible. Emphasize the benefits of making the change.
If you need personal space but none is available, try blocking off areas with furniture, screens or blinds. If noise is an issue, then padded screens and plants can help to muffle it. Make sure that you explain to your co-workers why you are doing this; after all you don’t want them to think that you are avoiding their company!
Combat Stress by Improving Air Quality
Poor air quality is more insidious as an issue. While people tend to notice obvious problems with atmospheric pollution, they are often unaware of the negative effect of invisible and odorless pollutants like Carbon Monoxide.
Long-term studies in polluted cities have shown that admissions to hospitals for psychiatric illness increase as Carbon Monoxide and Nitrogen Dioxide levels increase. High levels of atmospheric pollutants can damage people's ability to concentrate. Similarly, lack of ventilation can deplete oxygen in the air, and can lead to headache, tiredness and reduced concentration.
The following factors can also contribute to the problem of poor air quality:
· Smoking
· Air conditioning
· Heating
· Ionization by electrical equipment
· Overcrowding
· Pollution
· Solvents in e.g. carpets and furniture
· Excess humidity or dryness
You can do a number of things to improve air quality and reduce the stress caused by it:
· Ban smoking
· Open windows
· Use an ionizer. This helps to freshen the air by eliminating positive ions created by, for example, electric motors powering computer fans.
· Use dehumidifiers where humidity is a problem.
· Introduce plants where the air is too dry. Evaporation of water from the plant pots or from the plants themselves will help to raise humidity. Not only do plants raise the amount of oxygen in the air and reduce stuffiness, they also help to absorb pollutants in the air.
Keep drinking water on hand so that you do not get dehydrated.