Stress can cost time, money, and energy. Estimates for the annual cost of stress in U.S. organizations range as high as $300 billion. As a manager, how well do you help reduce stress in the workplace? Do you unnecessarily increase stress in the workplace? Here are six questions every manager should ponder.
- Do I inadvertently support stress-inducing norms? Every workplace has formal and informal rules. Some informal rules or norms become well established even though they may be dysfunctional. Do employees work long hours beyond what is really necessary? How long is the workday really? Is time off for vacations encouraged or seen as behavior of those less loyal?