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  • Suffering from stress at work? 5 steps to building resilience

    According to HSE.Gov.co.uk almost one million people (976,000) in the UK are suffering from work-related stress that is making them ill, resulting in sick leave and absenteeism.  It is estimated that 12 million working days are lost each year in the UK due to stress-related illness. 

    WHAT IS STRESS? 

    The dictionary defines stress as “ a forcibly exerted influence usually causing distress or strain.”    In short, stress is any factor, positive or negative that requires a response or change. Medical research recognizes that chronic ongoing stress can lead to illness, aggravate existing disease conditions and accelerate aging.  Common stressors include many aspects of a Western lifestyle including work, financial, emotional and environmental issues, as well as a nutrient poor diet that inflicts undue stress on your physical and mental bodies.  

    The concept of job stress is often confused with challenge.  Clearly these concepts are not the same.  Challenge, if at the appropriate level, energizes both mind and body.  It motivates to learn new skills and master new and more challenging job roles. When a challenge is met, we feel relaxed and satisfied, proud and perhaps even excited about what has been achieved. 

    WHEN DOES A CHALLENGE BECOME STRESSFUL?   

    This is a bit like asking “How long is a piece of string?” As each one of us are different and unique, there cannot be a one-size fits all answer.  However, there are some aspects in the Western lifestyle and work ethic that can and do contribute to an individual suffering from work-related stress. For example, when the goal cannot be achieved because it looks and feels overwhelming or when demands cannot be met, due to capability and or lack of necessary resources.  It might, on the other hand, be caused by relationships, or more importantly poor relations with someone that you have to work with, due to their bullying, manipulating habits.  Perhaps you are working in a toxic environment due to poor or inappropriate leadership that is causing an overly competitive work environment, playing one person off against the other. Under any of these circumstances or a combination of circumstances, very quickly the situation can change from focused and motivated to mental and physical exhaustion from trying and the sense of ability to accomplish turned into feelings of stress. 

    COVID AND WORK STRESS 

    Post Covid society is going to be looking at millions of people who have been affected negatively by the lockdown processes and are now suffering a variety of mental and likely physical illnesses due to measures brought in to limit the spread, by the many governments all over the world.  Many are living under an umbrella of fear that has been working away at healthy people, slowly destroying immune capability through increasing stress caused by the fear of catching SARS-Cov-2.  Not being able to “vent steam” through sport, visiting family and friends has blocked the usual avenues of lessening impact of negative events or at least balancing them with laughter and joy through regular social contact, touching, hugging and face to face conversation in close proximity to those we love.  No one anticipated that by protecting one group of vulnerable people, you create another. A model created by the “Centre for Mental Health” last year predicted that, due to Covid, around 8.5 million adults and 1.5 million children in England alone will need support for anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorders and other mental health difficulties in the coming months and years. 

    WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF STRESS? 

    Early symptoms include tiredness and lack of energy, tension headaches, and poor sleep, with perhaps even dizziness, stomach cramps, diarrhoea and migraines.  When stress becomes more ingrained and bordering on or causing adrenal overload, these symptoms are still evident, but become stronger and more constant, and are often joined by other symptoms including, sweaty hands and feet, insomnia, circulating thoughts, nightmares, inability to get back to sleep, mood swings, anxiety attacks, stomach pains, heart burn and palpitations, depression and if that’s not enough – a permanent feeling of being exhausted all the time.  

    Subjecting the body to constant stress means the fight and flight system is no longer able to turn off. This is the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. In other words, your body is in a constant state of alert, whether there is danger or not. Stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol are released which sends blood to the areas of the body that most need it including the heart and muscles in order to get you away from the immediate danger.  When the perceived fear has gone, the hypothalamus should tell the system to go back to normal, but when constantly under stress this system becomes incapable of regulation resulting in excess cortisol and adrenaline, flooding the system causing the many symptoms mentioned.   

    5 steps to building resilienceWaiting for anyone to heal you is going to be a long wait.  Life throws many curve-balls at each one of us that we have no control over, however there is much that you can do to manage the impact by building resilience. The only person who can be responsible for your health is you.  As stress has deep impact on both the mental and physical body, it is important to put some simple steps in place to limit the impact and build your resilience before it becomes a permanent feature that requires intervention by a health expert. Often these interventions use pharmaceutical products that mask the symptoms so that you can live with them, continuing the same lifestyle pattern and avoiding dealing with the actual problem. 

    5 SIMPLE STEPS TO PROACTIVELY MANAGING THE IMPACT OF STRESS   

    Assuming the stress factors are work-related the following are some helpful tips for proactively protecting you from adverse stress as well as managing the body’s reaction in the early stages through re-balancing your natural circadian rhythm through life experience – your diet, lifestyle and physical movement. 

    1. PRACTICE GOOD SLEEP HYGIENE:

    • Be in bed by 10.30pm 
    • Make your bedroom a “no zone” for electronic devices  
    • Keep the bedroom dark and free from electric or “blue” light 
    • A minimum of two hours before going to bed: 
    • Stop using all electronic devices in order to calm the brain and allow it to produce sleep-inducing melatonin.  Read, meditate, take a warm bath with calming essential oils or simply share relaxation time with your family instead. 
    • Complete any vigorous exercise and allow the body time to calm down and relax to avoid lying awake trying to go to sleep. 
    • Eat your last meal allowing time for complete digestion. 
    • Drink a cup of calming herbal tea such as Lime Blossom, Chamomile, Lemon Melissa and/or Lavender before retiring 

    2. BE ASSERTIVE:

    • Know your limits and practice saying “No” when the boss or a colleague becomes over-demanding. 
    • Openly and positively confront those who have taken it upon themselves to make your life stressful. 
    • Deal with conflict, don’t push it under the carpet hoping it will go away. 
    • Speak up for yourself – share your opinion, ideas and feelings before they become overwhelming.  It is alright to feel how you feel, just because it might be different to how others are feeling, does not make it wrong. 
    • Avoid procrastination in all areas of your life as it does not positively serve you. 

    3. PRACTICE POSITIVE SELF-TALK AND HABITS:

    • Observe how you speak to yourself and avoid negative self-talk that emphasizes what is not right about yourself, what you have done wrong, what you should or could have done in any particular situation and so on. Negative self-talk is destructive and only creates further mental pressure to be or do something differently. It does not provide a positive framework to change the aspect of your behaviour or performance that you are not happy about. 
    • Express gratitude daily for those things in your life that you are grateful for.  Find a time of the day that is convenient, such as first thing in the morning or last thing at night to give gratitude for the small things in your life, that make a big difference. 

    4. SET BOUNDARIES AND MAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF:

    Rushing around accomplishing things and crossing them off the to-do list can be very satisfying,  but it does not feed body and soul nor does it always accomplish what is important to you, your team and your organisation.  All of us require down-time to do what feeds our soul, whether that is doing nothing, walking, meditating, taking a hot bath or lying on your sofa reading. 

    • Schedule down-time for yourself each week even if it is only for 30 minutes twice a week, this is your time and is as important, if not more so, than many other things on your to-do list.  Keep to it! 
    • Educate and encourage others to respect this time as being sacred and necessary for you to renew yourself and fill your tank.
    • Block time without interrruptions that gives you space to accomplish top priority tasks.  If necessary make yourself unavailable by putting a sign on your door or sending out an email to inform your colleagues. 
    • Enjoy  and appreciate space and silence, avoid being tempted to fill it with “noise”. 

    5. BE ACTIVE AND MOVE

    • The body and mind becomes stagnant, as does your energy when you sit all day in front of a computer, television or on the sofa. This can often lead to circulating thoughts which go round and round with no route of escape. By moving you energize the body by getting lymph moving, while also feeding the brain with serotonin (feel good factor), especially if going out into nature.  Build time into your day to move, even if that is get a cuppa or walk to the corner shop.  Periodic stretching away from your computer also helps increase energy and resilience. 
    • Moving does not need you to run a marathon, but rather to do regular exercise whether walking, Pilates, Yoga, swimming or playing tennis to release any pent up emotions that are stiffening up the neck and shoulder muscles, your back and overall flexibility. Connecting with nature as you do your favourite exercise brings double benefit to mind and body. 
    • Taking a massage or doing reflexology regularly also has many beneficial effects in relaxing the body, promoting energy through effective movement of lymph and keeping muscles toned, overall helping to manage stressful events and build resilience. 

    Engaging in a balance of activities, being mindful of what you eat and how you eat, allowing time to create space and silence as well as connecting with nature, building in time for human interaction and connection and being active when combined with setting boundaries and increasing assertive behaviour helps to improve resilience as well as sustain good health, wellbeing and overall performance by resyncing your physical and mental bodies.

     

    To find out how to improve you or your team’s workplace stress, see our E-learning courses for Wellbeing in the Workplace.

  • The Importance Of Recognition When Leading Others

    A MESSAGE FROM THE NA’VI PEOPLE OF PANDORA

    In my personal experience it is common to both use and hear the term “recognition” in the work environment, especially when referring to motivation of others. What does it mean to give recognition, and how does that differ from giving appreciation, or appreciating someone or something?

    An explanation of the word “recognition” – to recognise someone in the work environment means, ”the act of publicly acknowledging your employees for what they do.” In other words, recognising someone for what they do in their job role and the value they bring in that role. On the other hand, employee appreciation is about who you are and how colleagues, irrelevant of role, naturally recognize each other and make the workplace feel more inclusive and human. This might also be extended into knowing you as being a valuable part of the team. Since the advent of hybrid working, It is not always remembered that humans need other humans, and that being part of a group or team is one of the main reasons why we like to go to work. In other words, the appreciation that we receive from others that feeds into our feelings of belonging.

    The Oxford dictionary defines recognition as “The act of recognising; acknowledging especially” and defines appreciation as “The pleasure that you have when you enjoy the good qualities of somebody or something.”

    In the film Avatar – the greeting that the Na’vi people, living on Pandora on meeting each other was “I see you.” This greeting was not just about literally seeing someone, but really seeing them in a holistic manner – the physical presence, mental and emotional aspects as well as the person inside, the very soul of a person. What a beautiful phrase of appreciation and recognition to truly “see” someone.

    Employee recognition combined with appreciation is one of the most important factors in driving workplace engagement, productivity, performance and employee retention. At its core, employee recognition is another word for feedback, usually associated with feedback focused on an employee’s strengths and what they’re doing well, a technique that encourages more of the same. It is also an expression of appreciation and gratitude.  Living and working in an environment of gratitude when inclusive within the entire organisation makes the operation more fun, meaningful, a place where people want to “belong” and be associated, as well as an environment that is productive and employees enjoy performing at their best.

    In the work environment we mostly link recognition as being positive and connected to what an individual is doing right and has done well, however recognition can also be negative. The power of giving recognition for good performance publicly enhances the positive impact on the individual to do more of the same. Negative recognition, sadly all too often is given inappropriately and perhaps even publicly, lacking a constructive and positive approach, especially when the manager and leader has limited emotional intelligence and fails to understand that negative recognition whether given publicly or not amplifies the negative impact on that person and rather than enhancing performance actually leads to the opposite – a de-motivated, deflated and often highly embarrassed individual who has now lost face amongst his or her colleagues, thus threatening the secure and important ties of “belonging”. An individual having been berated openly and unconstructively is unlikely to be your best performing employee certainly in the short term and likely for much longer, if indeed they stay in your employ.

    What can we learn from Avatar, the film and the Na’vi people of Pandora? How does “I see you” translate into performance, to build excellence, increase productivity as well as employee retention. The latter being one of the biggest challenges organisations face today. Perhaps, truly “seeing” someone, a colleague or team member, you not only recognise them for what they do, but also appreciate and value them for who they are?

  • The New Hybrid – 7 Tips to Make it Work

    Nothing to do with a car! This term “hybrid” is commonly brandished around to refer to combining working hours or days from home or some other remote location, as well as from an office. How this looks now or will look in the near future is quite clear for some companies, for others it is still in discussion. From talking with clients, it seems that the most common reasons for employees not wishing to return to working full time in the office are:

    • For the last 18 months, work has been from home. Therefore, why is it necessary to go back to working at the office?
    • Productivity has stayed the same or even increased when working from home.
    • In those 18 months when there was no choice, I was trusted to do my job.

    However, not all employees want to stay working from home and have some other points that offer a positive side for returning to the office:

    • When working from home, the lack of clarity around working hours and always expected to “be available” due to unclear work boundaries.
    • Lack of social contact with fellow team members and impromptu get-togethers.
    • Difficulty balancing limited space at home with family members and work demands.
    • Diminished team spirit.

    Arguments from employers, even though they understand the obvious benefits of paying less office rent and associated expenses, are similar in many ways, with a few additions:

    • Teamwork suffers when we are not in the same space.
    • Company culture is negatively affected when working remotely.
    • Communication is not as open as it was before.
    • Productivity is suffering when working remotely.
    • Quality offered to clients in terms of phone line, accessibility etc is variable.
    • Lack of ad hoc learning from peers and managers when working from home.

    This last point is supported by a recent survey and resulting report conducted by “Poly Evolution of the Workplace” which polled 2,003 UK hybrid workers and found that

    “Nearly half (46 per cent) said they were worried that working remotely could impact their career development and progression, while 54 per cent said they were concerned they would miss out on ad hoc learning and development opportunities, including learning from peers and seniors, while working from home.”

    The same report also found that “Almost half (48 per cent) said remote working had made them less confident in their ability to communicate effectively, and 45 per cent felt they had “lost the art of small talk” as part of their job, thus supporting the feeling and observation that communication is less open when working remotely.

    What is the Answer?

    Enter the new hybrid. Finding a balance that allows both employee and employer to meet their needs in terms of performance while feeling secure, trusted and appreciated, is the key. What it looks like is going to vary from one person to the next, depending on position and areas of responsibility. Points such as can there be different approaches for different people to meet individual needs, or will this be classed as discrimination if one appears to have more favourable working practices than another? In a five-day week what should the balance of hours be between home and office?

    Clearly hybrid working is not effective for all positions and in some cases not possible, for example a chef, waiter or carer, who are either in their work environment working or off work and therefore out of the “office” environment. Should these people be compensated in some way for travel costs which other team members do not have?

    The New Hybrid - 7 Tips to Make it WorkIf trust is the main issue that organisations are facing when wanting to change employees full time working at home to either a hybrid solution or complete reversal of the current situation to 100% office-based roles, perhaps open communication is the best way to address this question to explore the needs of all concerned and find the solution that works through a win-win approach. Consider some or all of the following tips to formulating an acceptable approach to a hybrid working style for those that wish to remain working from home:

    1) Empathetic Listening

    In such situations, effective listening plays a massive role.Truly hearing what the other party is saying and recognising and responding to the words as well as the underlying emotions demonstrates a willingness to listen and to hear before proposing a ready-prepared solution that might not meet the needs of your employee who has made massive changes to their life to accommodate the change in circumstances due to “force majeure.” This same force majeure on the employer’s side also needs recognising, because without rapid changes in response to the pandemic, may not have survived and still be doing business today.

    2) Explore Options

    Rather than arriving at a meeting with employees with a fait accompli, taking time to explore options that could and would work is far more motivating than presenting a ready-made solution. Giving the other person/s the feeling that you want to work with their needs to find a solution not only motivates, but builds openness and trust in you as well as in the solution moving forward. In order to explore options through negotiation, both parties to keep in mind what you would like to achieve as well as identifying a minimum to which you are prepared to go in terms of compromise.

    3) Make A Proposal

    The proposal does not have to come from the employer only, the employee can also put their proposal on the table for consideration. The outcome needs to suit the business and both parties within the business. Perhaps the employee has thought of something that the employer has not considered that is a fine working solution for both parties.

    4) Agree a Way Forward

    Keep the conversation focused to the goals of agreeing the way forward and achieving a hybrid working structure that meets the needs of both parties, assuming hybrid is what you want. Once all facts and details have been discussed guide the conversation appropriately to achieve an agreement which is then documented in line with HR procedures. If agreeing on a trial approach for a certain time period, document this as well as the date and time for any follow up discussion. Be sure to schedule that follow up and show commitment to having the discussion.

    5) Monitor Performance

    Going forward in the new regime, the direct manager to monitor performance of each employee following a format that has been agreed between parties. Be ready to help with any difficulties and challenges and show a willingness to make it work. Key to making it work is to provide training and development for managers and leaders in how to effectively manage and inspire remote teams.

    6) Help Employees Plan Personal and Working Time

    For team members who are struggling with the feeling or expectation that they should be available all the time need help in understanding how to plan, in order to integrate their personal and working lives. Ngozi Weller, co-founder of Aurora Wellness stressed that “Managers should give guidance to employees on blocking time in diaries for lunch and other personal time, focused time to get work done, their definite start and end times and more.”

    “Employees need to protect themselves from the risk of burnout by planning for their personal wellbeing as a regular part of the work-day,” said Weller. “This could look different for each of us, but the principle of good work hygiene is the same.”

    7) Train Managers to Manage Employee Wellbeing

    Managing a team that is working remotely requires development of communication skills, especially listening. Relying on technology such as Zoom and Teams to host meetings is part of our daily lives in the hybrid model.However, as these platforms are limited from the point of view of picking up on non-verbal signals, there is a necessity to heighten the ability to “see” and to notice when things might be going right for some team members, and to be confident to lead and hold conversations around wellbeing. Gary Cookson, director of Epic HR said that “Managers should be able to pick up on subtle signals around communication, working hours and outputs. Training should also equip them to have appropriate conversations around wellbeing.”

    “Success in a hybrid work environment requires employers to move beyond viewing remote or hybrid environments as a temporary or short-term strategy and to treat it as an opportunity.”

    – George Penn, VP at Gartner

    References

    HOWLETT, E (2021)  Half of workers concerned hybrid working could lead to discrimination, report finds [People management.co.uk]

    POLY (2021) Poly Evolution of the Workplace Report Highlights Need for Work Equity and Total Meeting Equality for Hybrid Workers [Poly.com]

     
    WANT TO MAXIMAISE THE POWER OF HYBRID WORKING? SEE OUR WELLBEING IN THE WORKPLACE E-LEARNING COURSES!

  • The Impact of Employee Health and Wellbeing on Your Bottom Line?

    Working with individuals on work-life balance, as well as with groups, I am seeing more and more people with adrenal stress, very often caused by stress from work.  Reasons for the stress vary, however these can be self inflicted, such as wanting to be a perfectionist, the inability to say “no”, poor time management, inability to delegate as well as procrastination by putting things off.  As for external factors that might cause stress, the first one springing to mind is living in a blame culture, thus creating an environment of fear.  Inappropriate leadership styles and habits such as a boss who doesn’t listen, a manipulative leader who can only influence by using manipulation techniques, a boss who lives in crisis due to poor planning and time management or a boss who is unable to communicate effectively, practicing chameleon type behaviours, swinging from one mood to the next.

    The Health & Safety Executive estimated that 31.2 million working days were lost due to work-related ill health and non-fatal workplace injuries in 2016/17.  25.7 million were due to work-related ill health!  Adrenal fatigue is when the adrenal system struggles to maintain homeostatic balance, leading to depletion and dysregulation of the adrenal glands and Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal axis after a long period of emotional stress or chronic illness.  Adrenal stress, due to fatigue presents in different ways.  Early signs might be intermittent lack of energy, low motivation and poor sleep.  More advanced stages will include these and other symptoms, such as nights sweats, brain fog, lack of energy to do anything, headaches, poor functioning immune system, resulting in colds and flu, as well as cravings for carbohydrate foods and stimulants such as coffee, chocolate and fizzy drinks all giving that quick, short lived, hit or energy boost. (http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/dayslost.htm) 

    Is management of stress a function of leadership?  One could argue that this is personal and thus individual to each person to manage themselves effectively in order to manage what life throws at them, and therefore not under the leadership role or umbrella.  However, if work-days are being lost from absenteeism due to overload and stress, it becomes every leader’s concern and issue.  Therefore, is it better to manage the situation before it gets to this stage or wait until the person gets sick and submits a doctor’s note?

  • The Great Resignation & The Future of Work: Rachel’s interview with Karen Mangia at Authority Magazine

    The Great Resignation & The Future of Work: How Employers and Employees Are Reworking Work Together

    Rachel was recently interviewed by Karen Mangia at Authority Magazine as part of their series about how the workplace is changing, how leadership needs to evolve and what employees are looking for in an employer.

    When it comes to designing the future of work, one size fits none. Discovering success isn’t about a hybrid model or offering remote work options. Individuals and organizations are looking for more freedom. The freedom to choose the work model that makes the most sense. The freedom to choose their own values. And the freedom to pursue what matters most. We reached out to successful leaders and thought leaders across all industries to glean their insights and predictions about how to create a future that works. As a part of our interview series called “How Employers and Employees are Reworking Work Together,” we had the pleasure to interview Rachel Shackleton.

    Read the full Authority Magazine article here.

  • Leading a Contact Centre – The Hidden Challenges

    As a manager of a support or contact centre, do you recognise any of these challenges when trying to lead your team to deliver excellent and consistent customer service, while also meeting demanding performance targets?

    If so, you’re not alone. Many contact centre managers face a combination of people, performance, and engagement challenges that make leading others one of the toughest, but most rewarding roles in business today.

    1. The Leadership Learning Curve

    Too often, managers step into their roles with little preparation or development for what leadership truly entails. They may have been top-performing agents, but managing others requires a different skill set entirely.

    Common challenges include:

    • Difficulty transitioning from team player to manager
    • Lack of emotional intelligence to build trust and strong relationships
    • Avoiding difficult conversations or giving feedback when performance dips
    • Struggling to coach effectively to drive behavioural change
    • Handling too many escalated calls, which may signal a lack of team empowerment.

    Leadership in a contact centre is about influence, coaching, and empathy—skills that require focused development and continuous learning.

    2. The Human Connection in a Hybrid World

    Many organisations celebrate hybrid working as a win-win: reduced office costs, better work-life balance, and increased flexibility. But there’s another side to the story—human engagement between managers and employees can easily drop when face-to-face contact becomes rare. The phrase “out of sight, out of mind” too often becomes reality.

    When team members feel disconnected, motivation slips, communication weakens, and performance targets suffer. Today’s managers need new skills to lead remotely—skills in virtual communication, trust-building, and emotional presence to ensure their teams remain inspired, supported, and empowered, even when working miles apart.

    3. The Cost of Constant Turnover

    Every new hire whether in a contact centre or elsewhere typically needs months of training and coaching before reaching full productivity. When attrition is high, managers are caught in a constant cycle of recruiting, onboarding, and retraining—leaving less time for strategy, coaching, and customer experience improvement.

    High staff turnover is not only financially costly, but it also drains team morale and consistency. Customers notice when they’re dealing with inexperienced agents, and loyal employees feel frustrated when they must constantly compensate and fill gaps.

    4. Beyond “It’s Typical for This Role”: Tackling Attrition at the Source

    Attrition in support centres is often accepted as “part of the job.” But if we dig deeper, it can reveal more serious root causes and concerns:

    • A toxic work culture where stress and burnout go unchecked
    • Poor management practices or lack of employee recognition
    • Weak recruiting that places the wrong people in the wrong roles.

    While some turnover is healthy and brings fresh perspectives, excessive churn creates chaos, inconsistency, and frustration for both employees and customers. The key to reducing attrition isn’t just about better pay or benefits—it’s about developing great managers. Managers who communicate clearly, coach effectively, and build trust and motivation create environments where people want to stay, do a great job and grow.

    5. Investing in Manager Development Is No Longer Optional

    The success of any support centre ultimately depends on the capability of its managers. By equipping them with the right skills—emotional intelligence, feedback delivery, coaching, and remote leadership, organisations can:

    • Strengthen employee engagement
    • Reduce costly turnover
    • Improve customer satisfaction
    • And create a culture of accountability and empowerment.

    In the end, great customer service starts with great leadership. Developing your managers isn’t a “nice to have”—it’s the foundation for a healthy, high-performing contact centre.

    The key lies in developing managers who can:

    •           Lead with empathy and accountability

    •           Coach effectively to build competence and confidence

    •           Maintain engagement in hybrid settings

    •           Model the culture you want your customers to experience

    Strong leadership remains the cornerstone of every high-performing team, department, and organisation.

    Looking for learning solutions to support development of your managers, here's a recent case study:

    https://www.greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com/pages/improving-support-centre-effectiveness

    More reading:

    https://www.greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com/pages/blog?p=thriving-call-centre-culture-wellbeing-success

     One of our solutions:

    https://www.greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com/bundles/management-skills-in-the-tech-sector

     

  • The impact of a toxic job

    Recently I have been deeply saddened by the number of people that I know that have a toxic job in a toxic environment whether physically in the office or remotely. When listening to the news over the last few months that staff are scarce and it is difficult to hire personnel for the many job vacancies, I am beginning to wonder if there some correlation between leadership and the way employees are treated and the scarcity of people, and therefore the inability to hire to fill vacancies?

    Everyone has bad days at work, but there are signs that employees and employers need to watch out for before a bad week “at the office” turns into never-ending, debilitating work stress that is ruining their personal health.  

    Too many people are trapped in toxic jobs. Jeffrey Pfeffer, an organizational behaviour professor at Stanford wrote in his book  “Dying for a Paycheck,”  (March 2018) that research has found that poor management in U.S. companies accounted for up to 8 percent of annual health costs and was associated with 120,000 excess deaths every year. Are employers really asking employees to put up with poor management and a toxic work environment at the cost of their health?

    As a Naturopath, Kinesiologist and Medical Herbalist, when consulting private clients about their health it is clear when the body knows subconsciously that their job is to blame for feelings of stress and overwhelm and it is that that is leading to the very symptoms they are consulting me about.

    What are typical symptoms when subjected to stress for long periods of time causing overwhelm, feelings of being over-stressed and potentially burnt out?

    Poor Sleep

    Very often poor or lack of sleep is one of the main symptoms. Clients report either not being able to sleep because their mind is racing or not being able to stay asleep, waking up in the middle of the night thinking about their to-do list or how to address a “conflict” issue with their boss. A few restless nights is not a big deal, but if it becomes a pattern, that may be a sign that job stress has become toxic.

    Waking night after night feeling more and more exhausted is a recipe for increasing mistakes when at work leading to re-work, which then affects the achievement of agreed goals and deadlines, causing a downward spiral to ill-health and poor performance.

    Headaches 

    I remember having a job many years ago, that literally made me sick. I would stand outside the door and all my muscles would tense up to guard my body from injury, causing chronic tension in my neck, shoulders and head. Chronic tension in this area is often associated with tension headaches and if it continues for weeks, may result in migraines, both being extremely debilitating, but migraine having the power to shut down the body and mind for up to 24 hours before the person begins to feel a little better.

    Digestion Issues and Nausea

    When in a job that is toxic, it can feel like you’re fighting off a wild tiger at your desk. Under a perceived threat, your brain floods the system with adrenaline and other stress hormones.

    A nervous system constantly under stress, can cause feelings of nausea, issues with digestion such as diahorrea or even constipation, as the body holds on to something that simply it cannot let go of. Notice how you and your employees are sitting when working at their computer? Are their shoulders hunched and jaw clenched most of the time as this might be a sign that the job is impacting health. 

    Indigestion, constipation and bloating can all be associated with stress, but not always the main cause, as stress impacts what and how the gut digests foods. Stress due to circulating stress hormones has the ability to impact healthy gut bacteria which in turn impacts mood due to the gut-brain axis. 

    Poor Mental Health

    At the moment, there is great emphasis on poor mental health and how organisations are to address this to prevent employees from suffering with mental health diseases, such as anxiety, mood swings, low mood and depression. Could it be that the toxic workplace and/ or boss is actually causing the mental ill-health in the first place?

    In 2019 depression was the leading cause of mental health related diseases and major cause of disability worldwide affecting approximately 280 million people and accounting for more than 47 million disability-adjusted life years in the same year. In fact, post Covid, a World Health Organisation (WHO) study published in April 2022 states that “global prevalence of mental health disorders increased by a massive 25% across the board”. Young people and women being the worst hit.

    Suffering from Regular Sickness

    If you are catching colds constantly, or don’t seem to be able to shake off a cold, ask yourself “Why this might be so?” If you have employees that seem to be constantly sick, have a closer look at what they are doing? Are they constantly working under pressure and stress, or very long hours just to keep up? Are they happy and fulfilled in what they are doing? How do you encourage and lead them? Do you give positive feedback on a regular basis or are you quick to criticise and highlight all the things that they are doing wrong?

    There is a direct relationship to living a happy fulfilled life and health. Chronic stress, whatever the source will compromise the immune system, making the individual more susceptible to illness, therefore that cycle of illness-exhaustion-unhappiness repeating over and over. This obviously increases sickness and absenteeism within a department, putting stress on those that are working, and the company as a whole.

    Tired all the Time

    A feeling of being tired all the time, having no energy and the desire to sleep is fatigue, a bone-deep weariness that no nap or weekend lie-in seems to cure. Toxic jobs and a / or a toxic work environment or relationship can create a cycle that drains us. When feeling overwhelmed we tend to lack focus and concentration and therefore require longer working hours to achieve the same result. This in turn leads to a downward spiral and results in time off to recuperate.

    Appetite Changes

    Appetite is closely linked to your brain. Under acute stress, your fight-or-flight response releases adrenaline, telling your body to suppress digestion to focus on saving you from the perceived danger. Under long-term stress the body’s adrenal glands release and build up cortisol, a hormone which can increase hunger. When your job is causing long-term emotional distress, you may turn to food for comfort or completely lose your appetite.  

    Sugary foods and caffeine-based drinks are often the type of food craved when under stress because the body and brain are burning masses of energy just to sustain an even keel. Sugary foods, often known as comfort foods, as with caffeine-based drinks, give that quick energy boost to get you through the next task. Doing this occasionally will not cause too much harm, but when locked into this cycle the downside is a sugar low, and over time that low gets lower and the energy boost lower also, feeding a craving for more and more sugar, but resulting in less and less energy.

    What is Your Responsibility in Staying Healthy?

    As an Employee:

    Address the toxic boss – Go straight to the horse’s mouth and lead an open conversation about how you are feeling and why. Calling your boss “toxic” certainly will not win you any brownie points but, pointing out that his or her leadership approach is inappropriate to lead and encourage to be at your best and most productive, just might. If it doesn’t you know where you stand.

    Reframe your negative thinking – One of the principles of cognitive behavioural therapy, is that how you think can change how you feel. Perhaps changing jobs is not an option for you. Therefore, reframing the situation might just work. Using mindfulness to manage unhelpful churning thoughts about how a recent presentation went, what you should have said in a particular situation, instead of what you did say, or what a colleague said to you, can be very useful in stopping these unhelpful thoughts that create dissatisfaction and drain energy while they are at it!

    Create personal boundaries – Create boundaries for how many hours you work each day. Don’t be overly pedantic about this in being sure to observe the exact start and finish times, but generally stay within the parameters. Take breaks for lunch and get away from your work-station, computer or regular place of actual work, so that you can enjoy your break without interruption. Educate others around your boundaries so that they too can organise themselves.

    Be clear on goals – Clarify anything that is not clear before embarking on the task. Fumbling through tasks that are not clear in the hope that you might get it right uses up much unnecessary energy through generating feelings of lack of confidence and circulating self-talk, while also running round trying to find information from others who are themselves not clear on what they are responsible for and therefore don’t have what you need.

    Leave – On recognising that you are in the “wrong” job for you, see these things as a warning that you need to get a new job. Long hours, absence of autonomy, uncertain scheduling, poor management and economic insecurity of a job are all factors that contribute to a toxic workplace environment that employees need to leave behind, not just cope with. If you have tried to solve the issue with your direct boss, perhaps HR as well, and nothing has changed you need to fix the underlying problem, not continue to deal with the symptoms in the hope that something will change.

    As a Leader:

    Listen to your employees – If they are providing feedback about you or the way in which the department is functioning, whether positive or otherwise, listen. Take it as positive and constructive, understand what is relevant and address it.

    Give regular positive feedback – Positive feedback is one of the most important tools you have in your management toolbox. Be sure to give to all your employees regular, positive feedback and make negative feedback constructive to motivate the person to change.

    Address conflict in the team – Avoid pushing conflict under the carpet. Bring it out into the open with relevant parties and get commitment to change. Conflict in the workplace causes those not involved to either discuss it in the corridor, thus becoming involved and adding fuel to the fire, or to withdraw. Both strategies are unhelpful to maintaining a productive environment and healthy teamwork.

    Dare to ask employees how they are doing – Asking this question will build trust and an open environment to discuss things that might be causing difficulty and therefore stress. When asking this question be sure to listen to the answer! Not listening may make the matter worse.

    Follow up – Show your interest in your employees by following up on conversations and changes as a result of those conversations. This shows respect to your employees and shows that you really care.

    In summary – a toxic work environment is caused by many factors. Living with it is not necessary and therefore be prepared to address it one way or another with the relevant parties. If you are a manager and leader, have close contact with your employees to know what aspects of the job might be causing too much stress and loss of productivity and then to proactively do something about it before complaining and unhappiness contribute to making a toxic work environment.

  • Swan-like leadership – a festive thought moving into 2018

    At this time of year many of us try to be the archetypal model of a swan, gracefully gliding over the surface whilst paddling like fury under the water line trying to get everything done both in the work environment and at home!  I can relate to this, especially with so many events that come one after another.

    Above the surface we may seem calm and our leadership style appears in control, but minds are racing as we try to make sure that everything is in place to ensure we can enjoy the few days off from our place of work over this festive period, whilst at the same time multi or triple tasking to do all the things for the family to make the time together special.  As minds are on ‘organisational alert,’ we risk asking the retrospective question of ‘was it worth it?’  We ask this because our minds weren’t there to enjoy it … they were on other things!  In all of this we know that this isn’t the real ‘mature’ or most effective way to live, to enjoy this season and to enjoy life as a whole.

    What should we do to avoid this trap of frenzied living?

    There are other levels in life, from deep spiritual to intense physical times.  Often these happen unexpectedly and in these times we can and do experience deep joy, a sense of perspective, a sense of peace and calm.  Frequently these times of true living are missed. When I think of life and how easy it is to fall into the ‘swan’ model, I know there is more.  There are other levels to know and live a fuller life.  I am not saying that we should ‘down tools’ and not work hard towards the good things we want for ourselves and others.  To me it is all about ‘multi-level living as opposed to triple tasking!’  Seeing clearly what is important and working with commitment and in full presence.

    In the coming year I hope to be ‘swan-like’ as I do my part to organise and put into place all resolutions, goals, events etc. I wish everyone a level of spiritual calm that puts things into perspective showing us what is and is not important, a resource that gives a deeper sense than that of frenzied paddling, leading to a sense of balance, bringing about refreshing leadership, clear decision making and a fun place to be as well as a fun person to be with.

    Wishing everyone joy whilst celebrating this special festive season and inner calm to ensuring effective and fun self leadership and leadership of others in 2018.  May all your goals and resolutions be achieved with ease.

  • The Connection Between Leadership, Relationships & Burnout

    This blog was born from a conversation held recently with a new client.  This client came for a herbal medicine and naturopathy consultation.  Through asking several questions, it became clear that this client was very close to or was already suffering adrenal “burn out” due to stress.

    The connection between leadership, relationships & burnoutIn our conversation she mentioned that she works as a care assistant looking after others, sometimes in the care centre itself and sometimes by going on home visits.  In other words, she spends her day giving to others, including kindness, simple The values of your organisation has a tremendous impact on your working relationships, which then impacts how likely you are to experience burnout.medical attention and companionship to help them feel the warmth of another human being, to be a part of life, as well as wanted and loved.

    How is it possible that someone who spends her time giving care to others misses out on any care herself?

    This is the old adage of “the mechanic fixes everyone else’s car first and his car last?”  In other words, his car seldom gets any mechanical attention.  Giving to others means that our own resources need to be full up all the time to ensure we avoid draining our tank leading to constant tiredness, lack of energy and eventually physical and mental ill health.

    As part of this conversation, the client muttered under her breath that “no one gives her any care”, further adding that she is holding up various members of her own family for one of other reason.  From my point of view, this situation begs many questions, each of which are addressed below:

    WHAT ARE THE VALUES OF THE ORGANISATION? 

    It seems rather strange that an organisation that makes its money from giving care, does not consider care, kindness, wellbeing and health of its own employees, firstly through the organisation values and secondly in processes and procedures to support the mental and physical wellbeing of the “golden goose”. In other words, the very people that the organisation earns money through via the charged service they provide.

    HOW CAN AN ORGANISATION CREATE ITS LIVELIHOOD THROUGH CARING FOR OTHERS AND NOT DO THE SAME FOR THEIR OWN EMPLOYEES? 

    The answer to this question also links to the values of the organisation.  Overall it sounds very much like there are double standards, one for external clients who pay for the service and the other for internal clients, those that work in the organisation providing care.

    KNOWING THE DIFFICULTIES AND DAILY STRESSES OF WORKING IN HEALTHCARE HOW CAN THE MANAGERS AND LEADERS FROM THE TOP DOWN NOT PAY ATTENTION TO THE CARE NEEDS OF ITS OWN PEOPLE?

    The ability to interact, feel and sense how each and every one of his or her team is doing is vital in any organisation to be able to add value to each and every employee, so that they in turn can add value to their customers through enjoyment of what they do.  This means developing relationships with each and every person in your team to know what is going on with them.  The ability to hear what is different from the norm, to “see” their behaviour through a direct sense, which might be referred to as intuition or sixth sense.  In “Why Should Anyone Be Led By You?”  By Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones they refer to this sixth sense as  “Situation sensing”.  In order to be effective at situation sensing Goffee and Jones explain that leaders need to have observational and cognitive skills to interpret what is happening around them, for example low morale, complacency that needs challenging and weak data. In the case of this lady, the fact that she is struggling and needs support with all the responsibilities that she is carrying.

    HOW IS THE LACK OF CARE AND ATTENTION TO MENTAL AND PHYSICAL WELLBEING OF PERSONNEL LIKELY IMPACTING THE ORGANISATION? 

    Of course, I can only make some educated guesses here, but with one member of the team coming to see me to address her lack of energy, erratic and at best very weak digestive system, poor sleep and severe lack of joy in her life, is likely a reflection of other employees who perform the same or similar roles to her.  Unproductive – simply going through the motions of her job, failing to see the needs of her clients, putting both the client and the company reputation in vulnerable positions.  Lack of patience and tolerance with those clients that are more challenging, lack of patience and tolerance with herself, inability to focus and operating by auto pilot, all of which combine together and ultimately result in inevitably taking sick leave.

    21.2 days is the average number of days lost to mental ill health in the UK (HSE.gov), including anxiety, depression and stress when a person files for sick leave.  What is more cost effective, taking care of your personnel to provide an environment, working practices and leadership that supports each and every person in doing a good job for both themselves and the organisation, or ignoring the signs of stress, anxiety, fatigue and  lack of joy, potentially leading to mental or physical burnout?

    A case through the eyes of a departed duty manager:  A small, privately owned hotel situated about 10 miles out of London in a very pretty town on the river Thames.  As the majority of the personnel, including the duty managers are not local, all are offered accommodation, for a monthly rental fee in the hotel.  The rooms with small ensuite shower are very small with space only for a bed and chair.

    The owner appears unable to give out trust to his team, keeping a close eye on everything and operating with strict rules, irrelevant of how those rules might interfere with providing guests and restaurant customers a good level of service.  For example, staff meals are to be taken at a particular time and if not able to take a break at that time, food cannot be taken away and eaten later.  It should be thrown in the bin!  One duty manager was surprised to find at the end of the month that his salary was less than the contracted amount.  On enquiring as to the reason, was informed that he was not adding the expected level of value and therefore his salary was reduced.  There was no discussion to enquire how things are going, whether he was happy, whether he needed some help to become more effective etc.  The salary was simply cut with no explanation.  Correction of personnel in front of the guest was apparently common-place.  By now I think you have the picture of the kind of manager and leader, we are dealing with?  Situation sensing is not a part of his skill set.

    WHAT IS THE LIKELY RESULT OF THIS LEADERSHIP APPROACH?

    After three months the duty manager on finding another job, where he felt he can add value and be recognised in return for that, left the hotel giving the contractual one week’s notice.

    Another duty manager in the same hotel, simply did not come in for his early morning shift.  Without a word he left the hotel and has to this point not returned.  His mother did however inform the hotel that he had found another job and would not be returning.  Reading between the lines, it is likely that the atmosphere and behaviour of the owner drove him to leave, giving no second thought to employment procedures and rules, not caring about the salary that he might be due, rather valuing his self-respect, knowledge, skills and freedom more highly than his previous employer did?

    WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF THIS STYLE OF MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP ON HEALTH, WELLBEING AND THE BUSINESS?

    It is difficult to find the right balance in any leadership role between over control and the appropriate level of control.   To give out trust, but at the same time not over trust, to build meaningful relations with each and every team member and to support as needed but not do their jobs for them.  This cannot be done by being too distant, or by being too close.  In each and every case it is about assessing the individual, knowing them well and recognising when things are out of balance and consequently going in the wrong direction, for either one or both parties.

    In both the illustrated hotel cases, these individuals found a way out before affecting their personal wellbeing. What about the lady who is on adrenal burnout, the one who is supporting most of her family members and has no resources left in her tank to even contemplate changing jobs?

     

    To learn how we can help you and your organisation, email Rachel directly at rachel@greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com 

     

    References:

    Why should anyone be led by you?  Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones

    https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/dayslost.htm

     

    Rachel ShackletonRachel Shackleton is an entrepreneur who owns and manages Green Key Personal Development and Green Key Health. Working with local and multinational organisations, she is a public speaker and trainer in the spheres of leadership, communication and customer excellence. She ensures sustainable productivity and profitability through healthy self-management and leadership practices, ensuring a focused and successful workforce.

  • Suffering from work-related stress? You are not alone!

    According to research nearly half a million people in the UK have work-related stress that is making them ill, resulting in sick leave and absenteeism.  It is estimated that 12 million working days are lost each year in the UK due to stress-related illness. (HSE.gov.co.uk)

    WHAT IS STRESS?

    The dictionary defines stress as “ a forcibly exerted influence usually causing distress or strain.”    In short stress is any factor, positive or negative that requires a response or change. Medical research recognizes that chronic ongoing stress can lead to illness, aggravate existing disease conditions and accelerate aging.  Common stressors include most aspects of life in the Western world – work related, financial, emotional and environmental, as well as nutritional factors.

    The concept of job stress is often confused with challenge. Clearly these concepts are not the same.  Challenge, if at the appropriate level, energizes both psychologically and physically.  It motivates to learn new skills and master new and more challenging job roles. When a challenge is met, we feel relaxed and satisfied, proud and perhaps even excited about what has been achieved.

    When does a challenge become stressful?  Either when the goal cannot be achieved because it looks and feels overwhelming or when demands cannot be met, due to capability and or lack of necessary resources.  Very quickly the situation can change from focused and motivated to exhaustion from trying, and the sense of ability to accomplish has turned into feelings of stress.

    WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF STRESS?

    What are the symptoms of stress?Stress doesn’t just lead to workplace absenteeism, is can cause illness in many forms. Read this blog to learn the symptoms of stress, early warning signs, and what you can do to offset stress. #stress

    Early symptoms include tiredness and lack of energy, tension headaches, and poor sleep, and even dizziness, stomach tension and diarrhoea.  When stress becomes more ingrained and bordering on or causing adrenal exhaustion, these symptoms are still evident, but stronger and more constant, and are often joined by other symptom including, sweaty hands and feet, insomnia, circulating thoughts, nightmares, inability to get back to sleep, mood swings, anxiety attacks, stomach pains, heart burn and palpitations, depression and if that’s not enough – a permanent feeling of being exhausted all the time. 

    IS STRESS MAKING YOU SICK?

    Is stress making you sick?Stress doesn’t just lead to workplace absenteeism, is can cause illness in many forms. Read this blog to learn the symptoms of stress, early warning signs, and what you can do to offset stress.

    Subjecting the body to constant stress means the fight and flight system is no longer able to turn off.  In other words your body is in a constant state of alert, whether there is danger or not.    Stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol are released which sends blood to the areas of the body that most need it including the heart and muscles in order to get you away from the immediate danger.  When the perceived fear has gone, the hypothalamus should tell the system to go back to normal, but when constantly under stress this system becomes incapable of regulation resulting in cortisol flooding the system causing the many symptoms mentioned.

    Stress doesn’t just lead to workplace absenteeism, is can cause illness in many forms. Read this blog to learn the symptoms of stress, early warning signs, and what you can do to offset stress.

    Some helpful tips for managing the body’s reaction in the early stages of stressSOME HELPFUL TIPS FOR MANAGING THE BODY’S REACTION IN THE EARLY STAGES OF STRESS:

    • Practice good sleep hygiene  – be in bed by 10.30pm
    • Make your bedroom a “no zone” for electronic devices
    • Stop using all electronic devices at least an hour before bed in order to calm the brain.  Read, meditate, take a warm bath with calming essential oils or simply share time with your family instead
    • Vigorous exercise to be completed a minimum of 2 hours before going to bed
    • Allow two hours for digestion of your last meal before going to bed.
    • Drink calming tea such as Lime Blossom, Chamomile, Lemon Melissa and or Lavender before retiring 

     

    Rachel ShackletonRachel Shackleton is an entrepreneur who owns and manages Green Key Personal Development and Green Key Health. Working with local and multinational organisations, she is a public speaker and trainer in the spheres of leadership, communication and customer excellence. She ensures sustainable productivity and profitability through healthy self-management and leadership practices, ensuring a focused and successful workforce.