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Survey: Three-in-Four Workers Suffer Stress on the job.

Stress - NIOSHA

12 Signs You're About to be Fired

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SURVEY: THREE-IN FOUR WORKERS SUFFER STRESS ON THE JOB
Permission to reprint granted by CareerBuilder.com.

Survey: Three-in-Four Workers Suffer Stress on the Job - 10 Ways to Beat It
by Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources for CareerBuilder.com

Workers are feeling frazzled at work, thanks to a culture of heavy workloads, longer schedules, less time spent at home and fewer vacation days. More than half of workers said they work under a great deal of stress, and 77 percent said they feel burnout on the job, according to a nationwide survey by CareerBuilder.com.

What's the culprit? Workers most often blame colleagues for their office anxiety, with 16 percent citing difficult coworkers as their primary cause of stress at work. Other top workplace stresses included:

* Unrealistic workload (15 percent)
* Tight deadlines (11 percent)
* Last-minute projects (10 percent)
* Overbearing or interfering boss (9 percent)

High-pressure work environments are taking their toll on workers' morale. Twenty-three percent of workers say they frequently or constantly feel burnout at work. This can be detrimental to both workers, whose health and career progress may suffer, and employers, who pick up the tab in higher insurance costs and lost productivity.

Your job performance isn't the only thing hurting. Stress and burnout can affect your immune system and has been linked to migraines, digestive disorders, skin diseases, high blood pressure and heart disease. It causes emotional distress as well.

Here are some signs you're cracking under work's pressure:

* Your coworkers are walking on eggshells around you.
* You come in late and want to leave earlier.
* Apathy has replaced enthusiasm.
* You've lost camaraderie with coworkers.
* You're feeling physically sick.

If you recognize these signs or feel overwhelmed by work, here are some ways to ease the pain:

Organize and prioritize.
Tackle the more difficult and important tasks first each day to ensure you have time to complete them. Before you leave work, take a few minutes to clean up your workspace and create the next day's to-do list.

Manage expectations.
Set reasonable short-term and long-term goals for yourself. When promising work to others, underpromise and overdeliver to prevent deadline crunches.

Put down the "Crackberry."
Set aside a certain period each day devoted to returning e-mail and voicemail messages. That way, you won't be constantly interrupted.

Don't neglect your health.
Getting plenty of sleep, drinking water, eating nutritiously and getting exercise will help you feel in control and do wonders for your mood.

Identify the culprit.
What's causing the most stress in your life? Deadlines at work? Trying to fulfill both work and household responsibilities? Pinpointing the source of your stress is the first step to combating it.

Don't sweat the small stuff.
Recognize what you can and cannot change. You're already tense. You'll make yourself crazier rushing for that 5:35 p.m. train -- simply catch the next train and save yourself some grief.

Lose those unrealistic expectations.
You're not Superman or Wonder Woman -- so don't try to be. Setting unrealistic goals only dooms you to failure, which fuels your stress levels. Try splitting a larger, seemingly insurmountable goal into smaller, more reachable targets.

Have some downtime.
Regularly scheduled breaks give you a chance to rejuvenate physically, emotionally and mentally. So take a moment to get up and stretch, stare out the window or go for a short walk.

Delegate.
Don't try to be a hero. Effective managers delegate and don't micro-manage At home, hire someone to help with household chores or get your spouse and children to pitch in.

Eliminate distractions.
If you're under an extreme deadline, close your office door and let your phone calls go to voicemail to deter interruptions. You're more likely to finish a project on time and be less harried if you focus all your attention on completing the task.

Rosemary Haefner is the Vice President of Human Resources for CareerBuilder.com. She is an expert in recruitment trends and tactics, job seeker behavior, workplace issues, employee attitudes and HR initiatives.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY & HEALTH (NIOSH)

The National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health is the Federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the preservation of work-related illness and injury. NIOSH is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; it is distinct from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), which is a regulatory agency located in the U. S. Department of Labor.

What Workers Say About Stress on the Job

The concept of job stress is often confused with challenge, but these concepts are not the same. Challenge energizes us psychologically and physically, and it motivates us to learn new skills and master our jobs. When a challenge is met, we feel relaxed and satisfied. Thus, challenge is an important ingredient for healthy and productive work. The importance of challenge in our work lives is probably what people are referring to when they say "a little bit of stress is good for you. But when job demands cannot be met, challenge becomes stress, and satisfaction becomes exhaustion. Job stress can turn into harmful physical and emotional responses.

*Problems at work are more strongly associated with health complaints than are any other life stressor-more so than even financial problems or family problems.
-St. Paul Fire and Marine Innsuance Co.

Job Conditions That May Lead to Stress

* The Design of Tasks. Heavy workload, infrequent rest breaks, long work hours and shift work; hectic and routine tasks that have little inherent meaning, do not utilize workers' skills, and provide little sense of control.

Example: David works to the point of exhaustion. Mary is tied to the computer, allowing little room for flexibility, self-initiative, or rest.

* Management Style. Lack of participation by workers in decision- making, poor communication in the organization, lack of family-friendly policies.

Example: Mary needs to get the boss's approval for everything, and the company is insensitive to her family needs.

* Interpersonal Relationships. Poor social environment and lack of support or help from coworkers and supervisors.

Example: Mary's physical isolation reduces her opportunities to interact with other workers or receive help from them.

* Work Roles. Conflicting or uncertain job expectations, too much responsibility, too many "hats to wear."

Example: Mary is often caught in a difficult situation trying to satisfy both the customer's needs and the company's expectations.

* Career Concerns. Job insecurity and lack of opportunity for growth, advancement, or promotion; rapid changes for which workers are unprepared.

Example: Since the reorganization at David's plant, everyone is worried about their future with the company and what will happen next.

* Environmental Conditions. Unpleasant or dangerous physical conditions such as crowding, noise, air pollution, or ergonomic problems.

Example: David is exposed to constant noise at work.

Is this how your enterprise operates? If so, why? What are you doing to change this model inside of your organization?

We can make the difference. This is what we do.

12 SIGNS YOU'RE ABOUT TO BE FIRED
Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com Editor

Permission to reprint granted by CareerBuilder.com.

Think a pink slip could be headed in your direction? Most people who are let go know their time is up or (in retrospect) say they should have seen it coming. While there are no sure signs of professional apocalypse, here are 12 clues your job may be in peril:

1. You're Out of the Loop.
You no longer get advanced notice of company news or reports; and you seem to be losing your voice in organizational matters. You are not copied on memos you normally receive or invited to meetings you usually attend.

2. Your Boss Has an Eye on You.
You feel as if you're being scrutinized more closely and that your boss no longer trusts you. Your decisions are constantly questioned, your expense reports put under a microscope, and you have less latitude to work independently.

3. You're Getting the Siberia Treatment.
You used to know all the scoop -- be it business or social in nature. Now your coworkers avoid you and the last conversation you had with your superiors was a lame attempt at pleasant banter.

4. You Had a Bad Review.
You received a poor performance rating and a disproportionate amount of negative feedback. If you received a warning or were given a "performance improvement plan," it's really time to start packing!

5. Your Superior is Leaving Paper Trails.
Your boss communicates with you predominately in writing. You receive memos pointing out errors, criticizing your performance and confirming any meetings or discussions the two of you have had.

6. You and Your Boss Are Not Getting Along.
Corporate management will swear it's not personal, yet many downsizings are actually ways to get rid of unpopular or "black-listed" employees. Performance is a subjective judgment and managers are more likely to get rid of people they don't like.

7. Your Mentor is Gone.
The executive who always championed you has left the company or been rendered powerless.

8. You Publicly Messed Up.
You made a blatant error that embarrassed your boss or made the company look bad. Or, you're part of a team that goofed up and they need a scapegoat.

9. New Blood Has Taken Over.
Your company is about to merge, be acquired or undergo reorganization and your leader suddenly disappears. New hires have become the wave of the future and they've been given the directive to "shake things up."

10. You're Being Set Up to Fail.
You've been assigned to an undesirable territory or given impossible tasks with unrealistic deadlines and little support.

11. You've Been Stripped of Your Duties.
You've been asked to compile a report of all your ongoing projects and pushed hard to finish one or two specific projects. Or, you've been relieved of your core duties so that you can work on meaningless "special projects." You are encouraged not to do your usual long-term planning.

12. You're Hearing Rumors.
If you're hearing rumors of your demise, take heed: Where there's smoke, there's fire!

At one point or another we're all vulnerable to the proverbial corporate ax. Don't live in denial. If you recognize more than one of these signs, it's time to look for greener pastures and take steps to reverse your fate.

Kate Lorenz is the article and advice editor for CareerBuilder.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

10 Ways to Beat It
Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources for CareerBuilder.com

* Unrealistic workload (15 percent)
* Tight deadlines (11 percent)
* Last-minute projects (10 percent)
* Overbearing or interfering boss (9 percent)

Here are some signs you're cracking under work's pressure:

If you recognize these signs or feel overwhelmed by work, here are some ways to ease the pain:

Manage expectations.
Set reasonable short-term and long-term goals for yourself. When promising work to others, underpromise and overdeliver to prevent deadline crunches.

Put down the "Crackberry."
Set aside a certain period each day devoted to returning e-mails and voicemail messages. That way, you won't be constantly interrupted.

Don't neglect your health.
Getting plenty of sleep, drinking water, eating nutritiously and getting exercise will help you feel in control and do wonders for your mood.

Delegate.
Don't try to be a hero. Effective managers delegate and don't micromanage. At home, hire someone to help with household chores or get your spouse and children to pitch in.

Transforming Performance Now!