Control Stress by Caring for Famiies

Workplace stress takes its toll on employees just like combat and training stress take a toll on soldiers. Businesses can use the same stress control techniques as the military finds successful for soldiers in these high pressure situations.

The stress triggers of combat seem obvious, but to the uninitiated, it is difficult to explain just how stressful things can be for soldiers in the peacetime training and unit maintenance environment.

When soldiers get ready for battle, stress control is so important that trained stress specialists consult with commanders to monitor and control stress levels for both soldiers and their families.

Knowing that family members are well cared for is a big relief for combat soldiers, so every unit is charged with establishing family support groups to help with every concern.

These efforts help control stress among deployed soldiers and help families deal with their soldier’s absence.

Can you identify three things your company can do to help families during the high-stress periods in your organization? You can use this to help control stress among your highly productive, dedicated employees.

Can You Hear the Roar of Cannons?

Is your corporate environment like that of soldiers preparing for battle? Are office-place stress levels pushing the max?

The stress found in military units isn't usually as dramatic as that of recruits facing drill sergeants, but the continued training, equipment maintenance, record keeping, and readiness inspections keep stress at very high levels in the military.

Even when war seems unlikely, soldiers continually prepare for wartime. Every unit trains for and is constantly evaluated on their combat readiness. Maybe your company is like this - always pushing the competition, always preparing a response to hold onto market share.

Throughout the year, combat units practice for and are tested on their individual and unit skills at all levels -- squad, platoon, company, and battalion.

The combat-like training prepares soldiers for battle. Tanks roll across difficult terrain and fire their cannons in simulated combat.

Pilots are challenged with real and simulated operations in support of ground forces. Artillery troops prepare their big guns and practice both live fire and the maneuvers required to keep up with the forward units.

Soldiers have very little time to relax properly, and families feel the strain of Army life in the soldiers' long work hours and frequent absences. You've probably seen this same type strain in your company with families wondering whether life will ever slow down, whether parents will ever get a break from the high pressure of corporate demands.

Corporate leders can identify with the soldiers' plight. Few businesses experience the roar of cannon fire, but almost every corporate manager has known the stress of demanding business conditions and the roar of a dissatisfied boss.

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Any Such Thing as Positive Stress?

When new soldiers arrive for basic training, they are met by drill sergeants who are specialists at increasing stress.

The stern orders and directives might seem like harassment to the poor teenagers who seem unable to do anything right. No matter how hard they try, it is never good enough.

The high stress, however, is intentional and part of the training. While there might be some negative reactions, the purpose is to help these soldiers achiever far more than they would ever expect.

Drill sergeants know when to coach, when to instruct, when to raise the temperature, and when to use compassion to relieve the stress.

By the time the recruits graduate from basic training, they admire and respect these tyrants who manipulate the recruits' stress to help them achieve.

Stress can have positive results, especially if it is intentionally structured to reach difficult goals. If you're going to use stress in this way, be sure you know how to turn it off or the approach can backfire and you'll lose your valuable front line employees.

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Tough Questions about Workplace Stress

Mission readiness is just as great across corporate America as it is in the military.

The bottom-line costs in terms of net profits, missed opportunities, and personnel turmoil are good enough reasons to emphasize stress control, and proper stress control can contribute to business growth and job security for everyone involved.

If you want to fulfill your own responsibilities as a leader, you'll want to ask some tough questions about your own organization:

1. Are there stressful situations in your organization that need attention?
2. Are some people pushed too hard by corporate demands, family situations, or medical problems?
3. Are some people unaware of the seriousness of their situation, and do they need professional attention?
4. Will your company pay a price for not attending to these individual stre3ss cases, or will it improve by giving attention to the stressors that affect each employee?

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Dictatorial Bosses Demand More & Get Less

Corporate leaders and managers sometimes try to manage the stressed people by using increased demands and closer supervision. Instead, they should use stress-reducing techniques to manage the stressors.

It's important to manage employees and to help them understand how to manage their individual stress, but if you're interested in maximizing your company's productivity, you'll also want to learn how leaders and managers can take part in the improvement.

While the demanding remedies of dictatorial managers might get short-term improvement from stressed employees, such relief is usually only temporary. The increased urgency and focus on details typically generates even more stress, and the problems shift from slight distractions, such as back pain, headaches, and inattention, to more drastic reactions such as absenteeism and medical problems, both good indicators that stress levels need attention.

What changes can be made in your company to alleviate unnecessary stressors?

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Causes of Stress

Popular opinion says that today's changes in workplace technology, culture, and business management crate far more stress for workers than in times past.

Just as stress control is a military leadership responsibility, the same applies in corporate leadership. The better that leaders control stress among their people, the better the people will accomplish their mission.

Severe Stress Reactions

Impulsive reactions such as road rage are a reflection of stress-filled lives. Sometimes, people manifesting many of these symptoms are considered to be simply difficult personalities, but the difficult part of their personality might actually be prompted by high stress on the job or away from the workplace.

Is anyone in your office displaying symptoms like these -- taken from the US Army FM 22-51 - Leaders' Manual for Combat Stress Control

1. Argumentative nature
2. Reckless action
3. Indifference to danger
4. Memory loss
5. Physical exhaustion
6. Insomnia
7. Rapid emotional shifts
8. Apathy
9. Constant moving around
10. Rapid or inappropriate talk

Another 16 symptoms appear in the Army's list of severe stress reactions, including stuttering, mumbling, crying, social withdrawal, and frantic or strange behavior.

Employees who experience these severe stress reactions need some immediate relief. Some people won't realize that their stress level is out of control, and they might even deny the need to take action. Tolerating employees who exhibit severe stress reactions isn't doing them a favor.

Nor does allowing stress-filled situations to continue help the company. Leaders are responsible for both the detection of these severe stress reactions and for bringing the stress levels back to normal. More on this in future blogs.

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