As HR managers and professionals, there is a current imperative to manage these difficult times where many companies are suffering financial losses or greater struggles than before. One of the human consequences is the increase in stress on those left behind, following redundancies or restructuring. Here is some helpful and practical advice for individuals, from Jenny Wells, Clinical Director of TELL Community Counseling Service. This is timely advice for individuals suffering from stress but equally applies to managers and HR professionals keen to understand their experience and how to support them.

Everyone feels stressed at some point in their life. It is a normal part of our day to day living. If we didn’t feel stress, then we wouldn’t achieve anything. However, at times, we can feel stressed to the point that it is overwhelming.

What is Stress?

The feeling of stress is the body’s response to any demands or pressure; these are called “stressors.” When we experience these stressors, our body reacts with chemical, cognitive and emotional responses. These responses are called the “symptoms” of stress. If you feel stressed, you will probably not notice all of these symptoms. It is important that you think about YOUR normal level of functioning, and when you are stressed, how does this differ? If you usually sleep a lot and eat very little, then this does not necessarily mean you are stressed. Look for differences in the way you are. Are you having a difficult time at home or at work? Do you feel different? Do other people around you notice differences? Are people asking you if you are OK? When we feel stressed, we may not be the first people to notice how much it affects us.

Stress Prevention in the Work Place

There is little doubt among mental health practitioners that prevention is as important as intervention. However, we normally react to a problem, rather than being proactive to prevent a problem happening. So, what can we do to try and prevent stress having a significant impact on our lives? Many professionals use the term “work-life balance.” What this essentially describes is the balance that an individual has between their work and life outside of work. Current thinking is that, in our busy lives, our life outside of work should be just as important as our work life. For many people, this often seems too difficult to achieve. However, there are some small steps that can assist in reducing the possibility of stress, as well as improving the work-life balance.

Put into place some simple stress-beating rules to your working day. Always take a lunch break (this does not include lunch meetings!) and plan your week so all your big events are not next to each other. An instant cause of stress can be a quick glance in your diary only to see you have 5 difficult meetings all on one day. Importantly, use the weekend to relax. Don’t fall into the “I can get some real work done at home this weekend” routine. Included in this need to relax should be regular holidays; even if you don’t get much holiday time, take some long weekends.

HR professionals and managers can get involved in ensuring that some balance exists in the workplace; certainly it is understood that we live in competitive times and demands are high, but if the cost is to lose most or even some of our workforce, is it worth it?

Lead by example. What can I do when I feel stressed?

All professionals agree, the earlier the intervention, the better. One of the first steps of being able to intervene when you need to, is to learn what your stress signals are – what happens to you when you feel stressed? Being alert to these and being able to pick up on them early on will help you manage your stress effectively. This will help you recognize the need for action. Once you can say, “I am feeling stressed,” you can then decide on some stress management strategies. As HR managers, are you doing all you can to make others aware of the signs and how to manage their work-life balance? These guidelines are a useful reminder.

Below are some suggestions. You should assess what works for you. Do not feel afraid to ask for help from friends, family, or professionals. Being able to talk through your stressful experience can really help you work out what strategies are right for you. Don’t dismiss any suggestions; try everything and evaluate whether it worked for you. Stress can take control of you, and strategies help you regain the important feeling of strength and resilience.

When to offer support to others?

This is a difficult choice. People have busy and stressful lives and there still exists a stigma that if you ask for help, you are somehow weak or vulnerable.

This is where managers and HR professionals can be a great support: make it OK to seek help, see it as a sign of strength. After all, you would encourage staff members to go to the doctors if they had a bad cold.

At TELL, we always promote healthy choices; one choice is to ask for help. Counseling does not have to be long-term; in fact, being able to talk through the issues with a counselor can help people feel a relief from the stressful situation. Counseling can assist in looking at the stresses in your life and working through ways in which it manage this stress, in order to reduce its impact on your life. Remember it is always better to seek advice and help earlier, rather than later.

If you would like more information about counseling options, please call TELL Community Counseling Service on 03 3498 0231. If you would like to enquire about our Stress Less Workshop which is very popular within the business community or to ask about any other workshops on Stress, please send an email to: clinical.direct@telljp.com.

In addition, if you or anyone you know would like to speak in confidence to an English- speaking person, Tokyo English Life Line is open each day from 9am to 11pm (03 5774 0992).

For HR professionals, 2009 is shaping up to be a year that can be best summarized by The 3 Cs (change, chance and calculation) and The 3 As (attitude, activity and “A-class”).

The 3 Cs

Change

As businesses respond to the challenges brought on by the current economic climate, the positions that companies need to fill in order to grow and prosper will also change to include new focus areas such as Distressed Assets, Facility Management, Infrastructure, New Media, Informatics and Revenue.

These new focus areas will bring with them the need to define roles that might previously never have existed, recruiting new kinds of people in entirely new ways.

Chance

The quantity and quality of people actively looking for work as a result of layoffs at other firms are going to increase, bringing more great candidates out into the open for you to choose from as well as others who were previously out of your reach.

Can your company really miss the chance not to hire from the high quality talent pool that 2009 promises?

Calculation

Everything has a price, every hire you make and every one you don’t make too. Recruiting decisions have to be justified, with “Return On Investment” crucial and every single recruiting activity providing a positive return on investment.

2009 is the year, more than any other, when HR professionals will have to learn the language of CFOs and risk managers.

The 3 As

Attitude

You have to stay positive and maintain a can-do attitude. Confidence, strength of purpose and staying focused are absolutely vital. Change isn’t pretty, but it’s a reality and those who cope with it best come out on top.

Accept that there will be times of confusion and uncertainty; stay positive and you’ll keep your head while other companies are losing theirs.

Activity

Don’t just keep busy, double your activity because 2009 is going to be a time for action and by that I am not encouraging anyone to chase lost causes. Far from it.

Increasing your activity means getting organized, setting priorities, and not letting distractions manage your day. Recruiting activities should be still driving the company forward in new ways and in new directions toward growth and prosperity.

A-class

Only the best will do — 2009 is not going to be business as usual and you are going to have to be on top of all aspects of recruiting.

Tough decisions will need to be made during tough times. With the need to justify all activity, you’ll need to analyze everything closely, get creative and perhaps lose some of that over-reliance on outside agencies.