Business Performance Perspectives Newsletter: April 2010
Well Being
This month I have been thinking a lot about the link between increased stress and the increase in bad manners in the workplace. Bad etiquette in the workplace can have a detrimental impact on colleague and client relationships.
If we are treating colleagues and clients well, there is a payoff in terms of business.
The results of our latest survey show that;
99% of people would take action if they were treated well by a business:
- 50% of people would mention their positive experience to others
- 29% would refer others to a business that has treated them well
- 20% would go out of their way to do business with a company that has treated them well
Having respect and consideration for yourself and for others is good for business. Further detail on the survey can be found here.
In this issue:
- Everywhere I look at the moment, the themes of building well being and resilience in the workplace are appearing. Clients are looking into stress management and wellbeing programmes and promoting fitness and health.
So why should companies bother? The reason that wellbeing is important in work is that well employees will perform better than unhealthy employees. When we are calm we get on with others better and are more productive.
Manners are an integral part of the way that we interact with others in life and work.
According to Dr P.M Forni "The word manner comes from manus, the Latin word for hand. Thus, manners are ways of handling. We exhibit good manners when we handle well our daily encounters with others - when we handle others, that is, with care and consideration. As relational skills based on empathy, good manners prove crucial when it comes to establishing and maintaining connection and rapport".
When we are under pressure, the pressure can translate sometimes into increased anxiety leading to bad manners and an interruption to the normal way that we interact with colleagues and clients.
Everyone has off days but when the off days start to outnumber the good days, then we need to do something about it.
If there is one thing that you can change today to make your life easier what is it?
I have adopted a number of stress reducing habits since the beginning of the year that are beginning to reap benefits in terms of my well being. I hope that you find them of use:
1. Back to basics
In good business etiquette, we should all be returning work calls and emails within the working day. When I am under pressure I tend to put things on the long finger. The first thing to getting back on track is by managing the to-do list and returning calls and emails by close of business each day. This means that the call-back list doesn't get to a stage where it is overwhelming.
2. Listen to your body and be kind to yourself
We all have different signals that tell us that we are reaching our breaking points. For some it is a headache or lack of appetite, for others it is insomnia. These signs are wake up calls for you to curtail whatever it is that is causing the stress. Sometimes we are not aware of what the exact cause of stress is. The first step is to ask yourself the question "what is the real cause of my current anxiety?" and then to do something about it.
3. Invest in your health plan
We all know what we should be doing to help ourselves. In summary, exercise moderately, eat small nutritious meals each day, drink eight glasses of still water per day and try to get about seven hours sleep each night. Sometimes when under pressure we forget about the good diet, exercise, sleep or water intake. Simply by getting back on track with these simple things can improve our wellbeing and mood in a few days.
4. Update your coping skills and seek help
Each of us copes differently with stress. As our circumstances change, what worked for us before might not work any more. If you need to talk to someone, talk to a good friend, counsellor or business coach. Another coping mechanism is to keep a journal just to write about whatever it is that is worrying us. Try talking, writing, running, doing yoga or any new activity to get movement on the anxiety and to get rid of it.
5. Only worry about the things that you can control
This sounds simple but we can only do something about the things that are within our control. All of us worry about scenarios that might never happen. This is a waste of our energy. Try to capture the things that are within your control and work on those things.
6. Linking with positive people
When we are under pressure is it common to retreat into ourselves and put on hold meeting up with friends and colleagues. As social creatures we need social interaction. One of the key things that I do every day is meet a friend for breakfast, lunch or a walk after work. I find that spending time each day with positive people really has a good impact on how I feel.
7. Celebrate what is working
All of the tips above are looking at fixing things that are not working at the moment. The starting point for all of us should be celebrating what is working now. Be positive about the things that you have achieved in the last year. Make a list of things that you have done and reflect on it. This will be a great starting point for making some small new changes to your working life.
After all is said and done, the most important advice that I have been given is to know myself. What is a stress for me can be a motivator for others. Once you are aware of what makes you happy and what makes you anxious then you can set about changing it. By being yourself and understanding your individual needs, you will stay in control of the stressors and give yourself more energy, motivation and time.
When you are being yourself, your interpersonal relationships with colleagues and clients will improve and will have a beneficial impact on your professional work.
WXN
I will be doing a webinar for WXN on Wednesday the 19th of May on Business Etiquette. To register free for the webinar please click here.
Step One: Well Being in Work
I am working with two colleagues on a well being in work programme that is launching in May. Our one day programme is all about you as an individual. We provide you with the space, thinking time and tools to increase your energy levels and fulfilment:
- Help you make sense of and focus on your current reality
- Raise awareness about your daily challenges
- Explore solutions to the challenges
- Build a roadmap to improve your own wellbeing, health and enjoyment of life.
- Focus on practical changes to enable really make change
- Increased confidence and ability to take effective action
- You will leave with reduced stress levels, increased well being and a renewed energy
For more details on the programme please email me on pamela@pamelafay.ie
Feedback
I would be delighted to receive your feedback on any aspect of this e-zine. Please email Business Performance Perspectives on info@pamelafay.ie.
Copyright © Business Performance Perspectives Ltd. All Rights Reserved.