Stress At Work And Six Ways to Handle It

While it’s not a great idea to dwell on problems you can’t do anything about, it’s important to realize that most problems reach the can’t-do-anything-about stage, only because you’ve turned a blind eye. Ignorance is not always bliss.

When you have workplace issues staring you in the face 24/7, you may find a dip in productivity, efficiency, commitment and concentration levels. Which is why it makes sense to take immediate action, when you find yourself in the thick of the following six situations.

1 Bad apples
One bad apple in a team can spoil the entire barrel, suggests new research conducted by William Felps and Terence Mitchell of the University of Washington Business School

Whether it’s the office bully, the lazy Joe/Jane in the next cubicle, the team slacker or the chronic pessimist, a single employee “can seriously damage an entire company”. The study says a “single toxic agent” can be the catalyst for a downward spiral in workplace productivity.

What you can do: People may argue that the positivity of other co-workers could balance out negative vibes, but this doesn’t hold true, apparently.

And ignoring the problem person won’t make him/her vanish into thin air. Take some action, even at the cost of sounding like the office snitch. Your career is at stake too, after all.

2 Unfair boss
Nearly 20% bosses don’t keep their word, more than 25% badmouth their subordinates to co-workers, says a Florida State University study

You’ve probably heard the saying: Employees don’t leave their job or company, they leave their boss. But you don’t realise how true it is, till you’ve been at the receiving end. Poor managers create problems for companies too, leading to poor morale, less production and higher turnover.

Their “victims” report more exhaustion, job tension, nervousness, mood swings and mistrust. They are also less likely to take on additional tasks, such as working longer or on weekends, and are generally less satisfied with their job.

What you can do: Most organisations hold anonymous feedback sessions; give vent. You could also approach your boss’ boss; take sufficient proof along. And if all fails,consider putting in your papers. No job is worth emotional torture and political games.

3 No-Time Syndrome
55% employees say they don’t have enough time for themselves, 63% don’t have enough time for their spouses or partners, and 67% don’t have enough time for their children,says a new US survey

Clocking in never-ending hours is part and parcel of most jobs. But as the months go by, you realise that the only “life” you’re left with revolves is the one at the workplace.

What you can do: Something — anything — before it’s too late. Take up the issue with your department head, probably with a few colleagues who feel time-drained too.

Determine if your team is short-staffed, or if there’s an unfair load on you. Don’t take on another employee’s work (in part or whole) just because you’ve been made to believe that you are much better at it.

4 Techie stress
Nearly 50% employees believe technology increases stress, the US-based Kensington Stress & Technology in the Workplace Survey reveals

Also, 51% report that the possibility of losing documents due to computer crashes causes them “a lot of, or some, stress”. The demands of email and voice mail have also contributed to an overall increase in stress in the last year.

But the study concludes that technology is a double-edged sword. It reveals that 55% workers felt more productive at work, when compared to the last year.

What you can do: Ask yourself if you have made yourself more dependent on machines, than you ought to have. Don’t spend hours gazing at documents on your computer screen; do your eyes a favour and hit “Print”. Also determine if can do with a little less email dependency.

5 Burnout
Fast pace of work, role conflicts, lack of role clarity, emotional demands, and the need to mask emotions at work — have been recently reported as unidentified causes of burnout

Research conducted by the National Institute of Occupational Health, Denmark, measures burnout according to three scales, reflecting different domains of life and of job content: personal, work-related and client-related burnout.

Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) is used to measure burnout, by assessing emotional exhaustion, reduced personal accomplishments and depersonalisation.

What you can do: If you aren’t in the mood to get into the how and why of MBI, do the time-honoured thing — just take off. And when you get back to work from your break, start from scratch. Set realistic work targets: spell out what you plan to do now, and stuff that can wait or can be delegated.

6 Sexual harassment
The Supreme Court’s 1997 Vishaka Judgment opened up a discourse on sexual harassment at the workplace, but little has been done to ensure effective resolution of complaints

Women’s organisations, that have been lobbying for a law, say it is ridden with loopholes — it does not cover professionals (only employees), students and those who are part of the unorganised sector. Plus, it does not permit the complainant to talk to the media when the case is on.

What you can do: A new bill is due to be tabled in the Parliament’s summer session, but don’t refrain from taking whatever action you can. Stunned into silence as you may be, react.

Even a strong reaction can be threat enough to the perpetrator. And don’t think you are the only victim; if you chance upon even one person who is sailing in the same boat, consider approaching the top brass.

Source of this article: Mid Day

Construction Update of Burj Dubai, World's Tallest Tower

The World's Tallest Tower scheduled for completion in December 2008 - The Burj Dubai as it looks now...don't miss the last picture! It will be over 800 meters tall when complete (click on photos to see bigger).

Source of these: Possibly www.burjdubaiskyscraper.com

If this post interested you then check out this one also

Five Funny Pictures!

How About Riding This Bike?

Think you got the Guts to Ride This Bike? Let me know...!

Source of these pics: Unknown

Three Corporate Lessons - Surviving Change

This has been doing the rounds in the blogosphere for quite some time, nevertheless I decided to post it… some management lessons...

All of us go through change. Here are three lessons from large corporations to help you survive change

CORPORATE LESSON 1:
A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day.
A small rabbit saw the crow, and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?”
The crow answered: "Sure, why not.”

So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the the crow, and rested.

All of a sudden, a fox appeared,

Jumped on the rabbit... and ate it.

Moral of the Story is:
To be sitting and doing nothing you must be sitting very, very high up.

CORPORATE LESSON 2:
A turkey was chatting with a bull.
"I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree," sighed the turkey, "but I haven't got the energy.”
"Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the bull. They're packed with nutrients."
The turkey pecked at a lump of dung and found that it actually gave him enough strength to reach the first branch of the tree.
The next day, after eating more dung, he reached the second branch.
Finally after a fortnight, there he was proudly perched at the top of the tree
Soon he was spotted by a farmer
Who promptly shot the turkey out of the tree.

Moral of the story is:
Bullshit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.

CORPORATE LESSON 3:
A little bird was flying south for the winter.
It was so cold; the bird froze and fell to the ground in a large field.
While it was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on it.
As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, it began to realise how warm it was. The dung was actually thawing him out!
He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy
A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.
Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him!

The morals of this story are:
1) Not everyone who drops shit on you is your enemy.
2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
3) And when you're in deep shit, keep your mouth shut.

Akrit Jaswal - The Genius Wonder Kid

In February last; Akrit Jaswal; the miracle kid appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show. Akrit is a child prodigy who has been termed a genius right after his birth in 1993. When Oprah asked if he could understand Shakespeare at the mere age of four he answered, "I could understand it. That's why I was reading it".

Years ago, footage emerged from a remote village in India. The video shows a young girl receiving surgery to separate her fingers, which were badly burned and fused together. Why did this operation make headlines around the world? The surgery was performed by a 7-year-old boy named Akrit Jaswal; a teenager from Himachal Pradesh, India .

Now 13 years old, Akrit has an IQ of 146 and is considered the smartest person his age in Indi; a country of more than a billion people. This is an IQ level that beats even that of Albert Einstein. Before Akrit could even speak, his parents say they knew he was special.


"He learned very fast," says Raksha, Akrit's mother. "After learning the alphabet, we started to teach him joining of words, and he started writing as well. He was two." While in class II he cleared exams meant for class V. His mother realized he was special when he would answer graduate level questions.

At an age when most children are learning their ABCs, Akrit was reading Shakespeare and assembling a library of medical textbooks. When he was 5 years old, he enrolled in school. One year later, Akrit was teaching English and math classes.

Akrit developed a passion for science and anatomy at an early age. Doctors at local hospitals took notice and started allowing him to observe surgeries when he was 6 years old. Inspired by what he saw, Akrit read everything he could on the topic. When an impoverished family heard about his amazing abilities, they asked if he would operate on their daughter for free. Her surgery was a success.

After the surgery, Akrit was hailed as a medical genius in India. Neighbors and strangers flocked to him for advice and treatment. At age 11, Akrit was admitted to Punjab University. He's the youngest student ever to attend an Indian university. That same year, he was also invited to London's famed Imperial College to exchange ideas with scientists on the cutting edge of medical research.

Akrit says he has millions of medical ideas, but he's currently focused on developing a cure for cancer. "I've developed a concept called oral gene therapy on the basis of my research and my theories," he says. "I'm quite dedicated towards working on this mechanism."


Growing up, Akrit says he used to see cancer patients lying on the side of the road because they couldn't afford treatment or hospitals had no space for them. Now, he wants to use his intellect to ease their suffering. "[I've been] going to hospitals since the age of 6, so I have seen first hand people suffering from pain," he says. "I get very sad, and so that's the main motive of my passion about medicine, my passion about cancer."

Currently, Akrit is working toward a bachelor's degrees in zoology, botany and chemistry. Someday, he hopes to continue his studies at Harvard University.

However, Akrit’s progress came at a price: frustrated with the perceived lack of support for his gifted son, Akrit’s father became depressed and left the family home some time back, telling him not to get in touch until Akrit had found a cure for cancer. Adored by his self-sacrificing mother and treated as a genius, Akrit has no doubt he will do this. Akrit does not come from a rich family.

Watch out for this boy in the days to come. Looks like a Doogie Howser is in the making.

Here is a small sketch of Akrit in Wikipedia