Conflict
Workplace stress – a health and safety issue
Health and safety – law and mental stress.
Laws tell us that we must keep workers safe and healthy at work, this includes avoiding mental stress. Managers can be proactive in reducing workplace stress through a well organised workplace, and by training themselves and their teams to communicate well when emotions are raised.
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Listening
Mental well-being at work – are you flourishing or languishing
Mental Well-being at Work
Are you flourishing or languishing? According to Shaun Robinson, CEO of the Mental Health Foundation New Zealand, these words are a useful way of determining mental health and wellbeing. Previously, good mental health was simply the absence of mental illness. “This is far too restrictive”, Shaun said at a presentation on World Mental Health Day at Work.
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Conflict
Angry customers – the unseen hazard
On Monday 1st September 2014 an extremely distressed client walked into the Work and Income office in Ashburton, New Zealand, and shot two of the front line workers.
All the staff at that office were working under stress and the client was even more stressed. None of them had the skills to manage his anger over time until he finally cracked and the results were tragic. While the harm done in this situation was clearly visible and extreme, there are many workplaces where the damage from stress is not so
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Conflict
Workplace bullying – even the word causes stress
Workplace bullying is destructive. Some people act in a ‘bullying way’ when they are
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Listening
Personal problems at work cause stress
John Kirwan was one of the most devastating wingers that New Zealand and world rugby had ever seen. A prominent and revered figure at the dawn of the professional age of rugby, he seemed to live a charmed life. But he did have personal problems at work.
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Conflict
Acknowledge the emotion
A man walks into … his manager’s office. His face is red, hands shaking and eyes nearly popping out of his head. He is mad about something! “This new directive is just nonsense!” He roars.
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Management
Step out of the blame game
Marilyn the manager was exasperated.
“If we can’t blame people for screwing things up how are we ever going to hold people accountable? The place will descend into chaos” she moaned.
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Management
Who's to blame?
Why blame is such a silly thing to do! In a sales training workshop I was running a participant argued that if he made a mistake with an order it was his fault, and his fault alone. I had been teaching systems thinking and how blame was not helpful for business.
