The stresses of long working days are getting to Australian employees, with 25% saying they would like a plug-and-play room at work in order to partake in a bit of escapism during the work-day, A further 25% say they would like to see the introduction of a meditation room in the office in order to bring a bit of peace and balance back to their life. (1731 respondents to a survey by Australian human resources recruitment firm, Talent2).
I'm all for anything that eases workplace stress and makes life at work more enjoyable. It's also good to see the emphasis on achieving peace of mind to relieve stress, instead of the usual focus on physical activity, important though that is stress-reducing.
However, putting recreation facilities into the workplace to help manage the stress of long working hours is at best a band-aid measure and, at worst, potentially harmful. It also smacks of the belief that the workplace is still the hub of life around which all else revolves. People generally now work to live, not live to work.
The key stress management issue for employers is how to maximize and sustain high quality work productivity in the pressure-cooker world of 21st century living. Think of a long distance runner. A drink of water during the run gives a temporary boost, but it's what they do between runs, mentally and physically, which improves their performance, endurance, energy levels, self confidence and self esteem. It's much the same for the long-distance worker.
Better than a short recreational break at work, why not create a stress-reducing experience in your chosen location away from work? One you create yourself, custom-designed to suit your personal needs, in your own time, at your desired pace and to your chosen level of ability. One that creatively expresses your unique, natural talents.
Such an interest doesn't just generate energy, it's positively energizing. When you lose yourself in an interest you love, you find yourself. In other words, when you have an interest that absorbs your mind body and spirit so deeply that you forget time and place, you come alive as a person, refreshed, exuding new enthusiasm and vibrancy.
This sort of regular experience brings with it a sense of greater wellbeing, increased self esteem, self confidence and self belief. There is a ripple effect overflowing into every aspect of life at work, home and play. It's nature's way of dealing with excessive prolonged stress and its risks of eventual ill-health, broken relationships and burnout Far from being “time I don't have”, the right experiences away from work become as integral to the worker's productivity as they are to the runner's performance.
I would especially recommend recreational experiences that offer a complementary opposite to the work experience. For example, quiet experiences where work is noisy, solitude where work is crowded, physical where work is sedentary, manual where work is intellectual, time for self where work is time for others.
The desire to make long hours at work more enjoyable also raises concerns about the impact it can have on the reasons driving people to work such long hours - home, family, relationships and the goals / dreams that give life its purpose and meaning.
By all means encourage staff to enjoy their work in any way possible. But don't lose sight of the fact that stress management is a whole-of-life issue. Enjoyment of life away from work is crucial to reducing work-related stress. It helps keep the home fires burning brightly too.
June 2007 |
