To Reduce Workplace Stress
The article under consideration is entitled “To Reduce Workplace Stress”,
published in a monthly Logistics Journal in September of 2003. The author of
the article is Gloria Dunn, a business behavior expert, consultant. She is at
the head of Wiser Ways to Work. Dunn is also the author of the book under the
title “From Making a Living to Having a Life”.
In the article Gloria Dunn deals with the problems business men face at work
and gives logical and consecutive advice how to cope with workplace stress and
anxiety. From the very beginning the author of the article uses an advantageous
and effective method of attracting reader’s attention by giving clear
and bright examples which show brief stories of two business men under stress.
The first piece of information touches upon a marketing executive, who was deeply
stressed with issues at work, hence, he fell ill and turned grey. He changed
activities, moved to another place of living and recovered in some time.
One more example given in the article is about a manager dealing with sales.
He got a high post, which was an everlasting dream for other office workers.
When he set to work they behaved hostilely and it caused management problems.
As a result, he felt depressed and restless, and transferred this aggression
into family life. He also had to resign his position. G. Dunn analyzes these
two stories and reckons that workplace has a number of unforeseen stressful
factors, which may have even more serious consequences than cancer. These factors,
which influence the mind, are dismissal or layoffs, a incessant change of superiors,
etc. Then Dunn passes on to say that to cope with stress businessmen should
use their abilities from time to time, perfect themselves, become members of
various associations, etc.
Gloria Dunn goes on to the most important part of the article, which deals with
reducing stress and gives ten pieces of advice which reflect the most important
aspects of business behavior. They serve a definite and detailed conclusion
of the article.
The article under consideration contains valuable advice, Dunn suggests to keep
feeling of power, the skill to express oneself. A person should change his attitude
to work and this is the first and by far the most important advice serving the
basis for others. I suppose that the author gives essential psychological pieces
of advice of how to model the relationship, which can be practically used. Dunn
encourages people to expand working skills. Workers should act like a team,
it is impossible to achieve a goal without team-spirit. Good relationship can
relieve stress. The author says: “spend five minutes of each hour considering
how to get along with your co-workers”. Dunn has a very interesting idea
on being flexible; she claims workers should treat their business as a “space
ship”. It should go “where no man has gone
before”.
Everybody experiences stress sometimes, but if it is a “long-term”
kind of stress, it can cause mental and health problems. One should be ready
for stressful situation if one can say so. It may be necessary for some people
to make a list of things and situations which cause stress. One should have
professional approach to people at work, change the attitude to the problem
and it will get solved. Work should be separated from personal life and family,
I think tasks for work should not be done at home, as Gloria Dunn remarked summing
up her article, work should never be “devouring”.
I find this article necessary and useful for every employer and employee, because
it covers all spheres of their cooperation and stress management.
Works Cited
Dunn, Gloria “To Reduce Workplace Stress.” Logistics Journal 1/9(2003).
