Causes of anxiety and workplace stress are of increasing concern to managers.

Look to Workplace Stressors as Causes of Anxiety

In a workplace where conditions exist that are outside the person’s control or realm of influence and where roles, responsibilities, authority, accountabilities or expectations are unclear, frustrated passion can arise, resulting in:

A high stress environment

Poor communication

Office politics

Workflow problems

Diminished productivity and

Staff disengagement.

This dysfunctional state, in turn, may deteriorate and lead to:

Attendance issues
Burnout
Project or business failure

Employee absenteeism, according to Statistics Canada, due to stress in 2004 increased over 316% over the previous decade.

Workplace stress and stress-related illnesses costs the Canadian economy $5 billion a year according to the Canadian Mental Health Association.

When factoring in lost productivity, workplace stress, depression and cardiac disease, linked to mental illness, are collectively responsible for a cost of $40 billion annually, as well as human suffering (10% of the Canadian population suffer from depressive episodes), according to The Business and Economic Roundtable on Mental Health

10 Top Workplace Stressors

As identified by the Mental Health Roundtable:

The treadmill syndrome. Too much to do at once, requiring the 24 hour workday.
Random interruptions
Doubt. Employees aren’t sure what is happening, where things are headed
Mistrust. Vicious office politics disrupt positive behaviour.
Unclear company direction and policy.
Career and job ambiguity. Things happen without the employee knowing why.
Inconsistent performance management processes. Employees get raises but no reviews or get positive evaluation, but are laid off afterward.
Being unappreciated.
Lack of two-way communication up and down.
Too much or too little to do. The feeling of not contributing and having a lack of control.

Workplace stressors compounded with life stressors on the personal front may create a level of stress that overwhelms, paralyzes, producing emotional outbursts, unbearable anxiety attacks or depressive episodes. Learn more about the affects of stress.

As Benjamin Disraeli said, Man is not the creature of circumstances; circumstances are the creatures of men.

We can find hope and courage in Peter Drucker's insight, Knowledge is information that changes something or somebody - either by becoming grounds for actions, or by making an individual (or an institution) capable of different of more effective action.

YOU can Affect Change - 7 Tips for Positive Change

Be the change you want to see in the world.Gandhi

Consider the impact on your environment if you:

Shared information openly
Thought of mistakes as opportunities for learning
Were loyal and defended colleagues in their absence
Talked straight with people and confronted real issues
Made every effort to collaborate; have real communication, were candid and authentic
Practiced generosity and shared credit with others
Cultivated a positive outlook and expressed yourself with energy and enthusiasm

Professional coaches help facilitate this process, and, as the Scottish psychiatrist, RD Laing, once said The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice. And because we fail to notice that we fail to notice, there is little that we can do to change, until we notice how failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds.

Self awareness, self management and interpersonal skills are developed by improving emotional intelligence.

Cultivating a healthy relationship to yourself with a commitment to a daily Self Care program can cultivate habits critical to work life balance and personal fulfillment.

Take Action - it's Never Too Late!

Workplace Coaching and leadership coaching transforms a toxic work environment into a healthy workplace culture.

Personal Life Coaching helps the individual identify the causes of anxiety, personal and workplace stressors, develop their coping skills, reclaim their personal power and make informed choices.

Things which matters most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

A professional coach provides the positive, supportive help needed to identify the causes of anxiety in your life, helps you de-stress, sort things out and move forward.

Assess your life satisfaction. Learn more about coaching.

What traditionally has been a public health issue is now a workforce management issue. Source: Health Canada35% of workers, men and women, reported that they provided care for a relative or in-law 62 years or older in the past year, and employees with families reported significantly higher interference between their jobs and family lives than 20 years ago. (45% vs 34%) Source: 2004 National Study of Changing Workforce Families and Work Institute.

Speak with Us

Based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, KAIZEN Lifestyle Management, specializes in leadership, life and workplace coaching to help executives, managers, business owners and other creative professionals improve their personal and professional effectiveness and achieve sustainable success.

Our coaching programs are custom designed to meet your specific needs at no extra cost. We have worked with organizations experiencing high growth, rapid change, leadership challenges, a fiercely competitive environment and restructuring.

We offer a free no obligation business coaching consultation and are happy to answer your questions. You may contact us at 416 686 6463.

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