Have you ever thought how nice it would be to work in Spain where your day starts mid-morning, you take lunch a couple hours later and then enjoy a siesta? Even though that leisurely Monday through Friday routine sounds wonderful, your workday reality is probably quite the opposite. If you’re like most Americans, your typical day at the office involves getting there early, eating at your desk, running from one meeting to another and working late. Maybe you’re even there on weekends. By the end of the week all the stress leaves you on empty mentally, physically and emotionally. While stress isn’t going away anytime soon, there are some simple measures you can take to manage it.

Don’t Gossip

Every office has that person that makes it their duty to know about everyone else’s business. They know that Bob is going through a nasty divorce, Julie has her eyes on that promotion and Mike has been subject to disciplinary action. Even worse, they make it a habit of sharing all these tidbits with everyone around them. Even though you might be tempted to learn some juicy little nugget, nothing good ever comes of it. Before you know it, you’re embroiled in a nasty game of he said she said that can lead to damaged relationships and bring down the morale of everyone in the organization.

Start Your Day Fresh

This goes back to the night before and making sure you get enough sleep. Once you’re up and about, give yourself the time you need to properly start your day. Incorporating habits into your morning routine like meditation, journaling and getting some physical exercise help you arrive at the office with a clear head and positive attitude making it easier to handle stress the rest of the day.

Keep Your Desk Clean

How many times have you come into the office knowing where you left off the day before but unable to find the right report buried in the pile of papers on your desk? You go about frantically searching high and low trying to make sense of where everything is at and before you know it, you’re stressed out before you get anything done.

All it takes to avoid this type of chaos is a little tidying up when you’re done with your day. Not only will this habit reduce your level of stress in the morning, it will increase your productivity as well. It also helps you mentally to start “disconnecting” from work, which can also reduce work related stress.

Avoid Multitasking

The distractions you face at work are untold. Between notifications, email alerts, phone calls and interruptions from colleagues, it’s amazing we’re able to get anything done at all. And guess what all the constant stimulation does? Increases stress. If you want to maintain your focus throughout and reduce stress, focus on only one project at a time. Everything else will be there when you’re done and you’ll get a sense of accomplishment instead of feeling like you have several things hanging.

Know What’s Expected

One of the biggest contributors to stress in the workplace is not knowing what you’re expected to do. This can be as simple as a poorly written job description or inadequate communication from the top. Whatever the case, it’s almost impossible to do your job when you don’t know what you don’t know. If you find yourself in this position, be proactive and schedule a meeting with your supervisor to discuss what’s missing and the problems you’re having. If done in a respectful manner, this conversation often lowers stress for both parties and can also save you some time by focusing on what you know needs to be done.

Take Breaks

There’s someone you work with that spends the entire day in their office. They only times they get up from their desk are you use the restroom and microwave lunch. You know who this person is. They’re probably dead serious 100% of the time, seemed stressed and maybe even unhappy. Now think about the people that get out of the office at lunch and take short breaks throughout the day. It’s not that the latter doesn’t care about their job. Rather, they realize the importance of staying physically and mentally fresh. You might think that the desk jockey gets a lot more done each day but, it’s almost always the opposite.

So, whenever you feel stressed or overwhelmed, take a short break to stand up, leave your office and move around. Getting away from a problem or project for a little bit when you’re stressed will help give you a new perspective, which in many cases reduces the stress and may even allow more creativity to finding a solution to the problem. When you come back, you’ll find yourself ready to tackle whatever is in front of you with a clear mind.

As much as we’d all love it, stress in the workplace isn’t going away anytime soon. It’s how you manage and handle the stress that makes all the difference. If you’re not careful, stress can affect your productivity, relationships with everyone around you and even your health. But, if you take some actionable steps to manage and reduce stress, you’ll find yourself happy, healthy and maximizing your potential day in and day out.

As a Life Sciences recruiter for the pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device industries, I can help optimize your work place by building an efficient team. A great team will work together well and decrease stress in the workplace. Contact me, Jeff King at jking@rqfocus.com or (541) 639-3501.

Work is a social environment. Our coworkers can be the people that we socialize with the most. In this situation, it is natural to want to feel liked. However, you can sabotage your work by trying too hard to be accepted.

You may put yourself at risk in some of the ways outlined in this article:

We Develop Unrealistic Expectations

Not everyone is going to like us. That is impossible. If you think so, you are going to be disappointed and stressed at work. Rather than focusing on your coworker’s approval, strengthen your relationship as a team.

Solution:

There are more productive ways of building a friendship than small talk at the water cooler. Nurture meaningful relationships that helps reach company goals. Working together as a team can promote positivity that builds strong relationships. There might be a company goal that has been pushed to the side for the past year. Communicate with others in your team with numerous skill sets to complete the project. Besides, people tend to like people they work well with and can get things accomplished to make themselves and the team look good.

You Become Over Critical

We are our own worst critics. If we are constantly comparing ourselves to others it is easy to think that we are not smart, fast, or strategic enough. Self-criticism often occurs if you are focusing on being liked.

Solution:

Everyone has a unique skill set. What is yours?

Now, set boundaries according to your job description. You do not have to do favors for co-workers just to earn approval. This does not mean that you will not have to do hard work or can’t be flexible. The difference is compromising your needs to do someone else’s job, which earns you approval, but may derail your own work. Go above and beyond in your own position.

We Dread Work

You may have landed your dream job. The salary is enough to support your family and vacation, and the commute is only a few minutes from your house. This is the job that you have been waiting for!

However, any job can be ruined if your energy is focused on being liked. We become uncomfortable around our coworkers and experience social anxiety.

Solution:

Focus on collaboration instead of being liked. Collaboration empowers us to solve work issues together. If you focus on being liked, you will probably feel alone and dissatisfied. To accomplish collaboration, you must have an openness to learning. If you collaborate successfully, you may be able to solve more work issues and end up being more liked in the process.

If you need help building a company with a healthy company culture, contact me, Jeff King at jking@rqfocus.com. I am a life sciences recruiter in the Bay Area.

Delegation can be difficult for many business leaders – even scary! When you delegate, you are handing over responsibilities. Often, these could be tasks that you performed well for years.

Wouldn’t it be better for the company to just continue the tasks yourself?

Rarely.

Delegation can improve the productivity of a company. You can complete work faster and grow branches of the business. It can even help you keep your most valued employees by giving them new challenges. If delegation is a struggle then follow these five steps:

1. Trust Your Employees

The first step to delegation is trusting your employees. If you cannot trust your employees you will never be able to delegate.

Ask your employees if they would like to take on more responsibility. Tell them if this could lead to a raise or promotion. You can even make this part of your employee development plan.

2. Establish Your Priorities

Create a priority system for delegating tasks. You can divide tasks into categories – for example, urgent, important, and low tasks. Delegate the urgent tasks first.

3. Hire If Necessary

No delegation systems work without a strong team. You may determine that you need to hire after you establish priorities and the status of your employee.

As a Specialized Quality and Regulatory Recruiter, I have helped business leaders hire productive employees to handle delegation, and to upgrade the caliber of their team.

4. Include Instructions

It would be great if your employees could read your mind. Unfortunately, most businesses don’t have that technology! Include detailed instructions to get your delegated tasks finished correctly and also set clear expectations. Eventually your employees will not require lengthy instructions which can save you hours, or even days of work.

What to Include in Your Instructions

• Detailed Milestones
• Deadlines
• Small Tasks

Delegating is a major step for any business leader. If you feel you need to add to your team, contact me to discuss your needs and we can create a solution plan for you. Contact me at jking@rfocus.com or (541) 639-3501.

The mid-day slump is a problem for thousands of office workers. You can treat your fatigue with energy drinks. However, energy drinks are only a temporary fix.

This article will address common reasons that you could be fatigued. Reflect on whether these habits have become part of your lifestyle. If you have high energy, you will be able to perform better, deal with stress better, and be happier at work.

Smoking

Thousands of warnings alert us that smoking causes cancer. We often miss how smoking impacts our daily lifestyle.

According to Dr. Michael Roizen MD, smoking causes our arteries to dilate to only 50% of people of those who were never exposed to tobacco smoke. When the arteries to your muscles can’t dilate, the muscles feel acutely tired and sore. Therefore, you cannot do as much.

If you are taking a mid-day smoke break, stop! While smoking creates an immediate energy boost, it does not create sustainable energy that gets you through the work day.

Over Stressed

Have you ever had a difficult problem that you poured all your energy into solving?

Managing stress can be draining. WebMD claims that stress activates your sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system creates a high energy boost to deal with the problem. The body quickly crashes preventing sustainable energy.

How to Control Your Stress Levels

• Improve Time Management Skills
• Seek Counseling
• Say “No” When Possible
• Take Personal Time
• Plan Tasks Ahead

Excessive Coffee Intake

Do you drink coffee throughout the day for energy? The habit could be making you more tired. Excessive coffee makes you dehydrated, which causes fatigue.

Studies by MayoClinic show that four cups of coffee per day is safe for adults. If you are chronically tired, stick to one cup of coffee in the morning. Keep a water bottle next to you filled with water. Make it a goal to finish the water by the end of the day.

Poor Diet

When we get busy, we often eat the fastest thing that we can find. That meal is usually unhealthy. Unfortunately, if you are eating foods that are high in sugar and simple carbs, you will probably crash after an hour. Snack on nutrient dense foods to help you maintain energy throughout the day.

Follow these healthy eating tips to provide you with sustained energy;

• Snack on protein and fiber rich foods
• Remove the energy drinks and replace them with water
• Balance your plate with protein, complex carbohydrates, and fruits and vegetables.
• Eat small meals with nutrient dense snacks

Never Saying “No”

Do you ever feel mentally drained when you are overwhelmed with responsibilities? If you feel yourself hitting a wall then start saying “no”.

“No” if you are too busy. “No” if the project will keep you in the office until late at night. There will be times when your job position requires you to say “yes” to overwhelming projects. However, recognize when you can say “no”. This will help you decrease stress that causes fatigue.

Glued to the Computer

Sitting long hours at the computer is not just bad for your back and waist line. Staring at a computer screen can cause mental fatigue that leaves us unmotivated at the end of the day.

Excessive computer work can cause Chronic Fatigue, a disease where you suffer from tiredness for over six months. More than 500,000 people in the United States have been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Computers and smartphones are linked to eye fatigue because you blink less when using a digital device. Blinking naturally refreshes the eyes. Electronic device users blink half as often as normal.

Step away from your computer every hour to avoid Chronic Fatigue. Standing can also reenergize you to get your job done.

Everyone strives for a job that they love. However, even our dream careers develop workplace fears. If we become focused on our fears, we can lose creativity, productivity, and develop stress. It’s important to address our concerns. Fear could start impacting your job performance.

The Fear of Being Fired

Whether you love or hate your job, we all have a fear of getting fired.

How will we support our family? Will we be able to find another job? Will our new job make pay enough to support our lifestyle?

As a Recruiter, I help find you jobs that fit your skills where you can feel secure. Nevertheless, if you are scared of being fired, here are a few tips for you to help you overcome your fears.

How-To Overcome Your Fear of Being Fired

Firstly, assess your work situation. Is there a legitimate reason that you should be afraid of being fired? Some signs could be your boss being critical of your work, you are no longer asked to attend important meeting or your workload subsides.

If you can’t find any reason, ask your manager for feedback on your work. Explain to your boss that you want to perform at the best of your abilities. Your boss will probably be impressed by your initiative.

The Fear of Not Receiving the Promotion that You Deserve

Everyone starts at the bottom of the ladder in their career. With hard work, you can increase your position to manager, supervisor, or even CEO. Almost everyone who dreams of climbing the ladder, fears that the “other guy” will get the promotion.

As a recruiter, I help employees find companies that have potential for growth.

How-To Overcome the Fear of Not Receiving the Promotion that You Deserve

Make it difficult for the organization to replace you. Always go through trainings to improve your job skills. Participate in brainstorming sessions. Be innovative! Be willing to help out in other areas and possibly get cross trained in those areas. It makes you more valuable to the company and your boss.

The Fear of Inadequacy

We can easily feel inadequate when our tasks begin to pile. We feel overwhelmed and question whether we can handle our workload.

At some point, someone will discover that we are incompetent.

This chronic self-doubt causes stress which decreases our productivity.

How-To Overcome the Fear of Inadequacy

Inadequacy can often develop from lack of communication. If you do not know what your boss wants then you are more likely to feel that you cannot complete the job well. Start by attaining a clear vision.

Ask your boss, “what would success look like in this project?” You can work confidently now that you know the company’s vision.

The Fear of Not Fitting In

Everyone wants to be liked. Fitting in creates a more comfortable and fun workplace. However, if fitting in is an obsession, you might not value yourself.

How-To Overcome the Fear of Not Fitting In

Start by being friendly to everyone. You will probably receive a positive response which will boost your confidence. After you boost your confidence, participate in brainstorming sessions. Impacting the office can also increase the chance of a promotion or raise.