How To Support Your Stressed

How to support your stressed-out manager This is not your ordinary career site. I help the corporate worker who toils away in the company cubicle make career transitions. You want to do your job well, following all the rules -- . The career transitions where I can help you center on three critical career areas: How to land a job, succeed in a job, and build employment security. Top 10 Posts on Categories While many employees are losing sleep these days worrying about their jobs, it’s a bit doubtful that they also are losing z’s fretting over how the boss is faring in these tough times. Still, it may be time workers started giving some consideration to what a manager is going through.   Because as everyone knows, when a manager is stressed, that stress can often roll downhill and land directly on employees. I recently interviewed Wayne Hochwarter, a Florida State University professor who spends a lot of time studying the workplace, and he said a recent study found that 55 percent of bosses have become more demanding of current workers and more than 70 percent of employees say the recession has increased stress levels at work. “I’ve never been a big believer that we’ve got good managers, and now with this economy, they’ve lost whatever humanity they had,” Hochwarter says. “They know that they’ve got to meet goals or they start chopping heads. Managers really don’t know what to do during a time like this. We haven’t prepared them for anything like it.” That’s why it’s important â€" for everyone’s sanity â€" that employees think about ways to help a manager get through these tough times. As most people have learned, when a manager is happy, it follows that employees will fare better as well. Some suggestions for workers wanting to help a stressed boss: Work smarter. I know, I know, you think you already have the workload of 12 people, but I’ll bet if you took a hard look at what you do you could come up with some better ways to get things done. Just because you took over someone else’s tasks doesn’t mean they make sense now, or can’t be streamlined in some way. Becoming efficient and more productive â€" and letting the boss know â€" will help reduce his worry about remaining competitive. Understand his bottom line. Ask the boss about his key objectives and then figure out how to help him meet those objectives. Nothing is more frustrating for a manager than to feel people aren’t on the same page, and don’t care to be. Realize that no offer is too small. Even taking a minor task off the boss’s plate gives a real lift to the spirits. Can you do some initial research? Make some phone calls? When managers feel isolated, it can hamper communication with workers. If you want to stay in the loop, help a manager feel you are on his team. Ask how he’s doing. During these tough times, many managers are feeling a lot of personal anguish about what’s happening, and they need an encouraging word as well. Going out to lunch, sharing a funny story or just taking a minute to really listen can go a long way in reducing tension for the boss.   About the author: Anita Bruzzese is author of “45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy…and How to Avoid Them,” named a top 10 notable business book by the New York Post. She is an award-winning journalist and a syndicated columnist for Gannett/USAToday.com. Her website and blog can be found at: www.45things.com. […] From Anita Bruzzese guest blogging at : How to support your stressed-out manager “While many employees are losing sleep these days worrying about their jobs, it’s a bit doubtful that they also are losing z’s fretting over how the boss is faring in these tough times. Still, it may be time workers started giving some consideration to what a manager is going through.   Because as everyone knows, when a manager is stressed, that stress can often roll downhill and land directly on employees.” […] Reply Thanks, Wally. I think it’s easy to beat up on the boss, but sometimes we must remember that they may have stresses that we don’t know about. I’ve talked to many in the last year, and I can tell you their anxiety is running pretty high. They worry that they’ll lose key staff members, they’re worried how they’re going to meet the expectations of THEIR boss and they do worry about their own jobs. Anyone who can help take away some of that stress â€" even if only for a while â€" will not only be appreciated by the boss, but by everyone who benefits from a happier manager. Reply As someone who writes for the bosses, especially first line ones, thank you. Most bosses wind up in the job without much training and they do it with very little support. In times like these they often take things home that should be left at work. What’s especially good about your recommendations is that they’ll probably benefit the team member as much as the boss. The less stressed your boss is, the more likely he or she will do a better job. Reply This is not your ordinary career site. I help the corporate worker who toils away in the company cubicle make career transitions. You want to do your job well, following all the rules â€" . The career transitions where I can help you center on three critical career areas: How to land a job, succeed in a job, and build employment security. policies The content on this website is my opinion and will probably not reflect the views of my various employers. Apple, the Apple logo, iPad, Apple Watch and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. I’m a big fan.