Workers under stress sometimes respond in unhealthy ways

TINA VANDERWAL

Originally published Monday, April 1, 2002

The recent weather has been as chaotic as state government has felt.

Our weather has ranged from snow and chilling rain to a warm spring day and back again.

While traveling to Lewiston, Idaho, to visit our daughter, we passed snow-covered farmland and a sign that read, "Global warming -- yeah, right!"

I thought it was pretty telling about the times we now face. Even the scientists can't predict what nature or the next day will bring.

During uncertain and chaotic times -- such as we are experiencing in state government -- employee stress can reach unmanageable levels.

Stress affects each individual differently. Some experts believe that people tend to fall back into basic survival modes when they are under extreme stress.

I'm certainly not an expert, but I can share my observations of employees over the years and their reactions to stress.

The Yellers

Some people rid themselves of stress by yelling at others. Some yell at those closest to them.

I often wonder whether the old saying, "You always hurt the ones you love," came from a yeller.

Other yellers randomly choose different victims for each stressful event.

This causes stress for everyone in that section, as they never know when it will be their turn in the yelling pot.

Although it may relieve the yeller, yelling causes a vicious ripple of stress in any co-worker within hearing distance.

The Stuffers

For others, stress causes an opposite reaction. Instead of shouting, they tend to hold all of the stress inside.

They might save their co-workers from the shouting, but if they continue to stuff their feelings, something has to give.

Usually, the stuffed stress will manifest itself in illness. Some physicians have speculated that some diseases, such as cancer, could be caused or be aggravated by stress.

On rare occasions, suppressed stress -- like a bubbling volcano -- can explode into workplace violence.

The Pretenders

Others might become incapable of moving at all, as though doing nothing and pretending that nothing is wrong will actually make problems go away.

Of course, ignoring the problem never resolves anything.

Problems will continue to persist, and, in some cases, ignoring them can actually make them worse.

Like ostriches with their heads buried in the sand, pretenders refuse to face reality.

Unfortunately, if circumstances such as a layoff hit them personally, forced reality can brutally shake pretenders' illusions, causing their pretense and emotions to come crashing down.

The Blamers

It is much easier not to deal with problems if you can blame someone else.

For September's terrorist attacks, we can blame Osama bin Laden.

But who do we blame for budget cuts and layoffs? Some might blame Sept. 11, state initiatives or the state's money management.

The truth is, blaming others doesn't accomplish anything.

The fact is that we have a budget crisis, and we need to work together to resolve that problem.

For some employees, pointing the finger at others has become an art. I've always believed in the saying, "When you point your finger at someone else, remember three are pointing back at you."

There are other ways that stress affects employees, but what I really wanted to say is all manifestations of stress are harmful to the employee's own health or the health of co-workers.

No matter whether employees yell at others, stuff the stress, pretend the stress isn't there or blame others -- all the behaviors are negative.

The healthiest thing state employees can do for themselves and co-workers is to find ways to eliminate stress.

My next article will focus on ways state employees can eliminate unhealthy stress from their lives.

Tina VanderWal is human resources manager in the Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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