It can sometimes be difficult to prevent the stresses and fears you feel at work from affecting your productivity, especially if you have a lot on and are struggling to take time out for yourself. However, being overloaded with deadlines is not the only form of pressure that can alter how you feel about your job. It’s important to recognise other potential issues and learn how to deal with them properly for the sake of your career, your relationships and your health.
All in all we believe there are seven main areas that tend to affect job performance:
1. Failure
A fear of failure is an instigator of anxiety for a lot of people and can hold you back from trying out for promotions or putting yourself forward for new projects. The best way to turn this around is to view the potential for failure instead as a potential for improvement. Failure is never an end to something but the beginning, and we’ve all failed at something – it’s how you deal with it that contributes to the end result.
2. Embarrassment
Whether you’ve sent an email to the wrong person, forgotten a colleague’s name or said something you probably shouldn’t have, it can take a while to get over the feeling of humiliation. You may think people are laughing at you, but it’s actually been proven that people feel respect and a rapport with someone who they’ve seen do something embarrassing. If you laugh it off the experience will likely forge closer relationships with your colleagues and make you feel stronger for overcoming it.
3. Underperformance
How much work is deemed ‘enough’? It’s difficult not to compare yourself to others, but instead of worrying if you’re doing as much as everyone else appreciate that we all work at different paces and have different strengths. If you’re not reaching your targets try to find out why and work to improve your weaknesses. If you’re unsure, ask your boss for feedback. See this as an opportunity to better yourself rather than dwelling on the negative aspects of the situation.
4. Rejection
Rejection is a difficult thing to pick yourself up from. We’ve all experienced the disappointment of it, but remember one rejection doesn’t mean you’ll never succeed. If you find yourself thinking, “I probably won’t get it so why bother trying?” consider how a friend might respond. They’d probably say, “You don’t know that, what’s the harm in going for it?” If there’s ever an opportunity always grab it, because you’ll feel more disappointed by a missed opportunity than a rejection.
5. Change
Significant change in the workplace can be a frightening prospect. As humans we’re naturally programmed to be wary of uncertainty, so it’s okay to feel a little apprehensive if you’ve discovered that your job is about to change in some way. The best way to deal with this form of stress is communication – talk to your boss about your worries and consider carefully how the changes will impact you and your role. You might discover it’s more of a positive experience than a negative one.
6. Confrontation
Dealing with confrontation can really have a real impact on your happiness at work. It can make every day seem longer and the office seem smaller. If you’re involved be the bigger person and deal with it calmly and professionally, taking into consideration everyone’s point of view in order to come to a resolution that would satisfy all parties. If you are not directly involved, try to reason with those who are discretely and privately, perhaps over a lunch break.
7. Isolation
Working with someone doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get on well with them, and sometimes members of the team can find themselves without a clique or close colleague to talk to. If you feel isolated at work, speak out about it and try and proactively connect with others by organising a social activity outside of work hours. If you feel someone else on your team is isolated, approach them and to incorporate them into the group.
For more advice and to find out about our current roles at Tate, contact our consultants today.
