1. Assess the situation and understand your emotions. In stressful workplace situations, you don’t have to react negatively and feel like a victim everytime. Your boss may be acting difficult right this minute, but, look at the bigger picture and see where it’s coming from. How you respond to that stressful situation could make or break you. If you feel like reacting, keep your cool and just try to walk away. Being proactive is the better approach.
2. Communicate with your boss in a manner where it can end up as “win-win” situation for both parties, and not just one. A workplace relationship can be compared to that of a marriage, For it to work, both parties need to learn how to communicate effectively to the other person. Try to find out the root of the problem so that you can deal with it appropriately. Remember to attack the problems, not the person.
3. Remember to separate your personal from your work issues (always). If you just heard a comment from your boss that you did not quite get, and makes you want to take it as a personal attack…stop! It has been said and done, no need to make it worse at this point. You cannot change what your boss had said, but, you can certainly control your emotions and respond more “professionally.” Notice I said, professionally, since it should not be taken personally. If you have work ethics and you would like to stay in this job, you would be the better person. Do not let it go out of hand, remember No. 1 and No. 2 above, you assess the situation and take it proactively.
4. Even if you feel stressed out, with your back against the wall, find reasons to stay. Don’t make excuses of why you have to stay eventhough you feel miserable at the present time, instead, find reasons to stay at your workplace right now and link it to your future. Professional advancement is a great reason to stay. Focus with the positives more and less with the stress. Stress is constant and everywhere, the only person that can change it is you.
5. Change your outlook and take a remark from your difficult boss in a constructive manner. Instead of taking a remark from your boss negatively, try to look at it with your rosy colored glasses and make something positive out of it.
6. Empower yourself as an employee. Empowering yourself as an employee does not mean you have to go against your employer’s workplace policy and become a rebel about everything. It simply means changing the way you see yourself, look at the bigger picture. Replaced negative things with positive ones. Don’t allow your mind to see yourself as a victim, instead, see yourself as a workplace asset.
7. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Each individual has a different way in dealing with stress. What you view as a stressful situation may not be the case with another individual. The key is to understand yourself better. Practice grace under pressure. The more you practice control, the less stressed out you become.
By: Lourdes D. Martinez | Teacher I | Carbon Elementary School | Limay, Bataan
