Mike
2005-10-06 15:50:25 UTC
A BBC report this week has drawn our attention to the escalation of suicides
related to work. Here are my own observations on this...
STRESS IN EMPLOYEES
My stressed/depressed clients who are employees, are experiencing
increasingly levels of disempowerment, de-motivation and weariness in the
workplace.
Much of this misery arises from an excess of paperwork, protocols,
regulations, political correctness and diminished scope for "Being!" - i.e.
expressing who we are and what we can do (personality, initiative,
creativity and personal effectiveness). [See my "From Doing to Being" talk
on Radio 209 via
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/cheal/message/398]
STRESS IN EMPLOYERS
The stress, paperwork and expense of running any small business in the UK
now is quite crushing. Legislation, regulations and insurance requirements
have gone completely berserk and are constantly changing.
Last week I went to an updating seminar on UK Employment and Health and
Safety regulations - all the company and charitable organization
representatives present were absolutely horrified, terrified, overwhelmed
and depressed about the impossible demands and huge daily financial and
legal risks (thanks to the "Compensation Culture") that they face.
Everyone I spoke to agreed that, quite frankly, there isn't the time, money
or expertise to stay the right side of the law. An increasing number of
employees are taking their employers to court (gratis - courtesy of "no
win-no fee" lawyers) as a way to quit our increasingly stressful workplaces
accompanied by a "golden parting gift" of financial compensation or, as
quite often happens, a big "out of court settlement" sum - because the
employer cannot afford the time or legal fees (no free legal ride for
employers!) to pursue
an industrial tribunal case, given that legislation and workplace rights are
heavily weighted against employers.
FRAGMENTATION OF WORKPLACE RELATIONSHIPS
Sadly, one of the common outcomes of the gross excess of well-intentioned
workplace legislation, regulation and "insurance-risk management", is to
increase divisiveness between management and staff - a "Them and Us"
mentality, in which each is seen as a threat to the "Beingness" of the
other. At worst, this breeds suspicion, mistrust, conspiracy theories and
strategies to undermine the power-base of the "opposing" team.
SOLUTIONS AT THE PERSONAL LEVEL?
What can we, as individuals, do in this deteriorating situation?
The answer is too big to go into here, but I would like to mention RULE 1!
RULE 1 is "Dismantle any tendency to make matters worse!"
Vicious cycles of stress originate in our "stress personalities".
STRESS PERSONALITIES
These are the patterns (archetypes or sub-personalities) of thinking,
feeling, perceiving, talking and behaving that are triggered by perceived
threats, excessive demands, boredom, overload, misery, weariness or
disempowerment.
These patterns evolved more than 30,000 years ago, when Neolithic people
faced VERY DIFFERENT situations to the modern workplace. When activated in
the modern, civilised, politically-correct workplace, they have to be
repressed or denied.
Control, Repression, Rationalization and Denial ("I'm a nice person!", "Keep
the lid on your feelings!", "Be professional!", "You just have to put up
with it!" etc!) result in accumulating, held-in feelings and tensions that
make us increasingly unskilful, intolerant, dysfunctional and eventually ill
or suicidal!
CLEARING HELD-IN FEELINGS AND IMPULSES
Clearing the held-in stuff - in a way that does not "massage" (wallow in)
it - results in us feel lighter, more flexible, more centred (less
"scattered", "scatty" or "spaced out"), more energised.
It also puts a smile back on our face and a bounce back in our step!
It also stops those awful leaks of body language that trigger resistance,
mistrust, neglect, revenge - or even sabotage! - in others.
If you have an doubts about this, or want to learn some quick and powerful
new techniques for doing it, try our "clearing workshop" this weekend in
Cambridge:
http://www.sunflower-health.com/workshops.htm
or check out this article on "cathartic" (clearing and releasing)
techniques:
http://www.lovehealth.org/tools/catharsis.htm
Watch those stress levels - This is an epidemic!
Mike
related to work. Here are my own observations on this...
STRESS IN EMPLOYEES
My stressed/depressed clients who are employees, are experiencing
increasingly levels of disempowerment, de-motivation and weariness in the
workplace.
Much of this misery arises from an excess of paperwork, protocols,
regulations, political correctness and diminished scope for "Being!" - i.e.
expressing who we are and what we can do (personality, initiative,
creativity and personal effectiveness). [See my "From Doing to Being" talk
on Radio 209 via
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/cheal/message/398]
STRESS IN EMPLOYERS
The stress, paperwork and expense of running any small business in the UK
now is quite crushing. Legislation, regulations and insurance requirements
have gone completely berserk and are constantly changing.
Last week I went to an updating seminar on UK Employment and Health and
Safety regulations - all the company and charitable organization
representatives present were absolutely horrified, terrified, overwhelmed
and depressed about the impossible demands and huge daily financial and
legal risks (thanks to the "Compensation Culture") that they face.
Everyone I spoke to agreed that, quite frankly, there isn't the time, money
or expertise to stay the right side of the law. An increasing number of
employees are taking their employers to court (gratis - courtesy of "no
win-no fee" lawyers) as a way to quit our increasingly stressful workplaces
accompanied by a "golden parting gift" of financial compensation or, as
quite often happens, a big "out of court settlement" sum - because the
employer cannot afford the time or legal fees (no free legal ride for
employers!) to pursue
an industrial tribunal case, given that legislation and workplace rights are
heavily weighted against employers.
FRAGMENTATION OF WORKPLACE RELATIONSHIPS
Sadly, one of the common outcomes of the gross excess of well-intentioned
workplace legislation, regulation and "insurance-risk management", is to
increase divisiveness between management and staff - a "Them and Us"
mentality, in which each is seen as a threat to the "Beingness" of the
other. At worst, this breeds suspicion, mistrust, conspiracy theories and
strategies to undermine the power-base of the "opposing" team.
SOLUTIONS AT THE PERSONAL LEVEL?
What can we, as individuals, do in this deteriorating situation?
The answer is too big to go into here, but I would like to mention RULE 1!
RULE 1 is "Dismantle any tendency to make matters worse!"
Vicious cycles of stress originate in our "stress personalities".
STRESS PERSONALITIES
These are the patterns (archetypes or sub-personalities) of thinking,
feeling, perceiving, talking and behaving that are triggered by perceived
threats, excessive demands, boredom, overload, misery, weariness or
disempowerment.
These patterns evolved more than 30,000 years ago, when Neolithic people
faced VERY DIFFERENT situations to the modern workplace. When activated in
the modern, civilised, politically-correct workplace, they have to be
repressed or denied.
Control, Repression, Rationalization and Denial ("I'm a nice person!", "Keep
the lid on your feelings!", "Be professional!", "You just have to put up
with it!" etc!) result in accumulating, held-in feelings and tensions that
make us increasingly unskilful, intolerant, dysfunctional and eventually ill
or suicidal!
CLEARING HELD-IN FEELINGS AND IMPULSES
Clearing the held-in stuff - in a way that does not "massage" (wallow in)
it - results in us feel lighter, more flexible, more centred (less
"scattered", "scatty" or "spaced out"), more energised.
It also puts a smile back on our face and a bounce back in our step!
It also stops those awful leaks of body language that trigger resistance,
mistrust, neglect, revenge - or even sabotage! - in others.
If you have an doubts about this, or want to learn some quick and powerful
new techniques for doing it, try our "clearing workshop" this weekend in
Cambridge:
http://www.sunflower-health.com/workshops.htm
or check out this article on "cathartic" (clearing and releasing)
techniques:
http://www.lovehealth.org/tools/catharsis.htm
Watch those stress levels - This is an epidemic!
Mike