Managing the strain of your job

By Amy Lindgren

For the AJC

Everyone knows how stressful it is to be out of work these days, so it’s easy to forget: Having a job isn’t a walk in the park either. For many workers, the “do more with less” and lean workplace trends have trickled down to roost. If that strikes you as too many economic and business clichés in one sentence, consider it representative of today’s mangled management philosophies.

Here’s the simpler version: Companies are making more money off the backs of fewer, more stressed workers. This is good news for shareholders and therapists, and terrible news for the workers.

One of the most common phrases I hear from my working clients these days is, “I know I should be grateful to have a job, but ... .” What follows is typically a tale of no wage increases, or even wage givebacks over several years, and of working in departments that have lost head count and budget while still managing to increase productivity.

It doesn’t matter if the employee wears a white collar or blue, or works in a for-profit, nonprofit or government office. This scenario transcends all the traditional workplace barriers.

The stress is beginning to show. Alert managers know that when the recession’s effects on the job market finally loosen, they can expect to lose some of their best employees. These are the people whose skills will adapt to new settings, and who have the can-do attitude necessary to make a change. Indeed, some of these workers are already leaving for greener pastures.

If you want to be one of the workers your manager worries about losing, you’ll need to manage two paths simultaneously: your future escape route and your current stress levels. One without the other is like rowing a boat with one oar: You’ll stay very busy, but you won’t actually get anywhere.

This Labor Day weekend is a good time to review your situation. If the above paragraphs strike a chord for you, consider following one or all five of the following tips for correcting course.

1. Count the hours you’re working and decide: Is this the right number? Some workers are vastly under-scheduled right now, while others are inadvertently working dozens of overtime hours each month, often by virtue of email business conducted from home after the workday ends. Whether you need more hours or fewer to better balance your work life, the solution starts with knowing the facts.

Once you’ve calculated the actual hours you work, divide this number into your gross weekly pay to get your hourly rate. For many of my clients, this number is substantially lower than anticipated, which helps confirm a decision to improve a work situation.

2. Review your workday to find its stress points. Does a particular meeting set your teeth on edge, or a routine task, or perhaps a co-worker whose personality clashes with yours? Ask yourself: If you could change just one thing at work, what would it be? While this exercise sometimes collapses from the weight of too many stressors -- a good indication that it’s time to change jobs, by the way -- it often casts a spotlight on a correctable situation.

3. Stop a minute to dream. Imagine yourself in a better work situation in five years, or even just one or two years from now: What does that look like? Where do you work, and what are you doing? What level have you achieved? Do you have a different career altogether? What makes you happy in this scenario and why?

Now write down your answers and look for ideas. If you were to make this dream happen, what would you have to do right now?

4. Schedule a meeting with your boss to talk about steps 1-3 above. I know -- this could be job suicide. But take a deep breath and ask yourself: Am I going to get anywhere by repeating my current pattern? If the answer is no, then consider this: If you were even slightly less stressed at the end of the day, could you perhaps take control of your career path again? At the very least, find a way to reduce your unpaid hours, just as a matter of justice.

5. Carve out career-building time each week. This could include taking a class, networking, writing your resume, cross-training internally, or a dozen other activities. You must make this a priority, even it means completing 110 percent of your work duties instead of 115 percent. There will always be too much work, so pledge to do a little less of it while you regain some balance in your life.

Amy Lindgren owns Prototype Career Service, a career consulting firm in St. Paul. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com or at 626 Armstrong Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102.