Under pressure

Managing stress in the workplace to improve performance

Jacky BerryBMALibrarian19 June 2008

What is stress?

A condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the

personaland social resources the individual is able to

mobilize

It’s a feeling……………

It’s a feeling………….

Reaction to stress

Reaction to stress

Reaction to stress

Reaction to stress

Reaction to stress

Reaction to stress

Reaction to stress

Individual exercise

Assess your stress level

BMA Library project

STRESS

BMA Library

Unique collection of videos, books and journals which supports:• The clinical practice, research and professional development of

members and institutional members• The educational needs of student members• The research activities of all departments in the Professional Division

and other departments in the BMA• The work of the BMJ and BMJ knowledge

Through:• Expert enquiry service and helpdesk• Access to e-journals and e-books• Customised research • Reading room with high speed internet access and Wi-Fi

The Project brief

• Project commenced in March 2006 for 1 year• Really 11 months!• 3 years dabbling!• Do we need the service? Is it value for money?

Is the Library future-proofed? What are the costs? Can we save money?

• Analyse what was on offer and decide– Get rid of– Outsource– Outsource/keep some services– Keep as is

The Project Brief

• If to be kept– What would it look like?– What resources would be needed?– How many staff would be required?

• Relocate the main Library and integrate the Staff Library

• Relocate the archive store• Install a new Library management system• Restructure Library team

Lots of change

Change is

Messy!!!!

Change is

Unstructured

Change is

Continuous

And stressful……………

Pressure points for the Library team

• Fear of change• Losing their jobs• Organisation/hierarchy not understanding their

roles• Feeling loss of others• Lack of self esteem• More workload, responsibility• Fear of doing a bad job cf appraisals• Deliver against timescales

Pressure points for Library team

• Moving to open plan office• Being exposed• New ways of working• New technology• Working alongside a new management style• Out of control

Dealing with change curve

• Based on Sanders work with individuals suffering from bereavement (Dr Catherine M Sanders, 1990s)

My stress issues

• Emotional intelligence – understand your own stress points as well as others

• Revert to type under pressure• Maintain a work life balance• People who change the goal posts• People who don’t move with you• Pride in getting the job done – can I do this!!!!• Being accepted by the Library team

My stress issues

Sense of hysteria

Stress strategy

• Communicate, communicate, communicate• Build an open, honest culture/environment• Meetings where all were involved• Bug list• Motivate team by using their skills and experience• Raise the profile of the team and Library services• Work in small bite size chunks• Build respect/trust amongst team• Delegate

Learning points

• Don’t panic, keep calm• It is just a job• Things will look different tomorrow• Accept things you cannot change• Say “No” when appropriate• You can only do as much as you can do• Laugh loads

But most of all……………….

And………………………..