Thursday, June 08, 2006

To your health: Prevent Stress and Burnout

You arrive at the office way earlier than you would have liked. It’s winter, so the place is brightly lit with fluorescent tubes, some of them flickering like a disco machine. The place is unnervingly silent as everybody is going over the papers they need in the upcoming monthly strategy meeting. You still have five minutes to spare, so you put the coffee on, you check your email while dialling in to hear the voicemail messages. Then you spot the memo that the boss put on your desk (why didn’t she email it, you wonder). Just as you begin to read it, the coffee machine beeps, your mobile phone starts to ring and your computer announces brightly that you have new mail.

If, at this point, you feel like giving up and crawling back to bed, don’t feel embarrassed. The latest research shows that multitasking - the very quality so sought after by most employers - can often lead to stress and burnout. This can be exacerbated by working in an environment that clashes with your natural working style in terms of lighting, noise levels, time of day and social interaction.

Working in an environment that’s comfortable and compatible with your own can prevent stress and burnout. What’s more, it can motivate you, energise you and increase your productivity.

Do you know your optimal Working Style? If not, please complete the Working Style Analysis (WSA) on www.creativelearningcentre.com. It’ll be good for your health.

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