There is no such thing as a stressful job or a stressful boss; in fact, all stress comes down to something called ‘rumination’ — the mental process of thinking over and over again about a past or future event with which negative emotion is attached. This is the notion put forward by the Center for […]
Subject: Happiness & Well-being
Identity Crises: Occupational Hazards for Female Leaders?
Female leaders often experience ‘identity conflict’, the sense that their identities as women and their professional identities diverge or are incompatible. The problem can be explained by gender stereotypes. Characteristics and behaviours typically expected of women differ dramatically from those typically expected of leaders. Gender role stereotypes tend to ascribe communal behaviours and qualities such as […]
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Avoiding the Acceleration Trap
Perhaps at one time, ‘corporate burnout’ was attributed to few, mostly C-suite executives. Now, it is much more commonly experienced by employees at all levels of an organization. Increased competition and market pressures means organizations frequently take on more in terms of activities, goals, technologies, etc. than they can handle for a sustained period of […]
Gamification and Games at Work that Work
Researchers have long noted that employees will sometimes spontaneously create games as a way of improving their work experience, helping them to not only pass the time but also alleviate the less pleasant aspects of their work. More recently, managers and employers have gotten involved by creating their own games for employees to play in […]
When Financially Deprived Employees May Shift Moral Standards
Academic research supports the anecdotal evidence that people value moral standards. And yet, academic research also supports the suggestion that people don’t always seem to act in concert with their stated beliefs. There are certain conditions or situations in which people allow themselves to loosen their moral standards. A team of leading researchers in the […]
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Beating Bias through Mindfulness Meditation
Sunk cost bias has been blamed for everything from disastrous military campaigns to over-budget public works and is widely acknowledged as a serious obstacle to effective decision-making. Defined as the “tendency to continue an endeavour once an investment in money, effort or time has been made”, it leads people to “throw good money after bad” […]
Social Status, Performance and Managing Stress
Social status relates to the prestige, esteem and respect that managers and employees receive from their colleagues, subordinates and superiors. While in society, social status can be attained through wealth in addition to power, social status in the business world is often a function of hierarchy. Executives and managers will benefit from a higher social […]
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When Allowing Decision Latitude Can Backfire
Most leaders now recognize (at least theoretically if not always in practice) the ineffectiveness of the old school top-down, command-and-control leadership style. The knowledge worker of the information age is not going to be satisfied with simply obeying orders from above. The best managers avoid micromanaging their employees, giving them instead the freedom to make […]
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Leaders Less Stressed than Followers Due to a Sense of Control
In a classic Harvard Business Review article published in 1981, Harry Levinson said “managing others… creates unending stress… Today’s managers face increasing time pressures with little respite.” Levinson’s view is not unique; in fact, leadership is still widely viewed as highly stressful. A 2013 Business Insider article describes being a CEO as an “incredibly lonely […]
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Reenergizing Lunch Breaks and the Role of Autonomy
More than just an assigned period for eating, a lunch break is an opportunity for employees to engage in various types of activities, from socializing with friends and colleagues to relaxing with a book to catching up on work. Managers and employees might assume that the effectiveness of a lunch break in helping employees restore […]
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