Nonprofit University Blog

The cover story of the February 23 issue of Newsweek was all about stress—the pluses (yes, apparently there are some benefits that can be had from stress), the minuses;  who handles stress really well (special ops!), and who not so well, and so forth.  Actually, a bit more than I really wanted to know about stress as I tried to figure out whether I was in the special ops group or not.  While all the time, yes, you got it, stressing out ever more. But it did get me thinking about the stress levels in our organizations and what executive directors and boards are doing to reduce stress among staff.  My first thought was that most organizations are probably spending more time creating more stress, consciously or unconsciously, than they are trying to reduce stress.  For example, constant talk about how donations are going to drop due to the economy is not a stress reducer.  If, as all too frequently happens, this discussion happens again and again, formally and informally, with NO conversations on how the organization is addressing this problem, might be protected from this problem due to healthy reserves, etc., you’ve taken a stressful conversation and raised it to the level of a freak-out conversation. 

If, for example, you are one of the people who thinks saying “nothing is off the table” as a way to say “no decisions have been made,” please, think again.  This is heard as layoffs, salary reductions, loss of benefits, etc., and not “we are trying to be as creative as possible in resolving this situation so that we can protect everyone’s job because we value all of you and the work that you do.”    

This is not lying or spinning; it is simply saying the same thing but in a positive reassuring manner. So, rather than contribute to the roller coaster of emotions that this economy is producing all on its own, executive directors and boards should identify ways to reduce the stress and anxiety in the workplace.  And this doesn’t have to cost—or at least not a lot. 

1. First and foremost, watch what you say and how you say it.  The English language is a wonderfully rich and vibrant language.  We have a great array of words to be sure we give the right message.  So craft your messages well.
2. Speaking of language, one of the most appreciated rewards for a job well done are expressions of thanks and recognition for a job well done.  And it costs nothing!  (Unless you want to make a plaque or turn over a parking space to the employee of the month.)  According to the authors of the article “Reward Practices and Organizational Performance,” Robert Nelson, in his book 1001 Ways to Reward Employees, noted that the preferred award was praise and appreciation from an employee’s direct supervisor.  And the most widely used awards in Fortune 1000 firms were “nonmonetary recognition awards.”   
3. How about letting folks sleep in an extra hour or so one day and arrive later for work, or leave a few hours early.  Or go with flex time if you don’t already do that.
4. Cater (with the executive director and/or board paying out of their pockets) a special breakfast or lunch for the staff.  Nothing fancy, but a simple show of gratitude and appreciation.
5. If you have, as we do, an area wellness center that travels to offices for chair massages, see if there is something you can barter with in exchange.
6. Ask staff what they would like as no-cost/really low-cost stress busters.  It might be a simple as not answering the phone for an hour, having a book club in the office, doing yoga.  You just never know.

 And before you start saying, “Oh, but we are just too busy for that,” let me just say, balderdash!  There isn’t any organization, regardless of its mission, that cannot find the time and the means to help its most invaluable resource—its staff—feel a little less stressed.