According to the HSE, a total of 13.8
million working days were lost to work-related stress,
depression and anxiety in 2006/07. That figure only
shows the working days lost. The loss of stressed employees'
productivity while at work, cannot be measured.
If your company works directly with
the public and your employees talk to your customers
directly, the levels of staff stress can have a serious
impact on your profits.
Communication is about far more than
the spoken or written word. Body language and tone of
voice can drastically alter the perceived meaning of
a statement or comment. Even on the telephone, a rushed
conversation from a stressed salesman can often sound
exactly like a rushed conversation from a stressed salesman,
no matter how well written his script.
On the other hand, a relaxed and caring
attitude will usually put the customer at ease and make
the conversation a lot more productive. At best it will
improve productivity and at worst it will make the customer
feel a lot warmer toward your company.
Stress cannot be ignored, nor can it
be successfully hidden. In many cases, our subconscious
is a better communicator than we are. Most of us can
tell a fake smile from a genuine one.
Improving the environment in which
we work, can have a major impact on our stress levels.
Comfortable seating, adjustable lighting, good heating
in the winter and air-conditioning in the summer, can
all make a huge difference. Rows of boring, grey filing
cabinets could be replaced with display cabinets or
a fish tank, and a few potted plants around the office
always helps.
Stress cannot be abolished by rearranging
the office, but de-cluttering certainly helps.
Focusing more on the customer and less
on their wallet can often generate more business in
the long run. A happy customer will tell their family
& friends to use your company. We already know this.
But what we generally forget is, people like to make
other people happy. So whether you're concerned about
repeat business and recommendations or not, your staff
will be happier at work and therefore more productive
if they're allowed to put the customer first.
© 2007 S J Huggins All
rights reserved
