Stress at work continues to have a huge impact on businesses. According to Health Advocate’s Stress in the Workplace Study, there are about one million workers who will miss work each day because of stress, costing companies each year an estimated $602 per employee. But the impact on workers isn’t solely related to health issues and absenteeism. Most employees would agree that workplace stresses can negatively impact performance – decreased concentration, motivation, memory, decision-making capability – and degrade overall productivity.
One area, though, that is often overlooked when it comes to the effects of stress in the workplace is communication. You may not even realize that your high stress levels could lead to your giving misinformation or incomplete information. A lack of effective and informed communication can be detrimental to any workplace environment. If left unaddressed, it could ultimately cost you your job.
Communicating While Under Stress
You may not be able to remove all the daily stresses you face at work, but there are steps you can take to make sure your communication is not being negatively impacted. University of Illinois Extension’s Communicating Under Pressure info graphic provides a three-part approach that you can start implementing right now at work.
Additional Resources:
- https://healthadvocate.com/downloads/webinars/stress-workplace.pdf
- https://smallbusiness.chron.com/effects-negative-communication-workplace-11524.html
- https://www.businessperform.com/workplace-communication/poor-communication-costs.html
- https://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/09/03/how-to-be-a-better-communicator-in-the-workplace
