Stress and Work/Life Balance - Insights for Managers

My guiding aim in writing this book was to make it readable, down to earth and useful. It carries a conviction that managers vulnerability to stress can be lessened by them standing back from the coal face occasionally and recognising they have choices in how they feel in themselves and behave towards others. There is no suggestion this is easy but there is plenty of food for thought, drawn not from theories laced with jargon, but from meeting and spending time with hundreds of managers and collecting a wealth of anecdotal evidence. Not every page will be relevant to every reader but there is much of potential value to be found by most and revelations are guaranteed for some!

Preface

1 Part I: Introduction
Stress is different
1.1 Everybody is unique
1.2 Polar opposites
1.3 Who will admit to stress?
1.4 The gender gap

2 Why is stress increasing?
2.1 Might it all be the fault of others?
2.2 Self recognition and honesty

3 Revealing definitions
3.1 Some myths

4 Common signs of stress
4.1 The physiology of stress (The ‘fight or flight’ syndrome)

5.1 Gauging how you are coping
5.2 Burnout
5.3 Work-related stressors: self assessment

6 Part II: Introduction
Coping skills strategy
6.1 Time to spare? Seems unlikely but...
6.2 Time management menu
6.3 Tyranny of a ‘to do’ list
6.4 Delegation

7 Assertion as an antidote to stress
7.1 Be assertive with yourself
7.2 A revealing exercise
7.3 The noisy library challenge
7.4 Just say ‘No’!
7.5 Assertion miscellany

8 Work/life balance
8.1 Experiment with changes
8.2 ‘Me’ time
8.3 Interests outside work
8.4 The impact of mood at home
8.5 Early hour waking

9 Cognitive skills
9.1 Irrational beliefs (non-religious)
9.2 Approval
9.3 ‘Fair and just’
9.4 Perfection
9.5 Perception and choice
9.6 Challenging negative thinking
9.7 Overcoming anxiety
9.8 Talk support
9.9 Self-affirming questions and slogans

10 Part III: Introduction
The influence of the manager
10.1 Middle managers are the meat
10.2 Duty of care – just another initiative?
10.3 Manager’s duty of care check list
10.4 Detecting possible signs of stress in others
10.5 How to deal with George
10.6 Basic counselling skills for managers
10.7 If in doubt...Do!
10.8 Influence of type ‘A’ personality
10.9 Am I a stress spreader?
10.10 Emotional intelligence

11 Conclusion