You're No Psychiatrist, But...........

You won’t be able to intervene with every issue and stressful problem employees throw at you. And you're not a shrink, of course, but there are broad categories of stress worth knowing about. This can help you stay attuned to relationship and workplace dynamics with which interventions could reduce the impact of stress. Stress research with employees, of which there is a lot, usually focuses on 1) conflicts with supervisors, 2) complaints about the work culture and factors associated with it, and 3) dissatisfaction with making too minimal a contribution, not feeling like one belongs, is included, or fits in. This includes a feeling of not being valued for one’s contributions to the achievements of the work unit. Keep these categories in mind in conversations with employees. If you do, especially when dealing with normal workplace conflict, you will see opportunities to make lives better for your employees as a good supervisor. You will be able to take action, and this can reduce turnover if you jump on problems quickly and resolve them.