It seems like an obvious tip, but even the smallest missed task or component can cause extra work, have a negative impact on an entire project and become a huge source of stress later. To plan better, try to anticipate all possible risks, identify strengths, weaknesses, construction collaboration tool opportunities and threats, and solicit advice from subject matter experts to ensure all angles have been explored. Give yourself a cooling off period to consolidate what you have learned, this allows time for you and your team to measure twice and cut once.
For example, when college students turn to drinking as a way of coping with stress, they begin to drink larger quantities and more frequently, instead of just occasionally with friends. This can lead to alcohol poisoning, addiction, and other dangerous behaviors. The problems these coping methods create can cause more harm than good and often lead to more stress for the student. Another way of reducing stress at work is by simply changing the workload for an employee. Some may be too overwhelmed that they have so much work to get done, or some also may have such little work that they are not sure what to do with themselves at work. Improving communications between employees also sounds like a simple approach, but it is very effective for helping reduce stress.
Then there are other project managers that, almost casually, get on with the job. Why are some project managers always solving crises while others go about their jobs quietly and calmly, simply getting tasks done? Well, some projects are tougher than others, but it is often only about the way the project manager operates. A study was done on the stress levels in general practitioners and hospital consultants in 1999. Over 500 medical employees participated in this study done by R.P Caplan.
In fact, construction job sites are some of the most stressful places in the world. Often contractors agree to unreasonable construction schedules which put their project managers under undue pressure. Everyone wants the impossible, but, sometimes clients need to understand why the timeline is impossible. Often timelines can be negotiated, and clients can get the critical sections of work delivered on time while the other sections follow.
These results showed that 47% of the workers scored high on their questionnaire for high levels of stress. These numbers came to a surprise to Dr. Caplan and it showed how alarming the large number of medical workers become stressed out because of their jobs. Managers stress levels were not as high as the actual practitioners themselves. An eye opening statistic showed that nearly 54% of workers suffered from anxiety while being in the hospital. Although this was a small sample size for hospitals around the world, Caplan feels this trend is probably fairly accurate across the majority of hospitals.
We help worksites implement all of these worksite stress management strategies. College can be a stressful time for many students, as they adjust to a new and unfamiliar environment while transitioning from adolescence to adulthood. Nearly 80% of college students report frequently dealing with daily stress.
Sources of stress that influence college students’ stress levels include family and friends who are often physically further away, as well as changes in communication patterns with these individuals. Long-held beliefs (i.e. religious beliefs) as well as new opportunities for various behavior (i.e. alcohol and drug use) are also significant influential factors. In addition to these potential sources of stress, college students are also faced with often rigorous academic demands. In order to manage this stress, students rely on many strategies including problem-focused and emotion-focused coping.
But even newbie construction project managers can have a good first-time experience, only when he knows how to de-stress his life at the site. The construction industry in the United States is booming despite the ongoing labor shortage. In fact, in 2016, the Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded over 400,000 construction management jobs in the country alone and this number is still expected to grow by 11% until 2026. This only shows that there is a strong demand for project managers in the industry.
Without effective coping skills, students tend to engage in unsafe behaviors as a means of trying to reduce the stress they feel. Ineffective coping strategies popular among college students include drinking excessively, drug use, excessive caffeine consumption, withdrawal from social activities, self-harm, and eating disorders. These ineffective strategies can be dangerous because they often become habitual, addictive, and sometimes fatal.
Based on the Yerkes-Dodson curve, moderate level of stress improves performance and when the stress level increases more, the performance decreases. Hence, it is crucial for project managers to be able to moderate the stress levels for optimal performance. Many stressful issues or unpleasant surprises can be avoided by ensuring the right amount of planning goes into each project.