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Worries at Work and how to Face them

Worries at Work

Everyone experiences worry at work  at some point in their life, but there are a few worries which many of us face quite often.

May brought Mental Health Awareness week which encouraged us all to express our worries and anxieties more openly. At OptiMe we have combined a list of 3 common worries at work and some advice on how you can deal with them!

The fear of being fired.

Joan Kingsley, a consultant clinical and organisational therapist, with 25 years of experience in research of workplace psychology says that the fear of being fired ranks as the number one worry for employees.

A fearful work environment causes employees to stop creativity and focus on surviving rather than thriving.

How to Deal with it:

If you trust your boss you could talk to them about your worries at work, a little reassurance from your peers can go a long way. However, if you constantly feel stress or pressure in your role you might want to rethink your job.

If you work in a healthy organisation but still worry you need think about what your personal triggers are. Do you have a personal disliking to your manager? Are your fears based on past experiences?

By working out the trigger of your fear you can become better equipped to deal with it and reassure yourself.

The worry that you’re not going to make it.

New graduates can experience fear that their job will never live up to their expectations. Often, young people come into an organisation from university and have big expectations.

These individuals can find themselves disappointed with their day to day life. For example, a graduate starting a job at a law firm may have expectations that they will be in court ‘fighting for justice’, when in reality their first years may involve a lot of scanning and paperwork.

How to Deal with it:

When you start working it is your approach and your attitude which makes all the difference. It’s about using your time constructively to learn each day.

Learn how to talk on the phone, learn how to use social media professionally, learn how to think before you act.

Reach out to people who are older and look for mentors. Use this as a time of learning and progress rather than a reason to be disappointed.

The worry of appearing lazy.

The fear of appearing lazy at work is a mentality can occur in almost any workplace. Some people are genuinely afraid to take a lunch break!

However, a new culture is being generated due to the increase in millennials in the workplace, meaning that the importance of taking breaks and fostering a healthy work schedule is becoming a very important.

How to Deal with it:

Most managers are reasonable people. They want employees to perform well and work harmoniously. Always take your lunch break, and if you are struggling with your workload ask others for help. You’ll get your work completed in a quicker time, rather than spending your break working.

Try to approach projects with enthusiasm and you might begin to see work as a challenge rather than a threat of time.

If you are an employer and would like to read more on how you can ensure your employees are balancing their work and breaks correctly, click here to read Five Ways Employers can Encourage a Healthy Work-Life Balance.

If you know someone who would benefit from reading this article please share this post to your social media channels.

To read our blog post on How to Deal with Worry Click Here

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