CALL CENTER STRESS PUTTING STRESS MANAGEMENT FIRST INSTEAD

CALL CENTER STRESS: PUTTING STRESS MANAGEMENT FIRST INSTEAD OF LAST. Presented by James E. Porter President, Stress. Stop. com

Overview of the Program Facts and figures Preventing stress on the fly while your stress is happening The six steps to stress prevention How to achieve optimal performance Identify sources of call center stress The ROI of managing stress Call center stress solutions

Facts and figures about stress 66% of people cited work as a significant source of stress. 64% of people frequently feel irritable and anxious at work. 80% of workers feel stress on the job. Workplace stress is as bad for the heart as smoking and high cholesterol. 75 -90% of all visits to primary-care physicians are for stress related concerns. APA/Stress. org

The Problem TOWERS WATSON STUDY

Obstacles to Overcome Ø American organizations are skittish about acknowledging stress in the workplace. - The FAA example Ø We need to get over the fear of talking about stress. Ø In Europe and Canada job stress is the responsibility of the employer. In the US job stress is the responsibility of the employee.

How do you think the average person manages his or her stress?

Counter productive coping Drink Smoke Eat emotionally Spending money Take recreational drugs Engage in risky behaviors like gambling, speeding, minor infractions of the law.

Stress doesn’t always DIRECTLY cause health problems. It causes the unhealthy lifestyle choices that lead to health problems. Dr. Leslie Hammer, Occupational Health Psychologist Work Stress Work-life stress is the “cause of the causes. It’s an occupational hazard in and of itself. ” Less sleep, smoking, less exercise, junk food Counter-Productive Coping

Cultural Obstacles 1. Our culture promotes stress like a badge of honor. 2. Mindset against managing stress. 3. We cope with stress counter-productively. 4. Doctors receive little or no training. 5. Doctor and patient want the quick fix. 6. Pills only mask the symptoms of stress.

Masking the Symptoms of Stress When you mask the symptoms of stress it allows the patient to pretend he has no stress. And that’s why they put it last instead of first. Paving over the rumble strip.

Short list of Stress-Related DIS-EASE Heart disease High blood pressure Allergies Asthma Auto immune disorders Recurrent colds Gastro-intestinal problems Ulcers Colitis/irritable bowel syndrome Infertility/ED Insomnia Depression Anxiety Diabetes Migraine headaches Chronic pain

How Do We Change? People put stress reduction last They engage in counter productive coping Doctors don’t really help by prescribing drugs that only mask the symptoms Job stress is a major source of stress and US companies don’t want to even talk about it. Most stress management techniques can’t be used while we are at work.

One possible solution:

Six Step Stress Prevention Model Step 1 Raising Awareness: Connecting the dots between your symptoms of stress and your sources of stress. Step 2 Problem solving: Avoid unnecessary stress. Step 3 Cognitive Restructuring: understanding how your thinking affects your experience of stress. Step 4 Mindfulness: Staying in the present moment Step 5 Resilience: Taking a proactive approach Step 6 Social Support: Your #1 weapon against stress.

List of call center stressors that I created after visiting a call center Working in a noisy environment Unexpected spikes in call volume High rates of turnover Burnout Long hours spent sitting Short training time leaving worker not quite ready to handle calls Loss of control due to high rates of call monitoring Unpredictability Handling difficult calls Always having to be upbeat on every call no matter how you are feeling that day

Six Steps to Stress Prevention � Step 1 Raising Awareness ◦ Stress symptoms: rapid heart beat, cold hands, dry mouth, muscle tension, headaches, sleeplessness, upset stomach, etc. ◦ Dealing with stress at the symptom level makes it preventable ◦ Taking a different message from your stress symptoms. ◦ Useful Tools: Stress Assessment: makes it personal.

Step 2: Problem-solving

Step 2 Problem solving Eliminating unnecessary stress Top ten sources of stress Turns problems into solutions Keeping a log or a journal of your stress We’re not talking about managing stress here this is actually eliminating it!

Step 3 Cognitive Restructuring A+B=C Become aware of negative self-talk A+B=C The Activating Event + Beliefs = The Consequence Most people think that A=C All our opportunity for personal growth lies in the small space between stimulus and response – Stephen Covey

Step 4: Mindfulness

Step 4 Mindfulness vs. Mindlessness Present moment awareness is refuge from anger and anxiety Flow: Finding engaging tasks at work

Step 5: Resilience Taking a proactive approach instead of a reactive approach �Exercise �Yoga �Meditation �Relaxation techniques Tip: Make this a part of your daily routine, no different than taking a shower or brushing your teeth.

Step 6 Social Support Connecting with every single person you meet Listen Eye contact Addressing people by name. You’ll get a dopamine or oxytocin hit so you’re managing stress every time you connect

Optimal Performance Curve

Addressing call center stress Working in a noisy environment Step 2 Problem solving (Noise cancelling headphones) Unexpected spikes in call volume Step 5 Building resilience allows us to handle more load. High rates of turnover & Burnout Make Stress Management a priority: All six steps Long hours spent sitting Step 1: Raising awareness: Sitting is the new smoking; Step 5 5 minute walk every hour

Addressing call center stress Short training time leaving worker not quite ready to handle calls Step 6 Social support through “incubation period. ” Managers and peer to peer support, Assign a mentor Loss of control due to high rates of call monitoring Step 3 Cognitive Restructuring: This monitoring can help prove you handled call professionally Unpredictability Step 2 Problem solving; emails with talking points alerting employees to emerging issues and how to handle them Handling difficult calls Step 6 Social support encouraging workers to support each other and talk about handling difficult calls. Always having to be upbeat on every call no matter how you are feeling that day Step 4 Mindfulness If you come in unhappy, just allowing yourself to Be with each caller can get your mind off of what’s troubling you.

Call center managers can help employees manage stress by: Giving workers some flexibility and control over how they schedule their time will greatly add to their overall sense of control. Being a supportive boss: People don’t quit their jobs they quit their bosses Encouraging fun days, dress up days, casual days, pajama days, etc. (Since customers never see you!) Focusing on unique perks; working from home, getting to know the properties (in the call center I saw, there were a lot of cool things people got to do, in order to become familiar with the hotel rooms and other attractions offered), never being bored… Focusing on keeping hold times to a minimum as a way of lowering employee and caller stress. (When too long: Non issues become issues. ) Teaching employees how to manage their customer’s stress.

The ROI of stress management According to NIOSH these are some of important benefits of lowering stress in your organization: Reducing Absenteeism Health Care Costs Accidents Turnover Increasing Productivity Job Satisfaction Concentration Customer Service

Six-Step Stress Prevention Model Step 1: Raising Awareness Step 2: Problem-solving Step 3: Cognitive Restructuring Step 4: Mindfulness Step 5: Resilience Step 6: Social Support

• How would your life be different if peace of mind (i. e. , stress management) were your highest priority?

Contact info: For a free copies of the workbooks: Write to Jim@Stress. Stop. com www. Stress. Stop. com Email jim@stressstop. com Phone 800 -367 -1604 (to set up a telephone meeting and/or speaking engagement. ) Join my Linked-In Discussion Group: Managing Stress@Work (And see article on Call Center Stress

The future of stress management right now Step 1: Teach stress management to the management Replace toxic bosses with supportive bosses Give workers more autonomy

The future of stress management right now Step 2: Start by doing it yourself Create your own stories Jim’s story of resisting journaling. Ryan Picarella: Be your own guinea pig

The future of stress management right now Step 3: Use the audience. Get testimonials: Ask people whether or not they do yoga, exercise, or meditate. Let them speak to their peers.

The future of stress management right now Step 4: Teach behavioral change: 1. Pre-contemplation 2. Contemplation 3. Preparation 4. Action 5. Maintenance 6. Termination

The future of stress management right now Step 5: Emphasize short-term benefits; Do it in the morning to experience the benefits all day. Attitudes follow behaviors. Convince them with the idea that once they incorporate stress mgmt. into their lives it will become as easy as brushing their teeth

The future of stress management right now Step 6: Give people a multi pronged approach from low tech to high tech People love biodots – with training Give them access to online tools they can use at home or at work, like My. Stress. Tools, Online option solves problems with attendance, diverse locations, no time to do it at work.

Danish study of 12, 000 Nurses followed for 15 years. Nurses who said their work pressure was much too high had a nearly 50% increased risk of ischemic heart disease compared with women who reported a manageable work pressure. Nurses who reported work pressure being a little too high had a 25% increased risk.

The stress of an unhealthy workplace You. Tube Video: Introducing Workplace Mental Health with Dr. Martin Shain

Occupational Stress & Heart Disease Column 1 Column 2 College Professors Teachers College Presidents Lawyers Physicians Insurance Agents Real Estate Agents Rates of death from heart disease are twice as high in the second column than the first. Source: NIOSH Total Worker Health Webinar Series Dr. Dan Ganster, Univ. of CO

Give workers more autonomy 2 dimensional Demand/control model low demand high control high demand high control Night watchman control Airline pilot or CEO low demand low control high demand low control Clerk in slow business Postal sorting center or short order cook , middle level manager demands Dr. Robert Karasek’s demand/control model

Give workers more autonomy and support 3 Dimensional Demand/Control/Support Model “going postal” Study of Stress and Health Effects on IT Workers, University of Uppsala, Sweden

Call center employees can manage stress on the fly by : Making a connection with every single person who calls. Focus on helping others. Think about having empathy for difficult callers. Taking advantage of good stress; Ride the wave of adrenalin you feel when things get really busy and let it help you focus on being more productive. Alternate if possible between sitting and standing while taking calls. Think about how your job adds to your sense of purpose. Not all jobs can make this boast. Be grateful for this.