Understanding your team's 'Stress Management' Levels
As most of Australia grapples with lockdowns, we are looking down the barrel of further business impacts, life disruptions, and for most, stress levels will be running high both at home and in the workplace.
Once again, many employees will be required to be flexible, optimistic and resilient in an unpredictable and changing environment. And once again, employers are going to have to rely on their team’s emotional intelligence and resilience to cope under these unpredictable circumstances. A person’s ability to cope with emotions associated with change and unpredictable circumstances is a facet of emotional intelligence. The Emotional Quotient Inventory calls this facet Stress Management.
The Emotional Quotient Inventory, or EQ-i* (Myers Briggs), is an assessment used to test employees or candidate's emotional intelligence for recruitment and/or development purposes. This assessment is multi-faceted and assesses the degree to which one is emotionally intelligent. These facets are as follows:
Self-perception
Self-expression
Interpersonal
Decision Making
Stress Management
In the workplace, high emotional intelligence is a superpower. It correlates with leadership success, better performance, stress management, wellbeing and effective teamwork.
With the current circumstances, we thought it would be a great opportunity to take a more focused looked into the facet of "stress management". Stress management is broken into three sub-categories: flexibility, stress tolerance, and optimism.
What is emotional flexibility?
Flexibility is adapting emotions, thoughts and behaviours to unfamiliar, unpredictable, and dynamic circumstances or ideas. This component of emotional intelligence refers to one’s overall ability to adapt and tolerate stress that accompanies change. Flexible people are agile and capable of reacting to change with minimal adverse effect. They are open to and capable of change, and tolerant of new ideas, orientation, and practice.
Stress Tolerance
Stress tolerance involves coping with stressful or difficult situations and believing that one can manage or influence those situations in a positive manner. This component or emotional intelligence in multifaceted. One’s stress tolerance depends on being equipped with the necessary and relevant coping skills; maintaining a belief that one can handle the situations; and feeling confident that once can have a positive impact on the outcome.
Stress tolerance is very much related to resilience and, when coupled with optimism, is a strong indicator of one’s ability to effectively deal with problems and crises – as opposed to surrendering to feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. When stress tolerance is low, anxiety is likely, which can have negative effects on well-being, concentration, and ultimately performance.
Optimism
Optimism is an indicator of one’s positive attitude and outlook on life. It involves remaining hopeful and resilient, despite occasional setbacks. Optimism assumes a measure of hope in one’s approach to life. It is a positive approach to daily living and a significant component of resilience and wellbeing.
With the current lockdowns many people will find their stress management will be put to the test. In this time especially, it is important that our employees are effective in their own stress management and are equipped to cope with the pressure and uncertainty they are facing.
If you would like more information on how the EQ-i assessment could help you with recruitment and development, or you would like to explore our Remote Workshops on Wellbeing and Resilience for your teams, please contact us at 0411 113 617 or email reception@incorporatepsychology.com.au.
Incorporate Psychology is a certified MBTI Myers Briggs practitioner.
Stay safe and well!
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