Job Stress and the Chicken Little Syndrome
our job is a large part of
your life. You spend 40 You can guess what happens to the
hours at work each week. morale in an office when one
And many additional hours employee spreads gloom.
thinking about things that Depression is contagious. It is
happened (or might happen) at difficult to be happy or
work. Most people are not able to contented when you are waiting
turn off their concerns about for some disaster to take place.
their jobs like a faucet. And The company is going bankrupt.
what happens at work is carried There s going to be a big layoff.
home and reacted to according to The company is being sold.
whether it was good or
troublesome. Usually, people who are consumed
with disaster, also feel free to
The workplace should be be overly critical of others.
attractive as well as functional, Unwarranted criticism can bring
ideally the work should be the morale down in the workplace
interesting, and hopefully your faster than the sky falling in.
associates should be helpful and
pleasant. And, unfortunately, what happens
at work too often is carried home
Unfortunately, there is often a and influences your time off. So
Chicken Little in the hen house don t give in to a Chicken
or in the workplace. Even one Little. If he/she confronts you
depressed employee can cause a with a dire prediction just laugh
cloud over the whole office. it off and change the subject.
Chicken Little was so sure the
sky was going to fall in that she If you can enlist others around
was able to convince everyone she you, you might make a game of it
met of the same thing. and say, This is Thursday, only
optimistic conversation is allowed.
acceptable on Thursdays.
If this doesn t work, you will
Or Friday. This is Friday If you have to handle it head on and let
don t have something constructive him/her know that no one wants to
to talk about on Fridays, you hear dire predictions, and if
aren t allowed to talk. they are going to criticize,
everyone will laugh.
Or Monday. No pessimism is
allowed on Monday. Even one individual can have a
great deal of influence on the
If it s Tuesday, don t bother to mood of the workplace. Don t let
be critical. The victim won t the morale in your office be the
hear it. victim of a Chicken Little.
On Wednesdays, only happy talk is Copyright 2006 Robert T. Lewis
Article Source: http://www.ArticleStreet.com
Robert T. Lewis, Ph.D.
Psychologist and Author of:
The Best Little Job Stress Manual on the Planet
www.self-helpebooks.com
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