Blog Entries

A  Miron employee recently took the initiative to share how to handle stress and create a positive work environment with fellow team members. His tips were so universal we thought it made sense to share this topic with our online community. Here are eight helpful tips on how you can handle daily stress while creating a positive work environment for yourself and fellow co-workers, because as we all know, happy employees mean happy clients!

1. Stay Calm and Positive

It’s important to stay calm when your daily tasks become stressful. Take a deep breath in order to avoid getting angry and emotional. Instead, turn a negative situation into a positive one. Find the good in every situation and ask for help when needed. This way, you can communicate effectively with your team members and resolve stressful situations.

2. Show Respect

With every relationship you encounter in the workplace or outside of it, it’s crucial to be respectful of those around you. Specifically in the workplace, it’s important to respect your co-worker’s property and individual space. It’s also important to keep your personal work area neat and tidy. This will not only create a more organized and clean environment for you to work in, but for those around you as well. Be cognizant of holding meetings in open spaces, such as at your work desk or in your cubicle. Whenever possible, try to reserve a conference room so that those around you can still concentrate and work effectively.

3. Be Kind and Courteous

While technology is slowly taking over the world, it seems impossible to detach from it. When engaging with co-workers, avoid multi-tasking on devices. Spending time on your phone, tablet or computer may come across as rude and impolite and gives the appearance that you are not focused on the conversation. Remember to be kind and courteous whether or not technology is involved.

4. Be Helpful and Cooperative

A great way to establish and maintain camaraderie in the workplace is to be helpful and cooperative. If you see someone who’s stressed, help them out! Take the time to be a good team member and friend. Accept criticism and knowledge from your co-workers as well. Surveys show that the biggest gripe is the workplace is the “know-it-all.” Don’t be a know-it-all and accept the knowledge that your fellow colleagues can offer. Realize that everyone holds a piece of the puzzle and you can’t complete a puzzle with just one piece.

5. Apologize When Necessary

Everyone makes mistakes. Realize that people are not perfect and neither are you! Accept apologies from those who are clearly in the wrong and apologize when that person is you. If you’re not sure who was in the wrong, apologize anyway! No harm, no foul.

6. Smile!

Smiles are contagious. Make sure to always be friendly and kind, as you never know what someone else is going through. Say “good morning” when you pass a co-worker in the hallway or around the workplace. ”Kindness, like a boomerang, always returns.”

7. Communicate Effectively

Communication is the key to any relationship. Communicating effectively can make or break a project. It’s easy to dominate a conversation without realizing it; try to ensure everyone receives a chance to share input and bring ideas to life. If you need to speak with a co-worker who is on the phone or engaged in another conversation, don’t hover. Leave a note instead or stop by later. Also, be sure to remain respectful during conversations and avoid the use of profane language. There’s a time and place for those types of conversations and the workplace isn’t it.

8. Remain Aware of Your Surroundings

There’s always that one cell phone that goes off in the movie theater and the owner ends up on the receiving end of countless stares and shushes. Don’t be that person. Be sure to mute or turn off your cell phone while in the workplace. Also remain aware of the volume of your voice. It’s easy to get carried away when you get excited and anxious or when in large spaces, but remain aware of your personal volume as it can be distracting to those around you.

“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” – Charles R. Swindoll