According to a report in the Gulf News last year, large numbers of employees in the UAE are literally working themselves to death. Yes, as the difficult global economic conditions persist, companies have been increasingly needing their employees to do more with less in order that their business can stay competitive. This means employees in all countries, especially the UAE, have been doing extremely long hours on the job, which has led to a massive increase in stress-related illnesses such as heart ailments and diabetes.
Health concerns
It seems that UAE is suffering particularly badly with stress related illnesses as it has the second fastest growing incidence of heart disease and the highest incidence of Diabetes.
These diseases are both strongly linked to stress. A survey by YouGov Siray has revealed that 59% of UAE residents were stressed out and the 65% cited that the main reason for this stress was increased work-loads.
Too much stress will make you less productive and effective
But, putting health concerns aside for the moment, too much stress will also have a negative impact on your career. Why is this? Well, for starters employees who experience too much stress will generally experience higher levels of sickness absence which means they will be less productive. If you are less productive and a lower performer this can lead to reduced bonuses or even dismissal if the stress and absence seriously hinders your ability to do the job. Also, since many employers will look at your previous sickness record as part of their referencing process, if you have a high sickness record (which may be high due to stress related absence), it will harm your future employment chances. This means that UAE workers should not only be aware of stress but they should be taking steps to actively manage their stress levels to avoid it reaching harmful levels.
6 Steps To Minimize Stress and enhance your productivity at work
- One of the first ways to minimize stress is simple and that is to practice good sleep hygiene and get a sufficient amount of sleep each night. Research shows that adults need between 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep a day to function at their best. This will make you alert, more productive and will help to reduce stress.
- Another easy way to reduce stress is to make sure that you take all your holiday leave. A surprising amount of people do not take all their holiday leave. Taking holiday is an important way to de-stress,so make sure you use it all.
- Another great way to reduce stress and at the same time to increase productivity is by engaging in regular exercise, so join a gym and make sure you have a good regime and exercise around 2 to 3 times a week.
- Do some yoga or meditation on a weekly basis as these are both excellent stress reduction/management practices.
- If you are finding that you are overwhelmed by your workload, then it is important that you raise this with your boss – and ask for assistance so your workload/stress can be reduced in some way.
- Engage in some time management training as poor time management can lead to inefficient performance which will ultimately lead to missed deadlines and stress.
About the author
Kazim Ladimeji is the Director of thecareercafe.co.uk—a resource for start-ups, small business and job seekers. It includes a blog with career and small business advice articles. Kazim is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and has been a practising HR professional for 14 years.
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