Workers need to ease their stress! Take it from two fish who watch employees from the aquarium in the office waiting room at a large company. We may be small fish in a big pond, but we see all the fishy business at this establishment. No fish tales, here we share our observations of the unproductive effects of too much work stress along with tips for soothing it to manageable levels.
First to arrive each morning, our sales manager walks in at sunrise. Typing frantically on her cell phone, she offers attractive bait to a dozen prospective customers before reaching her office. Her 60-70 hour work weeks show their strain on her tired face. Strong coffee and dark chocolates keep her going in the morning, but she turns into a cold fish by midafternoon.
Then the newbie employee tries to impress the boss by arriving 15 minutes before the office opens. Like a fish out of water, he spends most of his day wandering the halls in a daze, seeking guidance on performing his work tasks. Too busy to provide help, his superiors dismiss him with directives to consult his out-of-date company manual. When he makes a huge mistake costing thousands of dollars, his boss gives him the evil fisheye but no feedback on improving his performance.
Most of the staff arrive a few minutes late, grumbling about having to return to the office after working at home during the pandemic. “Why do we need to work in the office?” one complains. “It’s like living in a fishbowl. I get more done at home without the long commutes and endless coworker drama.”
Last to stumble into work, our fallen rockstar sales rep reeks of last night’s adventure at the local watering hole. Rumor has it this employee has been drinking like a fish since the pandemic started.
The office remains quiet as workers check their emails and phone messages while snacking on pastries and sipping industrial-strength coffee until the first team meeting of the day. Then the complaining resumes with an increased intensity as staff members shuffle in the large conference room. “Another boring, waste-of-time meeting. I got bigger fish to fry,” one worker protests while the others nod in agreement. For one hour, meeting attendees distract themselves from the leader’s prattle by taking a cat nap, texting their friends, doodling on their notepads, or daydreaming about their upcoming weekend.
Throughout the workday, employees search for new jobs on their computers, follow clickbait on TikTok, catfish on dating sites, shop online, and stretch their lunch hours into 90-minute errand sprees. Occasionally, an episode of petty office drama provides some brief comic relief from the community boredom of sorting through fishhooks of spreadsheet data.
Off the hook as quitting time nears, employees gather their belongings and start making their evening plans. Suddenly, smiles of life appear on faces that seemed to float at the top of the fish tank. Like a school of fish, all the office people race out of the office in unison.
What’s going on? Everyone in the office feels overwhelmed with too many tasks and too little recognition after The Great Resignation which led to unprecedented staff and management turnover. HR budget cuts result in poor hiring decisions, unwise promotions, and grossly inadequate training.
We goldfish have floated in this office aquarium for nearly ten years. We have seen all this before, but employee morale has sunk to the lowest level ever since The Great Resignation and The Return to the Office. Not only have workers lost their autonomy, but they also became overwhelmed with too many tasks and too little recognition. Just like the immortal I Love Lucy scene at the chocolate factory, workers fight a losing game of never catching up with the production flow. So, they quit trying and find a quiet pond of escape during their workdays.
In the ideal world, companies would hire enough staff to get the job done, promote talented employees to become effective managers, encourage a true work-life balance, provide adequate initial and ongoing training, encourage a friendly environment of open communication, and provide each employee with their own fish aquarium at their desk for stress relief. Since we don’t live in an ideal world, here we cast out some ideas to help you cope with your job stress more productively.
- Set Boundaries.
Keep work at work. Start by turning off your cell phone at quitting time. Then unwind on weekends with a soothing leisure activity – like fishing.
- Teach Yourself to Fish.
If you don’t receive adequate on-the-job training, find ways to learn the job on your own. Spend time observing efficient coworkers, read any training manuals available, update computer skills with online courses, and seek continuing education in your field.
- Document Your Work.
Maintain a work log and follow up verbal communications with emails. This will save you the need to fish for compliments at performance review time.
- Focus on What You Can Control.
The serenity prayer works wonders – even in the work fishpond.
- Take Your Lunch Breaks.
Enhance brain power with lean protein, healthy fats, and whole grains. Take a quick brisk walk outside or in the hallways.
- Cooperate With Others.
Offer to help a colleague or boss in need, admit when you’re wrong, strive to improve performance, and avoid getting hooked into the office gossip.
- Take a Fish Break at Your Desk.
Watch this aquarium video for five minutes. Notice its calming effects.
Follow these suggestions and you can win your boss over hook, line, and sinker. If you don’t, time to fish for a new job.
Easy Ways to Ease Stress 