Project Managers on the Edge

Everyone in the work environment today is under stress. We all feel the pressures of getting the project completed on time and satisfying client expectations. That alone is enough to stress anyone out. Businesses need to pay attention to this situation. Projects can’t be executed effectively when the team is under constant pressure. This takes away from the kinds of innovation and ultimate successes sought by senior management on any endeavor. Projects have the visibility and management attention that make it an important consideration for project managers like us.

The Bad News: Some Facts About Stress in the Workplace
One in 10 office workers in Britain, the United States, Germany, Finland and Poland suffers from anxiety, stress or burnout, according to a recent study of the International Labor Organization (ILO). For members of any kind of team developing a product or system, the percentage of stressed workers is even higher. 

Advances in technology, the pace of business globalization, dysfunctional office politics, working longer hours and working harder to keep up, not knowing if the next merger will take your job away, and downsizing in general are the main contributors to workplace stress. According to the United Nations Labor Agency, other major contributors to stress at work include lack of clear instructions, unrealistic deadlines, …