Posted on: December 05, 2022 09:08 PM
| 
Guessing is not a strategy: How to build decision velocity with AI and real-time data
June 10, 2026 | Live Webinar
Workplace Gym Memberships or Leadership Bootcamps?
| Workplace Gym Memberships or Leadership Bootcamps? Healthy Workplace It is going to take much more than free gym memberships to keep your workplace healthy. Work evolved into a wonderful set of goals we achieved rather than a place we go to for 10 plus hours a day with the advent of remote working. The trend was catching steam and exploded during The Covid Pandemic 2020. Now, we are backsliding. Work is feeling the great regression or devolution of the workplace. It may be more accurate to describe this as the devolution of leadership. Many leaders have reverted back to ineffective, outdated leadership practices. Micromanagement is becoming common with controlling, punitive, and manipulative leadership behaviors being observed. behaviors. Continuous employee monitoring is leading to a Panopticon Effect where employees feel like leadership is waiting for them to mess up. This damages motivation and morale further escalating the issue. Workplace Bullying Workplace bullying is also on the rise. I am not sure how it gets this far, but it does. When adults turn into common playground thugs when our jobs are on the line, the physical effects are devastating. Workplace bullying has been increasingly recognized in occupational health literature as a significant public health concern with both psychological and physiological consequences. Recent research demonstrates that chronic exposure to bullying behaviors in the workplace is associated with severe long-term health outcomes, particularly cardiovascular disorders and trauma-related psychological conditions. Physical Consequences One major physical consequence linked to workplace bullying is cardiovascular dysfunction, including hypertension and stress-related heart disease. Prolonged exposure to hostile workplace environments activates the body’s stress-response systems, particularly the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, resulting in elevated cortisol levels, chronic inflammation, and sustained increases in blood pressure. Walker (2025) explained that repeated exposure to bullying and psychological intimidation contributes to cardiometabolic strain and increased risk for cardiovascular complications. The review further identified workplace bullying as an occupational health hazard associated with absenteeism, burnout, and long-term physiological deterioration. PTSD A second serious consequence of workplace bullying is the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and complex psychological trauma. Contemporary research increasingly characterizes workplace bullying not as a minor interpersonal conflict, but as a form of chronic relational trauma capable of disrupting an individual’s psychological safety and cognitive stability. Symptoms frequently include hypervigilance, avoidance behaviors, emotional exhaustion, intrusive thoughts, self-doubt, and impaired interpersonal trust. Minibas-Poussard (2025) conceptualized workplace bullying as existential and relational trauma, emphasizing that repeated exposure to toxic workplace interactions can shatter an individual’s assumptions about safety, identity, and meaning. The study connected prolonged bullying exposure to trauma-related outcomes like PTSD and severe burnout syndromes. Mental Health Problems Earlier longitudinal research also supports these findings. Nielsen et al. (2014) found significant associations between workplace bullying and subsequent mental health problems, as well as somatic symptoms over time, reinforcing evidence that bullying exposure contributes to lasting psychological and physical harm. I have always been an advocate of self-leadership for knowledge workers. Autonomy breeds innovation, motivation, and engagement. True autonomy Is achieved through self-leadership. As the SME, you are your own leadership. You seek continuous improvement over time while achieving your best work outcomes. Gym memberships will not keep your workplace healthy, however, long intensive boot camps for leadership may. References Minibas-Poussard, J. (2025). From suffering to growth: A conceptual review of workplace bullying through a logotherapeutic lens with organizational implications. Social Sciences, 14(11), 669. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14110669 Nielsen, M. B., & Einarsen, S. (2014). Workplace bullying and subsequent health problems. Tidsskrift for Den norske legeforening, 134(12/13), 1233–1238. https://doi.org/10.4045/tidsskr.13.0880 Walker, J. (2025). Trauma, power, and psychological safety: Understanding the mental health impact of workplace bullying. Healthcare, 13(23), 3084. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13233084 |
Posted on: May 21, 2026 07:21 PM
| Permalink |
Comments (3)
Stress: Good or Bad?
Categories:
self-care,
mental health awareness,
health,
self-awareness,
Suicide prevention,
self-love,
self-leadership,
improvement,
team,
stress,
performance,
help
Categories: self-care, mental health awareness, health, self-awareness, Suicide prevention, self-love, self-leadership, improvement, team, stress, performance, help
|
Project management is known as a very stressful job. The success or failure of a project and, inevitably, the happiness of the customer and all stakeholders involved a ride on the shoulders of the project manager. This can be a massive burden to bare. The project manager is accountable for the project's outcome, and many project managers are not comfortable reaching out when they feel that the stress may be too much for them to handle. High-stress levels can harm your health, behavior, attitude, success, and family (Teak, 2015). Of course, not all stress is bad, but if managing a project begins to hurt a project manager's job, health, and life, there is help. The Kaizen Method is a method that allows organizations to make small changes over time aimed at improvement. These changes will either lead to improvement or be discarded. The process will enable organizations to improve over time continuously. The continuous improvement model provides an organization with a simple method to facilitate change and encourage flexibility. Learning about Kaizen and other continuous improvement practices can assist an organization in making positive organizational changes aimed at continuous improvement. Small Changes Build Great Things A series of small things do great things when brought together. The initial premise is based on a quote by Vincent van Gogh about The Starry Night in 1889. Small changes or steps can be taken to accomplish great things. Kaizen is based on small changes over time that lead to improvement. Kaizen could assist an organization in making positive organizational changes aimed at continuous improvement. Kaizen was developed in the manufacturing sector to lower defects, eliminate waste, boost productivity, encourage worker purpose and accountability, and promote innovation (Daniel, 2021). Kaizen encourages reduced waste, improvement toward perfection, and remaining committed to the process. Here are a few examples of Successful Kaizen implementations within significant organizations. Toyota used Kaizen and made the concept well known. Lockheed Martin. Used the method to reduce manufacturing costs and delivery time. Ford Motor Company CEO used Kaizen to execute one of the most famous corporate turnarounds (Daniel, 2021). Kaizen can be used for more than lean manufacturing, although that typically comes to mind when discussing kaizen methodology. Kaizen is a straightforward process that can be used in many aspects of our own lives. To improve and become a better version of ourselves every day, you must actively seek improvement. Matthew McConaughey states that his hero is himself in ten years in his Oscar speech. He acknowledges the expectation that he will be a better version of himself ten years from now. He recognizes his desire for continuous improvement over time. He wants to make sure that he is a better version of himself tomorrow than today. This is a goal we should all seek. Figure 1: Kaizen as a means of continuous improvement over time, Continuous Self-Improvement The practice of kaizen can assist you in improving by 1% per day and leading to continued success (Kelly, 2021). Kaizen can be applied in personal life by embracing the spirit of continuous improvement. Kaizen can be a life motto for growth-minded individuals that want to improve, and it may become a way of life. Kaizen is the practice of improving yourself through small, incremental, daily actions and forming habits that help you succeed. Kaizen requires that one live for each moment, prioritize productivity, and encourage upward progress through tiny steps. Kaizen's focus on gradual improvement can create a gentler approach to change. Drastic changes aimed at achieving immediate positive results are often abandoned. Ongoing positive changes can reap significant improvements. (Daniel, 2021). Kaizen can assist an organization and individuals seeking positive changes aimed at continuous improvement over time if they are willing to change, evolve, and remain flexible. Implementing small changes over time and keeping the differences that produce positive results while discarding the others leads to long-term success. The Kaizen Method is a method that allows individuals to make small changes over time aimed at improvement. These changes will either lead to improvement or be discarded. The process will enable organizations and individuals to improve continuously. The ability to continuously improve over time allows people to survive and thrive. The continuous improvement model provides individuals with a simple method to enable change and encourage flexibility. "History may not repeat itself, but it does rhyme a lot." - Mark Twain |