I recently read an article about the drivers for stress on Forbes and how they can impact how we see ourselves and our future. There are several ways that stress enters our lives. One of the major ways is through the collision of work and life. Eventprofs like everyone else have to jump in the battle for balancing both of these areas of their lives and it isn’t always a clear path to look to. Let’s take a look at these top drivers for success, and explore how as Eventprofs we can take necessary steps to decrease the amount of stress that these areas have hold over our lives. We’ll take a look at these drivers for stress, evaluate the impact for our industry and give you some tips to overcome them.

• Work/Life Balance (70%)
• Confidence in Job Future (64%)
• Purpose/Direction at work (64%)
• Colleagues/Workplace politics (63%)
• Access to tools to do your job (62%)

Work-Life Balance

Sometimes I wonder if work-life balance is ever obtainable. Seventy percent of the drivers for stress in one’s life comes from not having work-life balance. Don’t you ever wonder the same thing? There is a significant battle between work and life that everyone is fighting. However, do we really have to fight as hard as we think? There has been a recent move towards work-life integration instead. The concept suggests that it is impossible to find balance. Therefore people should work to align or merge their work and life goals instead. For example, instead of cutting work off at 5 pm, perhaps I bring my work home and work on it if I have an opportunity.

This example might make most people like myself cringe. If you are like me, we like to keep work and life separated. However, in a word where technology connects with us in a deep personal way, it is hard to run away from the fact it is tougher to maintain our boundaries. However, should we find a way to make it work as employees, or does the responsibility of adjusting the workload to accommodate balance lie with the employers?

For those that like the concept of balance, it will be tougher than ever before to maintain your line of defense in the boundaries that you set for your life. You will have to stand by them, and help others to understand why those work for you. Integrationists might have a quicker time feeling balanced since they will be more comfortable with being surrounded by their work, and making it fit in little slots of their lives.

Confidence in Job Future

You would think that if a person has a job, they would be content in where they are. However, this particular survey shows that 60% of people despite this, have some true concerns on their job future. Why is there such a driver for the lack of confidence in this area?

One of the reasons could be due to the ever-changing nature of our industry. In the events and hospitality industry that an emerging trend can drastically change the scope of one’s job. For example, mic runners are now replaced with catch boxes and push-to-talk microphones. Even more so, we might have robots serving you your next cocktail.

We also have an industry that can be highly competitive. One change or adjustment in business can thwart career plans. Because this happens, we do have to pay additional attention to our specific area of our industry and where it is trending. Ensuring that we have the education to support us and back us up in the trends we see can be crucial to our future. The more comfortable we are with this, then the less stress we will carry with us about it.

Purpose/Direction at Work

The consciousness of our community is changing. Not only do people want to work in the event industry, but they want to make sure that the work that they do and has purpose. We usually don’t think this is an area of stress, but it could be very lonely trying to find where you belong in the community. Ultimately this is a matter of the heart, and is something that our faith and our believes guide us. I’m hopeful that everyone in this position are setting their sights on doing good for the world, good in their communities and at their events. With that said, focusing on the good things, the true things, the right things in our work is what can drive us and make us feel more secure and purposeful.

At times, the clear line of purpose is visible. A person may find that they definitely are in a workplace, or in a situation that they can no longer support. Finding the right direction and asking the right questions in a job interview or to our colleagues and friends about where we’re looking for what we’re looking for in our employer, will help us get to the place that we ultimately want to be.

Colleagues/Workplace Politics

Bringing up politics into a conversation always ruins things, doesn’t it? The same goes for the workplace. Sometimes there are colleagues that rub us the wrong way or are favored. Other times we might have a boss that is acting in an unethical manner. And to take it even further, sometimes clients that we are doing events for, place us in very precarious situations – situations that we think we cannot escape. Workplace politics is a real thing. It shouldn’t be taken lightly, and understanding how to navigate it can be the difference between you leading a more stress-free work life.

Finding ways to stay out of the drama is key. Drama will always find you and if you can figure out how to avoid it or step through it, you will find success in your work. Additionally being open and honest about where you are, what you see, and anything that you may witness. It is something powerful about being the person that will stand up for what’s right, and typically it will always lead you to a better place even if it is in another position or another organization.

Access to tools to do your job

We all could use tools to do our jobs in a better way. Our organizations usually provide the tools for us to do our work, but at times we find we need more support. Knowing where specific industry resources are can be crucial to you staying on top of your game. Take the time to do some research and ask peers to assist in the areas that you find yourself in need. When you find out new resources, bring new things to the table in your organization can allow you to be seen as a subject matter expert. You may find that you will be recognized as a leader that goes out of their way to find ways to make it better for everyone in your organization.

If you are in control of your organizations resources and find that many of the employees don’t have a crucial tool that can be used for all, push to get those resources. Since this is clearly a source of workplace stress, it will only help reduce the pressure that everyone feels and help them feel more secure in succeeding in their roles.

I hope that these stressors feel a little less stressful now that you have some tips to help you through. Do you have other stressors that you feel are important to include? Would love to hear from you!

Cheers!

P.S. If you are having some serious challenges with keeping stress to a minimum, check out my post on how to make stress your friend.