Today I was in a position to observe the affects of stress in others at work. We have been having a few IT issues over the last couple of days. Our electronic client system was down yesterday due to a planned change that had to be made. This didn't go as planned so the system ended up being down all afternoon. There were some residual issues today which caused further headaches. Generally speaking we are a cohesive team that communicates reasonably well considering we are a bunch of humans! It was interesting to observe the response to these IT issues by both our clinical staff and our admin staff. Both sets of staff were in such a state that they had difficulty appreciating the affect our problems were having on each other. This affected their communication to such an extent that a very sharp implement was required to cut through the air. Having a foot in both camps I was in a better position to appreciate both sides. Partly because of this and partly because I have just returned from leave and feeling stronger and calmer in these situations (unlike just before my leave!), I wasn't as affected by all this stress as the other staff. In fact I could step outside the situation and observe others' reactions. On one level it was quite amusing!
This afternoon I read my stars: 'Humour's the most appropriate tool against today's picky critics, allowing you a calmer mind space to formulate creative responses - and more tolerance for dealing with the world's less imaginative citizens'.
I'm glad I was being humourous internally - I don't think it would have been appreciated had I expressed that humour. I did take on a soothing, calming role however, and made quite a few coffees for people!
4 comments:
I'm surprised you didn't make everyone a cup of your famous tea, Campbell!
It is a good feeling when you have a calm relaxed view of he world when those around you are in chaos....
..I hope it lasts for you.
I did think that giving them caffeine was probably not the best for them, but it was their drug of choice and I reckon anything else would have been thrown back at me. Hope you're settling in Nash.
Yeah Paul, it is a good feeling.
Hi Campbell,
You certainly handled the stress on your job marvelously. You’re proof positive that a two-week vacation is de rigueur for everyone who’s in the work place environment. I too wondered about the logic of giving caffeine to your already agitated coworkers; I might have suggested a Vocodin (only kidding!).
Are “picky critics” anything like “nitpickers”? Your horoscope was totally spot on….
I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing weekend!
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