Daily Bulletin

Thursday, July 17, 1997

There are no tigers on campus

Her point about tigers is that the human physical and mental response to stress, well designed for dealing with predators in primitive times, is less suitable as a way of coping with cranky co-workers, awkwardly designed computer keyboards and ringing telephones.

"If stress continues on for a long time it becomes chronic," she warned. "it begins to affect your health -- all of the systems of your body saying this is a lot to deal with," producing symptoms that range from headaches to chest palpitations. And then there are the mental and behavioural effects: "hostility, resentment or animosity -- those are the tough ones!"

Caputo listed some of the workplace problems that can lead to such symptoms: the physical environment (whether it's noise, or just a poorly designed workstation), workload, difficult relationships with co-workers. Among the jobs that experts think produce the highest stress, she said, are secretary, laboratory technician, and manager. ("Any faculty here? I hate to tell you, but you're not supposed to be under a lot of stress!")

Another important factor in how much stress people feel is their individual tolerance for uncertainty and change -- of particular importance in a year when everything's been changing fast at UW. It's not the volume of work that causes stress, Caputo said, but the "perceived control -- how am I able to set my own pace?"

What to do about it? Caputo mentioned ergonomic changes to make the immediate work environment more comfortable; time management; the skill of delegating or "saying no" to some tasks. Also essential, she said, is keeping the routine varied, or at least taking breaks frqeuently. "You should be moving around, stretching yourself . . . it breaks up the routine which puts a lot of strain on your body."

Among other lines to pursue: exercise; less "dependence" on alcohol and coffee; "physical relaxation techniques" including meditation; support from family and after-work friends; assertiveness training; good sleep habits. "Think of yourself as an athlete," she suggested.

And one other suggestion: "Go out to lunch with a group of your workplace buddies and gripe a lot!"

Now, a Web experiment

Waterloo Web site of the day

Self-assessment . . . occupational research . . . decision-making . . . employment contacts . . . work . . . career and life planning! Those are the steps in putting a career together, and they're the main sections in this award-winning manual created in UW's career services department.

Kerry Mahoney of co-op education and career services explains:

The Career Development Manual is, we believe, a comprehensive overview of the issues to consider in the career/life planning process. In addition, Career Services offers workshops and resources which provide further information on the topics presented in the Manual.

Although our focus audience is the UW community, especially students, we made a conscious decision to share this information with the larger web audience.

We have received many positive comments from both within and outside of the University community. Recently the online Manual was included in Mark Swartz's new book, "Get Wired, You're Hired: The Canadian Guide to Job Hunting Online". He says of the Manual, "This is one of the few places on the Net where, for free, you can do a full-fledged career planning process online." We have also been chosen as one of Richard Bolles's (Author, "What Color is Your Parachute") parachute picks.

CAR

July 17, 1996: UW, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and Research in Motion Ltd. announce a four-year project aimed at "developing the next generation of microchips for wireless communications".

Editor of the Daily Bulletin: Chris Redmond
Information and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo
credmond@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca -- (519) 888-4567 ext. 3004
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