Ask the expert: Brainstorm with workmates to reduce overload and stress

By Dr MARIE WILSON

Q. I have been employed as a key account manager for a logistics company for five years. While my performance has always been praised and my sales figures and client relationships speak for themselves, the company has grown and I feel behind with work and admin.

I feel so stressed, but when I mention this to my manager it is fobbed off with a reply like ... "you should be able to do your job with the time given". Everyone in our sales team of 10 feels the same. I have pushed myself to do more work and stay later, doing 10-12 hour days.

In my own right I am a successful person with my partner, and I own a small portfolio of rental houses.

I want to know how I can leave with dignity, receive a good reference but still make a point. Can you give me advice?

A. Stress and overload often build as organisations grow, and your manager has an obligation to recognise and deal with this issue. If it takes 10-12 hours to do work that used to be resolved in eight, that speaks for itself.

Aside from the safety and health issues, it is likely that your employer will have to hire more than one person to deliver the same level of productivity. If you want to make the point to your employer and still get a good reference, you might use the stress on your sales team (which you are obliged to manage) as a point of discussion with your manager.

Sickness and injury, coupled with potential health and safety claims against the workplace, are a significant risk factor for any business. You may be able to get assistance from the Employment Relations Service for a presentation to staff and management about OSH issues in the workplace.

In terms of your stress, and helping your sales team to cope, you may want to get some help in identifying tasks that can be discontinued or diminished.

Work often builds up over time - a bit like the slow build-up of a coral reef - and we can end up with lots of non-essential work we feel we have to do. If the entire team is under stress, see if you can all meet and brainstorm ways of making the job more manageable.

You may find that the addition of an administrator to support the sales team would make a huge (and affordable) difference.

You can also set the standard by acknowledging that longer days and constant pressure are not acceptable, and by reducing your hours and encouraging others to do the same.

Try a nine-hour day three to four days a week, working later on just one or two days. Many researchers focus on boosting your body's ability to cope with stress by increasing your exercise and relaxation activities, counter-balancing stresses at work.

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Dr Marie Wilson is associate professor of management at the University of Auckland Business School, research director of the ICEHOUSE business accelerator and a veteran of 20 years in corporate management and small business.