Are you frazzled or Zen-like at work?

Some people get  frazzled by pressures at work, and others deal with them calmly.  No matter how you tend to respond, stress at work can be a good thing.

It can make you perform better, sharpen your responses and once the task has been achieved, give you a heightened sense of achievement.

There are several reasons why it's important to have an understanding of your stress levels in the workplace.

Firstly there are certain professions that demand a certain kind of stress response – you can avoid burnout by identifying whether you are suited to a particular job and move towards a role in which you will flourish.

Secondly, it's important for you to be able to notice the signs of stress in others and to gauge whether they are dealing with stress in a manageable way.

Which of these stress responses in the normal work context do you relate to?

Feeling
You have an emotional response to normal levels of stress at work and can feel emotional for some time.  To others, you may seem to be hyper-sensitive or over reacting to certain situations.

Choice
You have an initial emotional response to the normal stresses at work and then return to an unemotional state.  You have a choice and can choose to empathise with others or not.

Thinking
You do not have emotional responses to normal stress situations at work and might be described as having "a cool head on your shoulders". Because you do not tend to have an emotional reaction, you find it difficult to empathise with others who do.

The stress response is just one of 14 Language and Behavioural (LAB) motivational patterns in the work place. Understanding your LAB Profile helps you to make career choices that are right for you – there is no good or bad in any of them unless they are inappropriate responses in a given context.

What profession suits your stress response pattern best?

Feeling
Some jobs need high emotion – an artistic or creative person needs emotion to function at a high level.  A salesperson with a Feelings pattern might, however,  find it difficult to handle rejection or negativity from a potential customer.  High stress jobs can be difficult for you to handle in the long term.

Choice
This is a great pattern for a people manager as you can combine the personal side of the job and yet distance yourself when necessary.

Thinking
A thinking response is good for high stress jobs like being a fighter pilot or fireman!

So whether you prefer to be passionate in the work that you do or calm and logical in approach, there is the optimum environment out there for you.

For more information on LAB Profile Career Assessment, contact Katherine Wiid at Recrion on (01780) 484910 or visit http://www.recrion.co.uk..