HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENTLECTURE 6

STRESS MANAGEMENT, TIME MANAGEMENT AND CUSTOMER CARE

WHAT IS STRESS?

STRESS

Stress is the body's nonspecific reaction to any demand made on it.

Long-term productivity depends largely on the dedication and commitment of the company's employees.

Employees are increasingly holding their employers liable for emotional problems they claim are work related. And, stress-related mental disorders have become the fastest-growing occupational disease.

SOURCES OF STRESS.. WHAT STRESSES YOU OUT?

SOURCES OF STRESS

Stressor: The person or event that triggers the stress response, it can be organizational, personal or environmental factor that can become the source of stress.Organizational Factors: Many factors associated with a person's employment can be potentially stressful. These include the firm's culture, the individual's job, and general working conditions.

Personal Factors: Stress factors outside the job and job environment also may affect job performance. Factors in this category include the family, financial problems, and living conditions.

The General Environment: Stress is a part of everyone's everyday life not only in the workplace and the home but also in our general environment. The three-hour commute in rush traffic, the non-stop rain, the too much heat, or chilling cold can all create stress. Excessive noise, wherever it is encountered, can drive some people up the wall.

What are the usual symptoms of stress?

Symptoms of Stress Stress can express following four types of the symptoms:

Symptoms of Stress (Cont.) Short-term physical symptoms: faster heart beat,

increased sweating, cool skin - cold hands and feet, feelings of nausea, or 'Butterflies in stomach‘, Rapid Breathing, Tense Muscles, dry Mouth, desire to urinate, diarrhea.

Long-term physical symptoms: Change in appetite frequent colds illnesses(such as asthma Back pain digestive problems headaches aches and pains), feelings of intense and long-term tiredness, Risk factors (Heart attacks and strokes)

Symptoms of Stress (Cont.) Internal symptoms: Worry or anxiety, Confusion, and

an inability to concentrate or make decisions, Feeling ill, Feeling out of control or overwhelmed by events, Mood changes, Depression, Frustration, d. Helplessness, Restlessness, Difficulty sleeping, drinking more alcohol and smoking more, Changing eating habits, relying more on medication.

Symptoms of Stress (Cont.) Behavioral symptoms: Talking too fast or, too loud, Bad moods,

Defensiveness, Being critical, Aggression, Irrationality, Overreaction and reacting emotionally, Reduced personal effectiveness, Being unreasonably negative, Making less realistic judgments, Being unable to concentrate, being more forgetful, Making more mistakes, Changing work habits, Increased absenteeism, Neglect of personal appearance.

How does Stress affect Job Performance? Is it only in a negative way?

Stress and Job PerformanceStress can manifest itself both in positive and negative way. Stress is said to be positive when the situation offers an opportunity for one to gain something; for example, the "psyching- up" (to get (oneself or another) into a state of psychological readiness for an action, performance,) that an athlete goes through can be stressful, but this can lead to maximum performance. It is when constraints or demands are placed on us that stress can become negative. Constraints are barriers that keep us from doing what we desire. Demands, on the other hand, may cause you to give up something. Demands are desires that are backed by the purchasing power or affordability.

MANAGING STRESS: HOW DO YOU MANAGE YOUR OWN STRESS?

MANAGING STRESS

Experts emphasize that some stress is healthy and moderate stress is the key to survival.

Individual Coping Approach Attitude: "Attitude is everything." What does that mean? The way

you think about things can make all the difference in how you react to events.

Healthy Eating: Good nutrition and healthy eating habits can help you through your stressful times now, not just prevent a heart attack 30 years down the road. Eating well will increase your physical, mental, and emotional stamina.

Physical Activity: Physical activity provides immediate stress relief as well as long-term stress management. Just 20-30 minutes of walking a day, for example, can give you more energy, help you put things in perspective, improve your sleep, sharpen your mental productivity, and boost your self-confidence

Individual Coping Approach (Cont.) Hypnosis: An altered state of consciousness that is artificially

induced and characterized by increased receptiveness to suggestions.

Biofeedback: A method that can be used to control involuntary bodily processes, such as blood pressure or heart beat rate.

Transcendental meditation (TM): A stress-reduction technique whereby a secret word or phrase (mantra) provided by a trained instructor is mentally repeated while an individual is comfortably seated.

Individual Coping Approach (Cont.) Time Management: Sometimes all the things we have

to do can seem overwhelming and impossible to accomplish. Learning how to be a good time manager is a skill that you can use throughout your life, which can make work, play and studying more manageable, more productive and less stressful.

Organizational Coping Approach Working conditions are adapted to people's differing physical

and mental aptitudes

Employee is given the opportunity to participate in the design of his/her own work situation, and in the processes of change and development affecting his/her work

Technology, work organisation, and job content are designed so that the employee is not exposed to physical or mental strains that may lead to illness or accidents. Forms of remuneration and the distribution of working hours are taken into account

Organizational Coping Approach (Cont.) Closely controlled or restricted work is avoided or limited

Work should provide opportunities for variety, social contact, and cooperation as well as coherence between different working operations

Working conditions should provide opportunities for personal and vocational development, as well as for self determination and professional responsibility

Providing counseling and an opportunity to talk through someone’s feelings

TIME MANAGEMENT: WHAT IS IT?

Systematic, priority-based structuring of time allocation and distribution among competing demands.

Time Management

Time management is the act of taking conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities. You exercise time management to increase productivity, effectiveness and efficiency.

What is the meaning of time management? Time itself can't be managed. It is constant and it always goes forward, never backwards. Everyone has the same amount of time in a day. What’s important, is how you take advantage of this time.

Time Management (Cont.)

Time management is about effective scheduling of your time, goal setting, prioritizing and choosing what to do and what not to do, delegating tasks, analyzing and reviewing your spent time, organizing your workspace, keeping your concentration and focus at your work, motivating yourself to work towards a goal.

Eighty Six Thousand Four Hundred

Picture this:

Each day your bank deposits $86,400 in your checking account.

There’s just one catch.

You have to spend it all in one day.

You can’t carry over any money to the next day.

What would you do?

You’d spend it all, Right?

24 hours per dayX

60 minutes per hourX

60 seconds per minute=

86,400 Seconds

Every Second Counts Spend every second in an efficient and productive

way

If you fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is yours.

To Realize the Value of:

ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade. ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby. ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper. ONE DAY, ask a daily wage laborer with kids to feed. ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet. ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train. ONE SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident. ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won a silver medal in the

Olympics.

What are the most usual time wasters?

Usual Time Wasters Lack of planning, prioritizing and focus: Without these,

you'll find yourself drifting and working in a scattered and disjointed way, and not spending time on what's most important to you.

Procrastination: Putting things off wastes not only your time but also your energy and thoughts. When you procrastinate, much time is spent thinking and worrying about the things you need to do. You give yourself a hard time for not doing them and therefore you're unable to spend your time effectively.

Usual Time Wasters (Cont.) Interruptions: This may be the telephone, people dropping into

your office, unanticipated events or visitors, anything that stops what you're doing. Interruptions prevent you from being focused; they pull you away from important things at that moment.

Lack of delegation: It's a real waste of your time to think you need to do everything and no one ever does it as good as you.

Usual Time Wasters (Cont.) Meetings: Meetings can be a time waster if there isn't a

specific reason, agenda and timeframe for holding them. It's too easy to fall into the habit of holding meetings without realizing that some of that time could be spent more effectively.

Crisis management: When you're running around like a headless chicken, too much time is wasted through a lack of effectiveness. You're not focused and working on what's important. There are too many urgent items getting in the way.

Usual Time Wasters (Cont.) Telephone, email and Internet: These can also be

interruptions and as with meetings, it's easy to spend quite a bit of time on the telephone or internet without any real reason or intention.

Not saying 'No‘: Taking on too much puts pressure on you and prevents you from working at your best. Not working at your best and most effective means everything takes longer and more of your time is stolen from you.

Usual Time Wasters (Cont.) Not enough time-off or time for yourself: You need to

step back, evaluate and re-energize yourself in order to be effective. Many people 'try' to do more and more thinking they're using their time better. But in actual fact, this can often result in being less productive and not working on what's most important.

Perfectionist: No one is perfect or can be!

What’s your “LQ”Leisure Quotient?

Sometimes we just don’t realize how much time we spent in non productive ways.

Here are some examples of leisure:

Visiting between classes

Listening to CD’s

Watching tv

Daydreaming

What others can you think of?

Finding your LQ For the next week, keep a close

record each day of how much time you spend on leisure activities.

Divide this number by 960* minutes to get your “LQ”.

*960 minutes equals 16 waking hours per day.

Leisure activities are important to help you recharge, but too much can be detrimental.

Why is Time Management important Less Stress Get More Done Less Rework Less Life Friction and Problems More Free Time Less Wasted Time More Opportunities

Why is Time Management important (cont.) Improves Your Reputation Less Effort More Time Where it Matters Effective use of resources Better health and look

It’s about knowing your priorities, obligations, and schedule.

When you manage your time, you benefit in all areas of life.

Maxwell’s Three R’s What is required? Your list of priorities must always

begin with what is required of you. What gives the greatest return? Spend most of your

time working in your areas of greatest strength. What brings the greatest reward? The things that

bring the greatest reward are the fire lighters in a leader’s life.

How to manage time effectively 1. Make a list of what should be

done(To-Do List)

2. Allocate your time correctly

3. Set your own deadlines and meet them.

4. Use your time intelligently

5. Organize your desktop

6. Insist in your targets

7. Do not distract your attention

8. Co-operate with your colleagues

9. Avoid unnecessary Supervisions

10. Cancel routine meetings

11. Be constantly busy

12. Choose carefully your projects

13. Do not waste your time

14. Reward yourself

Organize and PrioritizePrioritize your tasksWhere do the majority of your tasks fall on the chart?

Organize and PrioritizeQuadrant IImmediate Attention Required. Important and Urgent. This quadrant includes a crisis, pressing problems, deadline-driven projects, and meeting preparations. These should be completed today. If these are not done today, there will be serious repercussions.

Organize and PrioritizeQuadrant IIRequires attention, but not yet critical

Analysis of Table (Cont.) Quadrant II – Important, but Not Urgent. (Preparations,

Presentations, Planning, Relationship Building, True Recreation, Empowerment) – These should be done soon. It would be nice to do these today; but, they can be put off for a later time. If these are not completed, nothing significant will happen. Dr. Covey notes that highly effective people make time for the QII activities, and that doing so can reduce the time spent in other quadrants.

Organize and PrioritizeQuadrant III“Nice to do”. (Interruptions, some phone calls, some mail, some reports, some meetings, many proximate pressing matters, many popular activities) – There is not a set time frame. These are “nice to do” items. If these items are not done, nothing significant will happen.

Organize and PrioritizeQuadrant IVThese activities are time eaters

Analysis of Table (Cont.) Quadrant IV – Not Urgent and Not Important. (Trivia, busywork,

junk mail, some phone calls, time thieves, “escape” activities) – These items are your time eaters. Effective people stay out of Quadrants III and IV because, urgent or not, they are not important. They also shrink Quadrant I down to size by spending more time in Quadrant II, which is the heart of effective personal management. Our effectiveness takes a quantum leap when we start doing the things in Quadrant II on a regular basis.

When you hear the words ‘customer care’ what does it make you think of?

CUSTOMER CARE - First Impressions

• The first 30 seconds• No second chances• Some tips to remember– Focus on the other person’s needs– Demonstrate good listening skills– Check your appearance– Remember names

Customer service makes the difference

Once differences between competitors are fairly similar then good customer service makes the difference for customers.

Once: price, delivery times, quality of product are similar then customer service makes the difference as to whether a customer comes to you, stays with you, or goes elsewhere

What do we mean by the term ‘customer service’? For the purpose of today we will take it mean that it is

the set of behaviours which an organisation undertakes during its interaction with its customers and how customers perceive the behaviours.

‘Service quality comprises the degree to which attributes of the service desired by the users are identified and incorporated in the product and service and the degree to which desired levels of these attributes are perceived by the users to be achieved’ (Jacques Horovitz, 1987)

In other words It’s not always what you do. It’s how your customers pereceive what you do that

makes the difference

Difficulties/Problems with measuring and assessing the quality of customer service

Extremely subjective Quality is more frequently judged by price because there are less likely to

be other ‘measurable’ factors. BUT once price amongst your competitors is similar to your prices; then it’s customer service that makes the difference

Each customer is different and has a different perception of what they

expect/need/demand/want With products a customer can see it before they buy it, with a service the

quality can only be experienced

It’s not what you do but how others see it.... ‘The quality of a service is determined by the user’s

perception’ (Murdick, Renders, Russel, 1990). It’s not what you do, nor the way that you do it, but

how your customers perceive what you do and how you do it that determines the quality of your customer service.

Discussion point “It’s not what you do, nor the way that you do it, but how your customers

perceive what you do and how you do it that determines the quality of your customer service”.

To what extent do you think that the above statement is true or false?

Customers will typically consider all the following as being ‘part of the package’: Product or service reliability. Consistency. Speed and timeliness of delivery. Accuracy of paperwork. Courtesy of telephone answering. The value of information you give e.g. accuracy and

‘useability’ of any instructions on how to use it. The service provided by the delivery organisation. The attitude of staff - can do or “not my job guvnor”

Exercise - Prepare two lists for: Excellent Customer Service characteristics and Poor Customer Service characteristics.

Typical factors you might have listed for excellent customer service Knowledgeable and friendly staff Professional manner of staff Staff listened to me They did what they said they would do They seemed to care They responded to me promptly They seemed genuinely concerned They smiled They treated me as a real human being; not a distraction They seemed proud of what they did and of the organisation Courteous, friendly and efficient service

Typical fact is you might have listed under poor customer service• Nobody seemed to have a clue what they were doing• Nobody explained• I was kept waiting• They ignored me• They treated me as though it was my fault• They never got back to me; I had to chase them• They blamed it on the system, the managers, the computers,

their suppliers,• They fobbed me off• They were busy doing something else and I was an interruption

and a distraction from their main work

12 tips for resolving customer complaints

1. Treat the person as an individual who has feelings, values and a sense of self worth

2. Let the customer have their say3. Say you sorry to hear what has happened4. Listen actively5. Get the facts by questioning effectively6. Keep an open mind, don’t make assumptions7. Don’t argue or be defensive8. Try and find out what outcome the customer wants

12 tips for resolving customer complaints

9. Concentrate on what you can do and explain what you cannot do and why

10.Don’t impose your own solution – you must reach a solution which the customer finds acceptable

11. Summarise and check that the customer understands and agrees

12. Agree a timescale which is acceptable to the customer for resolving the complaint

Good customer service ?A Possible definition… One possible definition of quality or good customer

service is that it is “supplying customers with what they want, to the standard and specification they want, with a predictable and acceptable degree of liability and uniformity, and at a price that suits their need”

(Perfect Customer Care – all you need to get it right first time – by Ted Johns 1999).

Factors which could add value to the customer service staff displaying appropriate body language staff being friendly on the phone callers not being placed on musical hold staff who actually know what they are talking about appropriate opening hours one-stop shop approachable staff

Factors which could add value to the customer service prompt service – or reason for delay is explained. Friendly and helpful staff Staff with ability to listen Appropriate tone, pitch and pace of voice Approachable staff How staff greet the customer Understanding the customer’s needs

So how do we add value to the customer experience?

• It isn’t easy• Need to know our customers needs inside out – this in itself

is not easy• Need to be aware of different customer’s needs• Need to be aware of changing customer need• Need to know what our customers expect of us• Need to know what it is that our competitors do differently

or better than us - and learn from it• Need to be consistent, yet improve over time• Small things count