Stress, resilience and expatriates

I recently revisited the research and data around stress at work.  With my colleague Susan MacDonald from Psychology At Work, we designed and delivered a workshop for one of our clients presenting strategies to build resilience and stress management capabilities at individual, team and organizational levels. 

We all know the messages that tough times can make us stronger, but the key fact that remains with me from reviewing the research is how damaging chronic stress can be at a physical, mental and financial level for individuals and for organizations.

We all know about the risk of heart attacks, strokes and depression but did you know that being in a state of chronic stress can impact right down to a genetic level re-writing our most basic cellular structures? 

We all know that stress impacts on an organization’s effectiveness through lost time and lowered efficiencies but did you know that Australian government workers’ Mental stress claims have increased 54% in the past five years?  Did you know that workers off sick with a job-related mental disorder take an average of 10.8 weeks from work (source ABS), or that stress is linked to higher incidences of workplace accidents and errors? (Cooper, Liukkonen & Cartwright, 1966) (Houston and Allt, 1997)

Expatriates often experience high levels of stress.  In addition to the current financial pressures of achieving more with less, (which they share with their colleagues back home), they have the additional pressures of adapting to a new location, a new language, and culture and the need to quickly become skilled in whatever their role is in the new environment.   Issues of safety and security, family adaptation, partner’s work opportunities or concerns about children’s happiness and development can add to the workplace stress for expats.

The good news is building resilient mind-sets, enjoying and fostering positive emotions, developing exercise and fitness routines, developing skills of mindfulness, having supportive teams or friendship groups do all mediate against the effects of stress.  These things often undo or prevent the worst of the damage that can be done in stressful environments.  

These strategies are built in to the training and coaching we provide for expats and their families and are being communicated in e-books, on-line courses and webinars for members of the cultural intelligence collective.  To learn more about these services email trisha@cicollective.com.