Less stress at work?
Written by The Star Sunday, 15 May 2011 00:00
Last week, we spoke to people whose jobs were deemed the most stressful in a survey. This week, we speak to people who are at the other end of the stressful job list.
WHILE we secretly resent the stress our jobs bring to our lives, some of us do brandish it like badges of honour when we meet our colleagues, friends, and even family.
I was reminded of this when I heard one of my friends, who is a teacher, lament, “Why do people always think we have no stress? We still need to work very hard, you know!”
It is somehow implied that if you are not stressed at work, your job is not difficult after all. And if it is not a difficult job, then it must not be as important. That may explain why we get responses like, “It’s easy most of the time, but sometimes the job can be pretty hectic.”
Can some jobs be, by default and nature, relatively less stressful? Yes, if you believe the list CareerCast.com, a US and Canadian Internet career website, came up with.
What Careercast.com did was to rank 200 jobs (in 2011) according to their stress levels (11 types of job demands that would evoke stress). They then came up with a list of top 10 most and least stressful jobs. (The demands they looked at are travel, outlook/growth potential, deadlines, working in the public eye, competitiveness, physical demands, environmental conditions, hazards encountered, life at risk, life of another at risk, meeting the public.)
However, they also noted that the survey could only estimate, with limitations, the typical stress profile for the occupations they analysed.
So, to find out what people whose jobs are said to be least stressful say about their work, Fit4Life spoke to five people whose jobs are listed as the least stressful.
1. Audiologist
Darleena Abdul Aziz, 35, Based in Kuala Lumpur
Your job has been listed as one of the top 10 least stressful jobs in 2011 by Careercast. Do you think your job is one with relatively less stress? Why?
In my opinion, each job has its stress levels and it is difficult to measure or gauge which job is more or less stressful.
If we’re talking about the practice of audiology in Malaysia, then I don’t think the job can be categorised as being one of the least stressful.
The job itself deals with hearing impairment, a problem that is still stigmatised in our society. It is never easy to tell parents that their newborn child has a hearing impairment, and it is also a challenge to get parents to accept this condition and move forward with rehabilitation as time is of the essence.
Besides, test procedures can also be time consuming, as you need to perform a battery of tests before coming up with a diagnosis. Apart from that, like any other medical or allied health field professional, we deal with technology that changes rapidly.
Then, there is also the challenge of getting patients to use these devices as many patients are embarrassed to use such devices.
But despite the stress that we face, audiologists generally manage their stress levels well due to our training, which incorporates counseling and psychology.
It is also one of the most rewarding jobs, as you can see the progress made with a child who has undergone rehabilitation. You sometimes see the joy on parents’ faces or get calls from parents when their child vocalises their first words.
That to me is absolutely priceless!
How do you de-stress?
For me, as a Muslim, you should always go back to your Creator. But besides that, having a supportive family, colleagues, and friends really helps. I’ve found that by talking and discussing things, it helps you see them from a different perspective.
I am blessed to have a mother who is always there to hear me out and guide me accordingly, and I am also lucky to have a close friend who cheers me up with his jokes after a tough day at work.
Apart from that, soothing music always helps, but if that still fails, it’s having a brisk walk at the parks in Putrajaya!
Describe a day at work for you.
Audiologists have the usual 45 hours a week schedule. My day at work normally starts off by looking at my list of patients for the day. Normally, I need to plan for the tests and rehabilitation services I am going to provide for my patients.
Then, I see my patients scheduled for the day.
There are sometimes discussions with other medical specialists or allied health clinicians as most cases require a multidisciplinary approach.
At the end of the day, it’s basically writing up case notes, reports or letters, and planning for the next day. On top of that, I also need to oversee and monitor our Newborn Hearing Screening Programme, whereby all babies born in the hospital undergo a hearing screening.
What is life outside work for you?
It’s definitely spending time with my family or friends. I try to find time to catch up on my reading, which is not related to work.
Whenever possible, it’s a trip to Istana Budaya and catching a theatre performance there.
What does work-life balance mean to you?
It means finding a formula whereby you are able to juggle work and your family. You also need to learn not to let work interfere with your personal life, and vice versa.
2. Dietitian
Marcus Lee, 27, based in Penang
Your job has been listed as one of the top 10 least stressful jobs in 2011. Do you think your job is one with relatively less stress? Why?
I don’t agree with the list, because I have a heavy workload!
How do you de-stress?
At work, I always de-stress with a cup of coffee. A short nap during lunch time helps too.
Describe a day at work for you.
I spend about nine hours a day at work. As a dietitian, I not only provide dietary counseling to outpatients and inpatients, I also have to monitor the food service for patients who are admitted to the hospital.
I will do at least two rounds a day in the ward and review patients’ diet orders to make sure that their diets are suitable for their medical conditions.
From time to time, I have to do cooking demonstrations, menu planning, and recipe innovation sessions for the caterers.
If there are patients who are on nutrition support, like tube feeding, I have to plan a feeding regimen for them and evaluate their nutritional status regularly as well.
So, a dietitian is not one who sits in his office at all times, as he may need to go to the ward, clinic, day care unit, and also the kitchen!
What is life outside work for you?
After work, I will usually go home and rest. I will not bring back my work unless it is really urgent.
When I’m home, I pass my time reading, surfing the Internet or watching TV. Otherwise, I will be having dinner with friends and family, or go shopping.
Sometimes, I may volunteer in charitable organisations doing things like home visits and health screening or joining religious activities.
Alternately, I may go out with friends to explore Penang or other states for nice food and new restaurants!
What does work-life balance mean to you?
Work-life balance is very important to me. I will try to cope, but if I can’t, I will temporarily “leave it at my workplace” and never “bring it home”. I will try to calm down at home or anywhere I feel peaceful, or do other activities.
This way, I will be able to go back to work and solve the problem with a refreshed mind.
3. Software engineer
Ooi Boon Sheng, 27, based in Penang
Your job has been listed as one of the top 10 least stressful jobs in 2011. Do you think your job is one with relatively less stress? Why?
I believe it is considered less stressful because all software engineers are given their own time to manage. In most companies (small establishments to international ones), software engineers are usually given flexible working hours – as long as you can finish the project, managers don’t actually bother what time you come to work.
Moreover, your work is not physically visible, so no one actually knows what you have or haven’t finished – you have full control of it.
However, there are times that are particularly stressful for us. It is when time is running out and your manager is scheduled for a product demonstration at 8am tomorrow. These are common, and occasions when we work through the night are typical.
How do you de-stress?
I do feel stressed if I am working on multiple projects at the same time. However, I don’t usually seek activities outside my work. To de-stress, it is basically to finish your backlog faster!
Describe a day’s work for you.
I usually spend 10-12 hours at work now. I have been doing less coding (writing computer programmes) lately, but I manage a team of small developers.
What I usually do at work now is debugging (troubleshooting) work and designing software features. Sometimes, I also need to read and research a lot about new technologies.
What is life outside work for you?
Spending quality time with my better half and also my family.
What does work-life balance mean to you?
For me, work-life balance is simply having quality time (not quantity) doing something outside of work. It could be a simple dinner or a short holiday. However, I believe a job like a software engineer, which is considered technologically more advanced, means that we are always connected.
Therefore, I find it difficult to stay away from my email and other messaging services. I always joke with my better half that I need to “disconnect to connect”, because I basically check and reply emails all the time I am with my mobile phone, even when I’m out from office, or in a cinema.
A good example, would be right now, because I’m replying this email when I am in Venice on holiday with my wife. That is how bad it is.
4. Computer programmer
Chester Tee, 32, based in Kuala Lumpur
Your job has been listed as one of the top 10 least stressful jobs in 2011. Do you think your job is one with relatively less stress? Why?
I heard this on the radio the other day, and I must say that I’m very surprised programming didn’t make it to the top 10 most stressful jobs, but ended up on the other scale instead!
Programming may not be physically demanding, but it can be mentally demanding. The stress occurs mostly during software development, and when things don’t work.
Another stress factor that’s extremely common is scope-creep – where three features promised to a client quickly becomes 10, then 20.
And then you have software crashes and security breaches to critical systems that are a programmer’s worst nightmare.
Throw in the inevitable bugs, which are sometimes very hard to diagnose, but which really raises the ire of users, and you’ll see why some programmers may not be your friendliest chap in the office.
How do you de-stress?
Physical activities with a lot of social interaction works best for me. I make time to go to the gym or play futsal during weekdays. I also play football on Sundays in a local social league.
Describe a day at work for you.
I run my own software development agency. Programming is my core competency, so I am still very much involved in the projects that we take on.
Programming requires long stretches of uninterrupted concentration, so I find it very difficult to do it during the day due to constant phone calls, emails, and SMSes. That is why I am usually most productive after office hours, and depending on the workload, it may go on until 2am to 4am.
What is life outside work for you?
I’m quite happy with my social life, to be honest. I work out at the gym a few times a week, and spend time at the movies or just hang out with my girlfriend and our mutual friends.
I watch Liverpool play on weekend nights, and play football for a social league team on Sunday afternoons.
What does work-life balance mean to you?
I think it is extremely important. I used to work seven days a week, 12 hours a day, but eventually I found myself getting lethargic, hating work, and feeling miserable. It wasn’t sustainable.
Nowadays, I am much healthier, and can concentrate better at work. In fact, it’s even good for business because a few projects that we’re working on are from contacts I met during my “time out” activities!
5. Speech pathologist
Yong Ennie, 29, based in Perak
Your job has been listed as one of the top 10 least stressful jobs in 2011. Do you think your job is one with relatively less stress? Why?
I think it depends on the institution you are working in. I work in a public hospital, so in terms of the working hours, I feel that my job is not stressful.
In terms of the workload, I do feel that it is very stressful, mainly because there are very few speech pathologists in the state I work in. The amount of referrals from such a large population is overwhelming.
Besides seeing patients from the paediatric to the geriatric age group. who have communication and/or swallowing difficulties, I also have to see to the administration and budgeting of the clinic.
How do you de-stress?
I try not to bring work home. I enjoy reading, listening to music, and watching movies. I also find cooking and jogging to be therapeutic.
Describe a day at work for you.
My day starts at 8am. I have outpatients lined up from 8.15am-1pm and from 2pm-5pm.
In between these hours, I try to fit in seeing patients in the ward, preparing therapy materials, and doing some administration work.
If there are many ward referrals that day, I will have to work extra hours.
What is life outside work for you?
Thankfully, this job gives me free weekends.
I can usually chill out during weekends, unless I have an upcoming presentation.
What does work-life balance mean to you?
Work hard, play hard, and rest well.
