Text 1. Ensuring socio-psychological climate in business

It is the vital task of executives to create a company morale, they should “lend an ear” to each staff member, use “carrot and stick” motivation, otherwise staff will be unable to operate profitable, and that, in turn, will influence company existence in the whole. Top managers should pay great attention to the organizational conflict management, which can change the whole face of any firm. The conflict management must provide step by step measures to capture the “right” staff morale as the important task of in-company communication.

There are different ways companies can reduce their employees’ burnout and ensure the social and psychological climate (SPC) within a company:

- to allow employees to talk freely to one another, and motivate them;

- to reduce personal conflicts at work any time;

- to talk openly to employees and keep the promises;

- to recognize and reward employees for their accomplishments and contribution;

- to treat all employees on principle of equal competitive condition;

- to mind a source of dislike and don’t put pressure on staff to take your decision;

- to be able to build an effective team of professionals and coordinate their work;

- to create training programs;

- to succeed with crisis action approach;

To hire the experienced personnel, respect them equally and do not care which sex they are.

This is a good advice and it helps any company to form the trustful internal relations; due to it professional executives should set the true tone in up-to-date business. But the point is – they first should know “ how to manage their personal stress”.

People, according to their nature, education, experience, habits, life style, vary widely; and that can open the door to misunderstanding. When individual identity needs and ethics are ignored they can move to self-centered, uncaring, non-cooperative behaviour; and on the contrary, if the intellectual and identity needs are in agreement, ethical decisions are easily to make, and individuals stand on their principles. Otherwise, they become egoistical, self-centered, interested only in their own well-being; they resist any change in their organization, and that is to be taken into account.

By managing people, it is important to distinguish between the attitude and behaviour: the way we view things is called “attitude”, the way we do things is known as “behaviour”. To achieve its objectives, a firm should have its code of discipline drawn up and agreed with all employees and written into their service contracts. The shortest way to achieve and maintain a good staff discipline is to ensure a high morale that is the important task of any company.

Text 2. Managing Yourself

The experience of a first-time supervisor or manager is often one of the most trying in their career. They rarely have adequate training for the new management role - they were promoted because of their technical expertise, not because of their managerial expertise. They suddenly have a wide range of policies and other regulations to apply to their subordinates. Work is never “done”. They must represent upper management to their subordinates, and their subordinates to upper management. They’re stuck in the middle. They can feel very alone.

Guidelines to Manage Yourself

Everyone in management has gone through the transition from individual contributor to manager. Each person finds their own way to “survive”. The following guidelines will help you keep your perspective and your health.

Monitor your work hours

The first visible, undeniable sign that things are out of hand is that you’re working too many hours. Note how many hours you are working per week. Set a limit and stick to that limit. Ask your peers or boss for help.

Recognize your own signs of stress

Different people show their stress in different ways. Some people have “blow ups”. Some people get very forgetful. Some people lose concentration. For many people, they excel at their jobs, but their home life falls apart. Know your signs of stress. Tell someone else what they are. Ask them to check in with you every two weeks to see how you are doing. Every two weeks, write down how you are doing—if only for a minute. Stick in it a file.

Get a mentor or a coach

Ideally, your supervisor is a very good mentor and coach. Many people have “been there, done that” and can serve as great mentors to you.

Learn to delegate

Delegating is giving others the responsibility and authority to carry out tasks. You maintain the accountability to get them done, but you let others decide how they will carry out the tasks themselves. Delegation is a skill to learn. Start learning it.

Communicate as much as you can

Have at least one person in your life with whom you are completely honest.  Hold regular meetings with staff - all of them in one meeting at least once a month, and meet at least once every two weeks with each of your direct reports. A common problem among new managers and supervisors (or among experienced, but ineffective ones) is not meeting unless there’s something to say. There is always something to communicate, even if to say that things are going well and then share the health of your pets. New managers and supervisors often assume that their employees know as much as they do. One of the first signs of an organization in trouble is that communications break down. Err on the side of too much communication, rather than not enough.