According to two new surveys, not quite. Americans may be far less optimistic than they were in other, cheerier historical periods, but this recent evidence suggests they are starting to cope with the challenges.

Adecco recently polled 1,014 Americans for its annual Workplace Insights survey, asking them for their outlook on everything from their jobs to the coming presidential election. The results show a shift in U.S. workers’ views on career instability in general and temporary and contract work in particular. Adecco reports:

• Temporary jobs are more favorably viewed today than in the past. Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of Americans say they view temporary jobs more positively than they did last year. That might be a result of a huge majority (86 percent) of Americans believing a temporary job is a good career option for people looking to gain valuable work experience.
• Americans are also more likely to work in different fields than they were in 2011. Sixty-eight percent of Americans would be more willing to take a job in a field outside of their degree or study today than they would have been last year.
• Women may be more flexible when it comes to finding a job than men. Seventy-two percent of women would be more willing today to take a job outside of their field of study compared to 64 percent of men.

Of course, these results are hardly proof of some definitive move towards contentment with gig-based careers. As Consumerist points out, it’s not that respondents are happy with a future of piecemeal work; it’s that they’re hoping (perhaps out of desperation) these sorts of jobs will  lead to an old-style full-time position:

Americans are growing more amenable to taking temporary employment, changing their viewpoint from the glass-half-empty opinion of ‘it’s a job without permanence’ to ‘it’s a job that may lead to something permanent one day.’

But even if workers aren’t thrilled with bouncing between jobs, there’s other evidence they’re starting to come to terms with a less stable future of work. The American Psychological Association regularly asks Americans if they’re feeling stressed, and perhaps surprisingly given the lack of cheerful news, they’re increasingly answering no. The Financial Times reports:

Although 22 per cent of Americans described themselves as “very stressed”, this figure was slightly down on the previous year, when it was 24 per cent – and well below 2007, when it was 32 per cent. Indeed, the measured levels of stress have been dropping steadily over the past five years since the APA started its survey. In 2007, for example, the mean stress level was 6.2 per cent, whereas this year it was “only” 5.2 per cent.

“After five long years of financial turmoil, Americans might – just possibly – be getting used to shocks,” speculates the paper, continuing, “five years of watching ‘black swan’ type events, bad government policies and bizarre economic twists might have made shocks less unsettling. People are slowly adapting to a more unstable world.”

While these are only crumbs of data that certainly do not prove Americans have completely and happily adjusted to new career and economic realities, they do suggest we can’t and won’t look backward forever. Among the understandable fear of change and pining for more stable times, it’s easy to imagine we’ll never get our heads around new realities. These studies at least suggest it’s possible.

Do you think Americans are starting to give up the dream of returning to older realities and starting to figure out how to deal with the future of work?

Image courtesy of Flickr user Juan M. Gatica.

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• Get it done. Yes, I know you have a million things to do and you are trying very hard to get them done, but now is the time to power through that task list. Having a big pile of unfinished tasks looming over me is a big contributor to my increased stress around the holidays. In addition to all of the regular work, holiday tasks like shopping and cooking can make an already overwhelming workload seem even more daunting. I could either procrastinate, which only increases my stress, or suck it up and devote some extra time to completing my task list. I suggesting spending some extra time this weekend to make a big dent in that task list with a focus on those things that you dread doing, but that must be done before the holidays. Getting the most unpleasant tasks out of the way now helps reduce stress in the long run by making the remaining tasks seem easy by comparison.
• Put it off. Now is a good time to focus on the work that really matters and the urgent tasks that must be completed during the holidays. Everything else can wait until after the first of the year. Take a really hard look at that task list and find the “nice to have” tasks that aren’t urgent and likely won’t be completed before 2011 anyway. Make a conscious effort to just move those items out of your active task list and defer them until after the holidays. Having better focus and putting off a few of the less urgent tasks can make the existing task list more manageable and less stressful for the holidays.
• Stay fit. During times of increased stress and less free time, it can be too easy to neglect our health and let our regular fitness activities slide, but this is when you really need those workouts. Hitting the gym or the running trail is a great way to reduce stress and improve your mood, especially during a time when most of us tend to overindulge a bit on all of those delicious holiday treats. If you are really pressed for time, try to combine activities with a little extra walking during that shopping trip, or turn a family gathering into a healthy after dinner stroll around the neighborhood. You can reduce your stress and burn off some of those extra cookies at the same time.
• Have fun. When we are at our busiest, it can be hard to take time out to have some fun and relax. Find a few non-holiday hobbies and make sure that you leave at least a few minutes a day to do something you enjoy that helps reduce your stress. Have lunch or coffee with a good friend or take an evening off to go to the movies. Even just spending 30 minutes with a great book to relax before bed can help you unwind and reduce your stress, which will help you sleep better and make you even more productive and less stressed the following day.
• Escape.If all else fails, have an escape plan. Maybe this is taking the easy way out, but I love to go on relaxing vacations over the holidays. I escaped the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday with a trip to Hawaii where I spent 6 days sitting in a beach chair, having fruity drinks and reading science fiction. I came back relaxed and ready to take on the rest of the holiday season. Don’t feel obligated to always have a traditional or expected holiday. If you want to do something different, interesting and less stressful, go for it!

What are your favorite tips for reducing holiday stress?

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Balanced Approach to Control

First, you need to take a balanced approach to stress by focusing on the things you can control. Most people who have real issues dealing with stress let too many things that are out of their control increase their stress level. If something is out of your control, then worrying about it or dwelling on it to the point that it causes you stress just isn’t productive. Take a step back and think about the problem with an objective eye toward focusing your time and energy on those things that you can control and focusing your work in areas where you can have an impact. Learning to let the rest go and not letting those things that are out of your control increase your stress level is very difficult, but it can be mastered with practice. People who regularly read my posts will notice that this is a common theme for me; in most things, I have learned to focus on a few areas and let the rest go.

Get Out and Get Moving

Getting regular exercise and keeping your body moving is a time-honored way to reduce stress. Exercise increases your endorphin levels and gives you a boost, which is why I try to exercise during lunch when the weather isn’t too hot because it gives me a nice little break in the middle of the day and lets me hit the afternoon with a fresh burst of exercise-induced energy. This is also a perfect opportunity to get some fresh air and maybe even a little sunshine, depending on where you live. Even if you just get outside long enough to make the trip to the gym, getting out of your home office for a short break and a little fresh air can be useful. On those days where your schedule refuses to cooperate, even a 5-10 minute walk around the block can really help reduce your stress.

Socialize

Great conversation and laughter with friends is one of my favorite ways to reduce stress. When was the last time you had a nice lunch away from the computer or went to happy hour with some friends after work? Make it a point to plan a couple of activities with friends every week. This doesn’t need to be complicated or time-consuming. Take a 20-minute walk at lunch with a friend, work out or run with a partner, invite a few friends to happy hour or dinner, or even attend some local social events related to your areas of interest. Talking to real people, in person, is a great way to decompress after a long day at work and reduce our stress.

Reading and Hobbies

Turn the television off, shut the lid of the laptop and spend a few minutes doing something in the real world that doesn’t involve typing. I love to read, and I try to spend at least 30 minutes every evening with a book — the dead tree kind — to get away from the glare of the computer screen. I also like to turn on some music and cook a real dinner occasionally (you know, the kind of dinner where you recognize the ingredients as something from nature, rather than something out of a box). If you don’t have a hobby, find one, and spend some time relaxing and forgetting about the things that leave you stressed out at the end of the day.

The real key to managing stress is to stay ahead of it by making your stress reduction techniques just another part of your daily routine. By exercising, getting fresh air, socializing with friends and making time for your hobbies, you naturally keep your stress levels down without having to take any drastic measures later.

What are your favorite ways to reduce stress?

Photo by Aaron Hockley of Hockley Photography used with permission.

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As enjoyable as the holiday season can be, it’s also a hectic time filled with demands that can exceed even your busiest days at work. On top of that, it can be hard to let go of work, and there’s often a little nagging voice reminding you of what will be waiting for you on your return. When the first weeks of the new year arrive, it’s easy to feel jet lagged and sleep deprived, wishing that you had time for a vacation from the vacation!

It’s a lot easier to realize the need for downtime and rest during times like these, but it’s just as important to routinely get time away from work and daily stresses well after putting away the Christmas ornaments.

A creative outlet or some form of physical activity can be just the remedy for stress-filled days, so why not take the time to plan for some fun activities away from the office?

Get a Hobby

There are so many ways to blow off steam. It can be as simple as a daily walk, but you might also enjoy:

• Joining an acting, photography or painting class at a local college.
• Baking or cooking something special each day.
• Gardening or visiting nature centers in your area.
• Dancing or taking a dance class.
• Exercising or bike-riding.
• Swimming, rowing or simply being near water.
• Reading or starting/joining a book club.
• Hiking, jogging or preparing for a marathon.
• Sewing, crocheting, pottery-making or painting.
• Spending time outdoors or with your pets.

The options are truly endless, but the important thing is making sure to reserve time for it every single day, so be sure to find something that’s accessible and convenient so that you’ll actually commit to it and make it part of your routine.

Schedule It In

The New Year is here, and it’s the perfect time to set your intentions and make room for those things that are most important to you, and taking time for yourself to unwind and take your mind off work should be at the top of your list. If you’re not taking care of yourself, you’re not operating at your best, which can actually take away from the attention you provide your life and business.

Reserve time now for yourself and activities that will rejuvenate you and help you bring the highest level of energy and clarity to your business.

How do you unwind and decompress from the stresses that can come with running a business?

Image from Flickr by lepiaf.geo

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In the past 18 months, I’ve had to take time off of work for a variety of not-so-fun reasons. There’s been emergency trips to visit sick relatives, funeral travel, surgery for my mom, and surgery of my own. Plus, although we’ve been fortunate to not have serious disruptions from tropical weather here recently, that has happened before and will certainly happen again.

Here’s the lessons I’ve learned from those experiences about how being a web worker affects you during a personal crisis.

Good: Have Laptop, Will Travel

Being able to do your work via the web means you can probably pack it up and be productive (at least somewhat) while dealing with your crisis. If you have to travel, you don’t have to wrap everything up before you can run out the door. You can arrange for your time off after you’ve already left, or even get some work done anywhere that you need to be.

Many medical facilities even have Wi-Fi now for families to use while visiting with patients. Pulling out your laptop to do some work in these situations may sound more insensitive than it really is. Often patients feel they have to entertain people who are sitting with them. Working on a laptop can provide the perfect excuse to disengage yourself so the patient can rest or have some privacy, and it can alleviate a patient’s guilt over pulling you away from your usual routine if they see you are still being productive. If you are part of a group of visitors, excusing yourself to work elsewhere can be a good way to provide someone a private visit with the patient.

Good: Routine Is Therapeutic

A crisis by its very nature is stressful. Routine is comforting to most people. The familiar activity of being able to maintain at least some of your normal work routine via the web (even if it’s just checking and answering work email) can be a very helpful coping mechanism when something stressful is happening. The distraction of work can also be very helpful to some people by giving them something else besides their crisis situation to focus on for awhile.

Good: Reducing the Post-crisis Disaster

One of the reasons that I wrote that I don’t like to take vacations is that they are too much work to prepare for and catch up from. The same is true of a crisis break, but since it often isn’t planned, the work would all be done by playing catch-up. If you can do some of that work during the crisis itself, your post-crisis work stress will be reduced.

Bad: Working Under Stress

Remember that point about how a crisis is stressful? While a web worker may have the technical ability to work during a crisis, you need to be aware that your mental ability to do so may be compromised due to extreme stress. The quality of your work may not be up to your usual standards. You may make bad decisions that you later regret. You may say (or type) things that you normally wouldn’t because you are feeling emotional. Being aware of your limitations while working under stress is important. Postpone things that you aren’t sure you can handle correctly at that time until later.

One important limitation to consider: If the crisis is your own medical situation, and there are heavy medications involved, you may want to consider whether you should limit your phone and laptop use to playing Farmville. WWI (working while impaired) could cost you your reputation, a client, or your job if you aren’t careful.

Bad: Everyone Knows Your (Personal) Business

Even if you are working during it, a crisis will still mean some change in your capacity or schedule to do your work. This will need to be explained, especially to any associates and clients who are affected. In a traditional corporate environment, someone else would probably just step in for you, explain that you are on medical or family leave, and take care of business. But especially if you are freelancer, you will have to do the explaining yourself and probably to some people who feel they know you well enough to be concerned. Explanations will need to be somewhat specific (“My grandmother is very ill”) and as a result, everyone ends up knowing your personal business. This also makes it harder to use work as an escape from stress since well-meaning concerned co-workers may ask how you are coping.

Bad: Pressure to Limit Time Off

Web workers can feel pressure from both within and without to limit time off in a crisis situation. Freelancers feel financial pressure because they aren’t getting paid, and may be incurring unusual expenses as well. There’s also concern that clients may look elsewhere if put off too long. Outside pressure can come from clients who think that since you web work (and probably from home) that you can do more during a crisis than is really practical or wise. Juggling these needs can make it tempting to limit your time away. Make sure you take what you truly need.

The flexibility of web work can be wonderful in a crisis but it has pitfalls too. Being aware of them means being able to navigate your work through a personal crisis as smoothly as possible.

Has being a web worker helped you navigate a personal crisis?

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Most of us also try to take a few days off around the holidays, which can create additional time and budget constraints. For freelancers, no one actually pays you for those days off, and you still need to meet client expectations. Telecommuters and other workers still have about the same amount of work to complete with fewer days to accomplish it. Regardless of your work situation, this still means more stress during the holidays. I have a few suggestions to help you manage your stress and come out of the holidays at least as healthy and happy as you were before the holiday season.

Get Ahead

When I get stressed, my natural instinct is to procrastinate, but that will only make the situation worse. I force myself to do what I can to get ahead on any tasks that can be accomplished early to avoid a mad rush during the holidays.

For one client, I knew that holiday schedules would derail the normal approval process for my weekly writing tasks, so instead of doing a week’s worth of writing, I did a week and a half. This gets me through the first half of the week after the Thanksgiving holiday, and I can pick back up on the writing after everyone gets back from vacation.

I also finished about 90 percent of my Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving. My family lives in Ohio, so I took advantage of online shopping to buy almost everything and have it shipped directly to my Mom’s house. This saves me the hassles of last-minute shopping and store crowds, and it also makes travel less stressful, since it reduces the amount of luggage required for the trip home.

Exercise

When we have the least amount of time available, it is too easy to cut out exercise and use the time to do more work, run errands, or complete other tasks. Do not be tempted to skip your workouts during the holiday season. Exercise naturally reduces stress and will help you avoid the increased stress associated with the weight gain that comes out of eating too many holiday cookies.

If you can’t find the time for your regular workouts, make sure you do something physical every day. Here are a couple of suggestions:

• Knead the bread by hand instead of using the bread maker.
• Dance in the kitchen to your favorite holiday tunes while you cook.
• Park in the last row of the shopping mall and walk, or for urban dwellers like me, do your shopping in a neighborhood where you can walk to every store.
• Take a walk with a family member and use the time to talk (also a good way to relieve stress).

Take Time Off

Take advantage of the times when your clients are on vacation to take a few days off yourself. Seriously. Take some actual time off with no client work. This works best in conjunction with the suggestion about getting ahead. I’ve been working like a mad woman for the past few days, and I plan to take Wednesday through Sunday off. OK, I’m lying a little bit. I plan to take Wednesday, Thursday and Friday completely off, but I’m secretly hoping to have time to work on some neglected non-client personal projects for at least a few hours over the weekend. These are those fun projects that I never quite have time to do, so it won’t feel like work.

Sleep

Make sure that you get plenty of sleep. While sleeping a few less hours every night might seem like a great way to get a few extra hours to finish the activities that are leaving you stressed, it will only make the problem worse. When I’m not getting enough sleep, I’m grouchy and less productive, which only increases my stress levels. Get the sleep that you need to increase the chances that you’ll be productive and accomplish more work in less time.

These are my top four tips for reducing stress during the holidays. How do you reduce holiday stress?

Image by Rick Turoczy used under Creative Commons.

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A List Apart recently published a great article by Scott Boms, “Burnout,” that examines the stress, exhaustion and illness often associated with web work. Burnout is not just stress, he notes, but is caused by an “imbalance in an individual’s personal goals, ideals, and needs as related to their job.” So how can you regain that balance? Boms outlines several steps you can take, including:

Stop (or at least slow down). When you realize you’re suffering with burnout, it’s important to start taking steps to reduce the amount of work you’re doing. Cut down on the hours that you’re working, use sick days, or take a vacation.

Set boundaries and expectations. When you’re no longer working a regular 9-to-5 schedule you need to set boundaries between your work and home lives (see my previous post “Mark the End of the Day and Finish on Time“). It’s also important to manage your clients’ expectations. As Boms notes, when you start answering client email at 10pm, it sets a precedent that is then hard to undo.

Create a daily routine. Most people have a time of day when they work most effectively. Organize your day around these times (see our previous post “Change Your Work Hours to Get More Done” for tips on how to do this).

Make time for numero uno. Sometimes it’s hard to justify making time for yourself when there are so many demands on your day from bosses or clients, but everyone needs some “me time.” Spend time with family, goof off, visit a gallery, play a game — whatever makes you happy.

Change your situation. Changing careers might be in the cards, but there are also plenty of steps you can take to improve your current one. Shake up your routine (try working from somewhere else, perhaps), offload responsibilities, or learn a new skill.

Rely on a good process. If your current process isn’t working as well as it should, try another one. GTD works for me.

There’s plenty more detail, tips and information in Boms’ article. It’s also worth checking out the discussion thread on A List Apart, too.

Are you feeling burned out? What steps are you taking to make sure you don’t get burned out?

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The This American Life–Live! line-up included regular TAL contributors Dan Savage, Starlee Kine and Mike Birbiglia telling stories aloud accompanied by clips from the TAL TV show and other visuals and illustrations. I don’t see any reports of attendance numbers but many showings were sold out. One reviewer attests that nearly everyone who showed up to the actual live show at the Skirball Center at NYU was wearing glasses and was primed to love TAL host and hipster hero Ira Glass.

As a special bonus for the show, Joss Whedon, in his first-ever big live musical performance, played an alternate version of Heart, Broken from the musical commentary for Dr. Horrible. Could that be too esoteric even for This American Life‘s obsession with lovingly expressed oddity? Alternate lyrics for a song about the making of a musical parody that was only released online? Nah — It’s Joss Whedon; it’ll find its sliver of passionate audience. A bootleg video of Whedon’s performance is embedded above.

Fathom Events is the same company that live-broadcasts shows from the Metropolitan Opera (as well as other cultural touchstones, like Dr. Laura) to audiences in theaters nationwide.

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While the WWE has offered clips from matches and other content on its site for a while, it was just in the past year that the company has turned its attention to online video. First it launched a number of online original shows, like The Dirt Sheet and Cryme Tyme. Then in October, the WWE switched its media player from the Windows Media-formatted videos being pushed out at 300 Kbps to Flash, with stream quality to 600-700 Kbps (with the occasional bump to 1.4 MB for unique content).

“We have a multifold video strategy,” said Brian Kalinowski, WWE senior vice president and general manager of digital content, “We want to make sure that what is happening on TV we can augment online.”

Kalinowski says the WWE video strategy consists of three parts: Covering what’s on TV (clips and highlights); adding to TV with the original online shows, which carry storylines and engage users in between TV episodes; and leveraging the more than 100,000 hours of footage the WWE has amassed over its history (that’s a lot of Leaping Lanny Poffo).

So far, the strategy seems to be paying off. According to Kalinowski, the WWE.com gets 16 million unique visitors a month and served up 25 million streams in November, with visitors spending 6-7 minutes on the site. As a point of comparison, the Olympics did 22 million streams over the course of two weeks.

The WWE offers HD streams sparingly at this point, just for webcasts of their pay-per-view events. “We’re looking at HD, but the key is the economics,” said Kalinowski. “Who can accept HD and actually view it?”

Though it offers live webcasts of its 14 pay-per-view events throughout the year, the WWE won’t be expanding its live-streaming to its regularly scheduled programs because of very strict contracts with its television partners.

All this video work is helping to lay the foundation for early next year, when the WWE officially launches its WWE Universe social network, which has already signed up 250,000 members. The WWE plans to expand the video options for these registered to finally allow video embeds — allowing them to piledrive their way onto the rest of the web.

Update: This article originally attributed quotes to Mike Tedsco, which was incorrect. The post has been updated with the correct contact.

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How does this happen and to what extent is it valid?

Less stress – in an ideal situation, at least. Too much stress is something that should be avoided, whether you’re a teleworker or not.  It reduces the efficency of your immune system and also makes you prone to allergies.

Without the stress that comes with commuting and rushing to the office, there’s a general consensus among surveys that for most people, web working is less stressful.  Still, it’s important to remember that some teleworkers (in one survey, 10% of respondents) experienced more or the same amount of stress while working from home.  In other words, while web working gives employees more opportunities to lower their stress levels, it doesn’t always happen.

Avoids the spread of diseases in the office. Traditional offices generally have several people working near each other for 8 hours each day.  This makes airborne illnesses spread easily from one employee to another.  Web workers rarely have to worry about this, even in co-working setups where only a few people work in the same office.

“…the relatively close confines of most workplaces are ideal for spreading respiratory infections like flu – and that workers who are not in that environment have less risk of catching flu, or if they are sick themselves, less risk of infecting their coworkers.”
Source: “Telework and Health”, from The Clean Air Campaign

Fewer chances of getting infected by outdoor pollution. Working from home reduces the outdoor pollutants you encounter.  No more smog, engine exhaust, or second-hand cigarette smoke for you to inhale.

“By reducing smog in the summer months and reducing the risk of respiratory infections in the winter months, telework programs provide benefits throughout the year. “
Source: “Telework and Health”, from The Clean Air Campaign

With that said, we should also remember that there’s indoor pollution for us to worry about, even if it might be a smaller issue in a home office compared to a traditional office.  In a report by the Environmental Protection Agency, they noted that printers emit hydrocarbons and ozone.  Computer terminals also released low quantities of ozone and volatile organic compounds (VOC).

Modifiable work environment. Since we’re not forced into one particular office or cubicle everyday, we can have better control of our working environments.  The air conditioning in the office might be better than the smog outside, but it has its own problems.

“…up to 80 percent of air conditioning samples he sees are contaminated with mold. And keep in mind there are no federal standards for indoor air quality, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.”
Source: “Battling a Sick Office” by Gerri Willis

Even if your home air conditioning units have problems, they are under your control.  You can get them repaired, cleaned, and maintained without making requests to upper management. In fact, you might not want air conditioning at all.  Since I don’t live in a highly populated area, I don’t mind working in my garden to get some fresh air.

It’s not just about the air, either.  Your furniture, lighting levels, room temperature, and surroundings can also be altered if you want to consider your health.  You don’t always get that kind of freedom when working in a traditional office.

While web working seems to have several health advantages, it’s important to note that these advantages require work and planning.  The decision to telework won’t automatically make you healthier.  You need to be aware of your stress levels, your diet, the quality of air you breathe, and the safety of your home office and equipment.  The good news is that the average teleworker can control these factors, since he works under his own roof.

How has web working affected your health?  Did your health improve or did web working cause more problems?

Image Credit: Photo by Sanja Gjenero from sxc.hu

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