HR - Managing Workplace Stress

Everyone experiences stress at work at some point in their lives.

Today, stress seems to be one of the major issues plaguing society. Restructuring, downsizing, multiple projects, economic uncertainty, interruptions and demands all contribute to one’s anxiety.

A study by the American Psychological Association (APA), found that the two most common stressors among those surveyed were work and money, and the incidence of stress often results in irritability, anger, nervousness, and anxiousness

Many workers in the animal industry suffer from compassion fatigue which adds to general workplace stress.

So, what can you do about it? How can you manage work stress and not take it home with you?

While it may seem overwhelming, there are plenty of resources and ideas to help manage your stress.

A recent Harvard Business Review posting provided advice on leaving work stress at work.

Confine your work to particular times and locations.

Perhaps a challenge in today’s connected environment, it’s important to leave your work at the office. Keep folders, computers and notebooks as your desk and work from home only in exceptional circumstances.

If that’s not feasible, designate a few hours each day for home-life only - no exceptions.

Develop good mobile device habits.

An increasing amount of time is spent using mobile devices, and doing something as simple as checking email can pull you back into workplace stress.

Develop habits and rules that keep tablets and phones from tethering you to work, i.e. never check your email two hours before sleep and leave your cell phone home or in the hotel safe when you’re on holidays.

Establish a good support network.

Develop a support network of friends and mentors who can help you manage your professional stress and ensure it isn’t the burden solely of your significant other.

Forbes Magazine’s 12 Ways to Eliminate Stress at Work suggests you:

• Eliminate interruptions
• Schedule your day for energy and focus
• Change your subjective interpretation of the facts
• Prioritize your priorities
• Cool down quickly
• Act rather than react
• Take a deep breath.

Self care such as exercise, eating properly and sleeping well can all contribute to lowering stress. It’s common to reach for the sugary foods and alcohol when feeling anxious.

When managing tasks, prioritize them, break projects into smaller steps so they aren’t as overwhelming, delegate responsibility and be willing to compromise.

Stress within your comfort levels can help you stay focused and able to meet new workplace challenges.

But when stress becomes overwhelming and negatively impacts your life, it’s time to take some - or all - of the above steps.

Western College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Mental Health Strategies

Traditionally veterinary school encompasses a curriculum largely comprised of science courses teaching students subjects like anatomy and surgical skills. Through a partnership with the University of Regina, the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) has become the first veterinary college in Canada to have a trained social worker on site to help students learn to cope with the emotional challenges of the profession.

Drawn to the job because of a love for animals, veterinarians have to deal with the stress of euthanasia, witnessing the results of abuse or neglect, and the inability to provide treatment for an animal for financial reasons. 

"I think some of the common pieces that come through are the moral stress that people experience in wanting to provide adequate care to the animals that are under their care and also recognizing that there are financial constraints that the human counterpart is going to have to endure, and they are going to have to endure alongside their human clients," Erin Wassen, social worker at WCVM, said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “Prevalence of Risk Factors for Suicide Among Veterinarians—United States, 2014” survey, based on answers from more than 10,000 practicing veterinarians, revealed the following:

• 6.8 percent of males and 10.9 percent of females in the profession have serious psychological distress compared with 3.5 percent and 4.4 percent of U.S. male and female adults.
• 24.5 percent of males and 36.7 percent of females in veterinary medicine have experienced depressive episodes since veterinary school, which is about 1 1/2 times the prevalence in U.S. adults overall throughout their lifetime.
• 14.4 percent of males and 19.1 percent of females who are veterinarians have considered suicide since graduation. This is three times the U.S. national mean.
• 1.1 percent of males and 1.4 percent of females in the veterinary profession have attempted suicide since veterinary school. 

By bringing in a social worker from the University of Regina, WCVM can start teaching mental health strategies before the vets start practicing.

Bell's 'Let's Talk' Promotion Inspires Awkward Conversations

Yesterday, Bell's 'Let's Talk' initiative continued to raise awareness and funds for mental health. The Urban Animal industry has identified Compassion Fatigue as a dilemma that needs attention.

The Howie Mandel video clip from Bell's 2015 Let's Talk program is insightful. Why is it easier to talk about a dental appointment then visiting a mental health professional?

Perhaps the rising levels of depression and suicide associated with compassion fatigue will cause a more transparent conversation for this Urban Animal dilemma.

2015 Summit Forum: Compassion Fatigue

From volunteers to veterinarians, literature shows the Urban Animal industry is experiencing ‘care/compassion fatigue’ sometimes with deadly consequences. Does imperial evidence exist to define the magnitude of the problem and the possible solutions?

Sarah Hylton-Foster created a website to help people understand compassion fatigue. The ASPCA has also provided resources for people working in the pet industry. It is designed to help people understand the signs of compassion fatigue and provides resources to help people overcome it.

Can a strategy be developed that solves this dilemma across an entire industry? Can the urban animal industry build emotional intelligence and resilience for human resources that eliminates critical interventions and removes this blight from professional careers?

Get the facts, have your say, move the industry.

If you are interested in participating at the 2015 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies please contact Shannon Woodward, Urban Animal Program Manager. 

Rescue Dogs and Other Dilemmas - UA Forums at Summit 2015

The 2015 Urban Animal Forums on Friday are an integral element of the tenth annual Summit for Urban Animal Strategies. Forums are intended to identify, research and recast dilemmas as opportunities to enrich the lives of people and pets in urban communities.

Leaders at Summit 2015 will be Dared to Disagree. The forums of Summit 2015 invite subject matter experts who will lead the attack on five previously identified dilemmas:

Service and Assistance Dogs (2015.A):

Anecdotal evidence suggests dogs can enrich the lives of people yet many initiatives are bogged down without an evidence base or accepted standards. Communities, airlines, school boards, penal institutions, service industries and breeders need industry help to recast this dilemma so more lives are enriched using companion animals.

Municipal Compliance and Ambassador Programs (2015.B):

Conflicts within the community arise between pet owners and other citizens who wish to use the same public areas. Across North America the rate of compliance associated with licensing and identification of pets is falling. The incidence of disruptive behaviors and aggression in dogs is rising. How can municipal bylaws ensure a safe environment for all? Can new approaches to licensing bylaws and enforcement succeed? The City of Calgary has obtained positive results using off leash 'Ambassadors'. Can the 'Calgary approach' be replicated to assist with other interventions? What kind of training is required? Can municipal budgets be redirected, reduced or eliminated? Do 'Ambassadors' enrich the lives of people and pets in urban municipalities?

Rescue dogs (Forum 2015.C):

Dogs are entering Urban Communities from around the globe and from other jurisdictions (breed specific legislation). As rescue dogs become more prevalent in the adoption environment from myriad sources, issues in the areas of health and socialization have emerged. How can health regulations be enforced? Who should be assessing dogs to ensure they contribute to a safe environment for people and animals? Is there a way to recast this dilemma as an opportunity to enrich communities or should these imports be shut down?

Compassion Fatigue (Forum 2015.D):

From volunteers to veterinarians, literature shows the Urban Animal industry is experiencing ‘care/compassion fatigue’ sometimes with deadly consequences. Does imperial evidence exist to define the magnitude of the problem and the possible solutions? Can a strategy be developed that solves this dilemma across an entire industry? Can the urban animal industry build emotional intelligence and resilience for human resources that eliminates critical interventions and removes this blight from professional careers?

Free-Roaming Cats (Forum 2015.E):

A new evidence based metric that determines feline populations in urban communities is coming forward from the 2015 Urban Animal IRED program. While cats have attracted passion and funding for at least 10 years, communities continue to battle issues associated with free roaming cats. Measuring the number and habits of free roaming felines now seems to be in reach. Are there new ways to recast a dilemma that has resisted mitigation efforts for several decades? Is everyone in the conversation that should be (public health, animal welfare, environmental)? Is it possible to have a respectful but rigorous debate that establishes a new path forward?

Open Space (Forum 2015.OS):

The Summit continues to gather subject matter experts who identify and recast dilemmas to enrich the lives of people and pets. The Open Space forum provides an opportunity for delegates to bring forward new dilemmas or initiatives that merit the attention of the Alliance for Urban Animals.

All Urban Animal Forums are facilitated using the Open Space Technology invented by Harrison Owen.

Summit delegate seats are filled by invitation and usually managed to 100 delegates for each Summit. However, for this tenth anniversary Summit a small number of additional seats have been added. If you or someone you know should contribute to these forums please contact Shannon Woodward.

If you have an invitation please register now!

Interview with Sarah Hylton-Foster, Digital Journalist Scholarship Nominee

Sarah Hylton-Foster has always had a love for and a special connection with animals. Thankfully, she was able to turn that passion into a rewarding career. Sarah was raised with cats, and hoped every year that Santa would bring her a puppy, which sadly never happened. She began working at the Coquitlam Animal Shelter in 2003 after a year of volunteering. Sarah currently shares her life with two cats, Reese and Winston, and her foster cat of three years, Miso. Foster success? Sarah started a website, Wrong Side of the Rainbow, that focuses on compassion fatigue experienced by animal care personnel. Not only does her website educate about compassion fatigue, there are many resources provided for self care.

InfoStream (IS): What is your current occupation and what attracted you to it?

Sarah Hylton-Foster (SHF): I am an Animal Care Attendant with the City of Coquitlam Animal Shelter. I was a volunteer when the shelter first opened and was lucky enough to become a regular employee about a year later and haven’t looked back! I have had many foster cats and a few dogs over the years and can’t imagine not sharing my life with some sort of critter!

IS: Please tell us about your website, Wrong Side of the Rainbow. What made you realize the necessity and importance of such a resource? What is the history behind it?

SHF: The true inspiration came from my beloved cat Quinn who had passed nearly a year before. She was my heart and soul and I lost her suddenly from a blood clot, at the age of five. I was destroyed and spent many months going through the motions of living.  Society doesn’t accept that we can grieve in the same way we do a family member. But in some cases, the loss of a pet is more painful, yet harder to explain. Having the support of a community of like minded people has helped other people through their own grieving process. They are more than “just” animals and we have every right to grieve for them as deeply as we would a human family member or friend. After being involved in a discussion around Compassion Fatigue I saw that there wasn’t a lot of resources out there for people who work in the animal care industry. It was a topic that was just starting to gain momentum in our industry and I wanted to ensure the conversation continued.

I was lucky enough to reconnect with an old therapist, Laurel Horn, who specializes in Compassion Fatigue and Pet Loss and has hosted seminars in shelters and vet clinics. After many hours spent online I managed to collect enough to start a website. Because social media is the best way to connect with people on a large scale, I then created a Facebook page which is now at just over 800 Likes and has connect with people all over North America and even farther!

IS: What do you hope to accomplish with Wrong Side of the Rainbow; what is/are your long-term goal(s) for it?

SHF: The biggest struggle we face is being heard. The stigma around mental health keeps so many silent as they suffer. Compassion Fatigue is still a relatively new concept in the animal care industry, even though it has been widely accepting in other care giving roles. Sadly only with the passing of well known members of the community, like Dr Sophia Yin, is the conversation really starting.

Wrong Side of the Rainbow has a simple goal. Education, support and bringing our community together. Together we can help and heal, not only the animals we care for but ourselves as well.

IS: What do you see as the greatest risk for those affected by compassion fatigue and/or pet loss?

SHF: I think the greatest risk is that so many people involved in animal care work burnout. So many people suffer from depression, develop destructive habits, and sadly when it gets to be too much, take their own lives. It’s very  hard to explain to people outside of our industry what we deal with on a daily basis, and we often keep things inside. People assume because we work with animals our days are filled with kittens and puppies and don’t recognize the horrors and sadness of our jobs. Like any mental illness conversation, stigma keeps many from reaching out for help.

IS: How do you think we can best support those affected by compassion fatigue?

SHF: Offering safe spaces either online or with therapy (group or one on one) for people in our industry to connect with people who can truly understand their struggles is key. It can be extremely frustrating to try and explain your feelings to people outside of the industry who see animals as “just pets”, especially after the loss of a loved companion. Connecting with like minded people in the same field as you will validate feelings and make you realize you aren’t alone.

IS: How are you using media to share important information?

SHF: Facebook is probably the easiest and most successful way to share information.  One post can reach hundreds of people in a matter of hours, I recently had one post shared over 1000 times! I was so excited to see an article that was specific to compassion fatigue in animal care workers was so well received and that the message is actually getting out there to people who may not have heard of it before. I hope that more articles are written because people are obviously interested and want to share with their friends, families and coworkers.