Most people, at some point another in their professional career, will tell you that they get stressed. However, a recent study by staffing firm Accountemps is showing that accountants and finance professionals are especially feeling the heat. Over half, 52%, said that they feel stressed out from their work on a daily basis. Of those that responded, 60 percent say their stress has actually increased over the last five years.The reasons vary among accounting and financial professionals as to why they are really feeling the pressure. About 33 percent attributed their day-to-day stress to a heavy workload and constant pressure to meet deadlines. Another 22 percent said their stress could be attributed to the attempt to find a work-life balance and another 22 percent said their managers are the number one reason they are feeling stressed every day.
As an accounting or finance professional, below are some tips to help keep the stress low:
This could be anything that you do outside of work, such as exercise activities like yoga or running. Pick up a new hobby like gardening or volunteering. Take time to meet up with friends and socialize. Plan a vacation so you can recharge. Work can become monotonous and difficult to handle when all you do is eat, sleep and work.
Make a plan for each day that you come into work and try to stick with those particular tasks. Try to keep meetings to a minimum because those can eat up a lot of work time. Stay focused on your specific tasks so that you can get more done.
If you start to feel overwhelmed or frustrated, it’s okay to get up and walk away for a second. Go grab a coffee or snack. If it’s a nice day, go take a quick walk outside the building. You’ll get less work done feeling miserable than you will feeling recharged.
If you feel like you have way too much on your plate and that it will never get done, talk with your manager to see if there is any way you can get help with your tasks. Explain that you think the work will get done well if you have more time to work on it or if someone else can handle it. It’s better to take time and do exceptional work than just complete sloppy work.
Although most feel like stress is just something that comes along with the territory of working in accounting or finance, Accountemps district president Bill Driscoll explains that a stressed-out employee can have detrimental effects on the workplace. Employees could slow down on their productivity as the pressure weighs on, or even leave causing a high turnover ratio.
If you’re a manager of accounting and finance professionals offer your employees some resources. Automated accounting and accounts receivable software takes a lot of pressure off employees, while completing even more than they could before. It helps them to stay prioritized and productive.
