Molly Pepper, Associate Professor of Management and Peggy Sue Loroz, Associate Professor of Marketing
Gonzaga professors help women reduce work-related stress It’s no secret that working women today are facing everincreasing demands in both their personal and professional lives. That often leads to unhealthy levels of stress. Research by Gonzaga University management and marketing professors Molly Pepper and Peggy Sue Loroz has revealed key contributors to the problem as well as a few practical tools to help women reduce stress and prevent workplace burnout. They found that some of the biggest stress factors involve trying to attain work-life balance, overcoming career advancement hurdles and coping with workplace bullying. Over time, dealing with these issues can lead to emotional exhaustion, detachment and reduced physical and emotional energy. Consistent with Gonzaga’s mission, Pepper and Loroz focused on cura personalis – or care for the whole person – when developing their techniques for handling these issues. They identified three main ways to improve workplace stress levels:
Time Management: Find the time of day that you are most productive and the setting that is the most conducive to getting things done. Use those factors to your advantage. Identify the tasks that are most important and focus energy on those before addressing other things. Affinity Groups: Join a group of colleagues who share similar interests and needs. If one doesn’t exist, start your own. Relationships formed within these groups provide a support system that can help you cope with and lessen your workplace stress. Mighty Purpose: Define the purpose of your job and focus on fulfilling it. Keep this purpose in the forefront of your mind and avoid distractions that can pull you away from achieving it. Once you find your mighty purpose, you will feel freer to be your true self and accomplish your goals.
Professors Molly Pepper and Peggy Sue Loroz present workshops based on their findings that can help women reduce stress and prevent workplace burnout. To learn more about current research done by Gonzaga faculty, visit the School of Business Administration’s online Knowledge Center at gonzaga.edu/sbaknowledgecenter.
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