Talent Q, a people assessment company, recently released a status paper on how workplace stress affects employees and the various noticeable behavioural changes it causes. The paper was based on a research conducted by the company on a group of 14,000 employees in the UK. The conclusion of this research was that when faced with stressful situations at work, people tend to behave much differently, often displaying extreme behavioural patterns.

While the study did not correlate age with such changes in behaviour, it did show that men were prone to becoming more over confident under stress while women became over dependent and extremely sensitive.

The research found that people holding different positions displayed different behavioural extremes under stress. People involved in administrative work became hypersensitive, while those in finance displayed traits of micro-management. People in production tended to seclude themselves under pressure, while those in sales exhibited extreme flamboyance. Similarly, legal staff became over dependent while management staff became over confident and staff in HR displayed odd behaviour.

Dr Alan Bourne, the director of Talent Q, attributed these changes in behaviour to the fact that people move up in life very quickly and they are often not prepared for the stressful life ahead. Hence, they buckle down once the going gets tough and display characteristics like narcissism and micro management.

Dr Bourne also stated that derailment of employees brings serious repercussions for the company in terms of missing deadlines, lost contracts and a work force with low morale.

Dr Bourne further added that while selecting leaders, the organisation should take into account such behavioural changes and their manifestation. Moreover, once a person is selected, organisations must ensure adequate training and support is provided to him so that he can perform his role efficiently.

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