Today we encounter stress in our work situations, normally as a result of the behaviour of other people.

Work related stress is a hangover from our prehistoric past. When our brains were first wired up stress was a way of diverting energy away from non-essential maintenance tasks while our bodies dealt with the immediate issues whose outcomes were either life or death.

To resolve these issues our prehistoric body had only two options, both fuelled by adrenalin. Fight: The body needed every ounce of brainpower and energy to overcome whatever it was fighting because the consequence of losing was of course death. Run Away: The body would concentrate every possible resource on running as fast as possible because the consequence of being caught was again death.

Stress was the adrenalin fuelled trigger that switched off all of the bodies maintenance functions to allow it to concentrate one hundred per cent on the current emergency. These maintenance functions are all vital for normal healthy development but are not absolutely necessary while being pursued by a Woolly Mammoth or saying good morning to a Sabre Toothed Tiger. If these maintenance functions are left switched off for too long then the body begins to break down and suffer real medical issues as a result.

For our ancestors stress was a healthy thing that allowed us to perform at our optimum in emergency situations. The reduction in the level of adrenalin that accompanies the resolution of these emergencies was the signal for the body to turn these normal maintenance functions back on.

Today we encounter stress in our work situations, normally as a result of the behaviour of other people. It is these situations that trigger the release of adrenalin. Thus, when we become stressed at work it is most likely to be a result of the way that someone else is behaving towards us.

Our prehistoric self would resolve the situation by indulging in an adrenalin fuelled activity, like fighting the person or running away. Both of these would still work as a way of using up the released adrenalin and both would allow us to get on with doing the year end accounts.

Unfortunately in today’s workplace it is no longer permitted to hit someone across the back of the head with a stone axe because they are hogging the photocopier, or poke them with a pointed stick because they were less than complimentary about the jacket we chose to wear.

These solutions have the great advantage that they would use up the adrenalin that had been released by the stress. This would switch the bodies normal maintenance functions back on and allow us to return to work calmly and entirely free of stress, until of course they came with a brand new jacket, one with sleeves that tied at the back, to take us away.

The normal response that is permitted to any level of provocation in the office will simply not allow the violent action that might turn off the stress that the provocation caused. An acceptable response to the jacket situation might be, “I respect your right to hold your own opinion. Thank you for sharing it with me.” Then walk calmly away to the photocopier which has by this time become free. Outside, calm and serene. Inside, images of blood and axes as our prehistoric programming tries to get us to perform the violent act that will turn off the stress.

But we are no longer allowed to be violent and as a result our stress, instead of being a healthy tool that allows us to perform to our absolute limits in emergency situations, has become a pernicious demon that is gnawing away at our vital functions.

For Managers to deal with stress at work:

Be nice to people, especially those who report to you. We realise that for most managers this is simply not possible. It goes against years of training, and possibly even an MBA. Where it is completely impossible to manage, and be nice to people at the same time.

Take a very long holiday. This in most cases will entirely remove the cause of stress, the manager, from the workplace and has the added bonus that working without management continually getting in the way makes the workforce many times more productive.

Finally, if the above are not practicable, or for some, possible, provide a source of violence in the workplace that could deplete the released adrenalin to the level required. There is some debate about the exact nature of this violent activity but as a rule of thumb it should have some element of death in it and obviously some representation from management. How it works practically will be up to the individual, bearing in mind local legislation, available space and the possible impact of noise and smoke on the other occupants of the office who are still waiting for the photocopier.

Where no resolution has been found for the adrenalin released in the workplace medical issues will accrue from the inability to turn off the stress and ultimately bodies will deteriorate to the point where it is no longer possible for them to come to work. In this instance sick leave is granted and the individual can take time in a relaxed, stress free, environment for the body, in the absence of adrenalin, to turn the maintenance functions back on and deal with all of the issues that have accrued at work by not being allowed to turn the stress off.

When fully recovered the individual returns to work, back to exactly the same environment that caused the stress related problems in the first place. How sensible is that?

If stress management strategies are not in place and the management team are not on holiday then the only really practical remedy is to queue up at the photocopier with your first application for sick leave, because you are going to need it again.