Stress is high, so how can work lower it?
Adam Jussel, Dean of Students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, looks into this.
Dr. Adam Jussel serves as the Dean of Students for University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, where he helps assist with student advocacy and engagement, support resources, including basic needs, crisis management, and campus healing initiatives. Before UWM, Adam was the Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Student Conduct at Washington State University. He previously represented WSU as an assistant attorney general, and has a certification in higher education law and policy from NASPA Adam served as a faculty member for the Foundations Track at the 2018 Gehring Academy, and has been fortunate to speak at a number of conferences about how to better serve students, including the National Conference on Law and Higher Education, University of Vermont Legal Issues Conference, the Higher Education Alcohol Other Drug & Wellness Summit, and the National Conference on Campus Sexual Assault and Violence. Adam was also a member of NASPA’s Culture of Respect CORE Constructs Advisory Board, advising NASPA on creating best practices regarding sex and gender based violence. Adam is also a faculty member for higher education law and policy at Marquette University. Adam received his juris doctorate from Seattle University and his Bachelor of Science in Business Information Systems from California Lutheran University. He is a member of the Washington bar.
Caring Communities and Meaning of Work
What can staff do to foster meaningful work for their teams (and themselves). How does finding meaning in your work reduce stress?
Meaningful work is, in part, based on how individuals connect their values to their work. In addition, it is how they see their work supporting a greater cause or purpose, including serving others.
You can do a bunch of low-cost high rewards things to foster this, but the first thing is to just be aware of its benefits and build it into your daily practices. This meta-awareness can help bolster your general sense and empathy for your team, and own self-compassion. One way to build it in is to set aside time for individuals and teams to explore what is meaningful to them, and how that might translate to their work. For some that is just connection with others, for some it is service and support, and some it is compensation. No judgment to their why, its just important to know it.
You can also set aside time for more collaboration and connection. Cross-disciplinary teams are very impactful in fostering meaning in work. Creating space for relationships to be more horizontal (not hierarchical) fosters mutuality, safety, and transparency. It also gives space for individuals to branch out across their silos, and ‘zoom out’ to recognize how their work impacts the whole.
One thing to watch out for—we need to be wary of overtaxing individuals who find meaning in their work, as this can lead to burnout. Empowering staff to set barriers and boundaries will enable them to be their best at work.
Meaningful work helps enhance organizational and individual well-being and work life balance. So get out there and try some of these tips.
Leave a Reply