Project Management is a people based profession. We rely on Clients, designers, engineers, contractors, supply chain specialists and many other skillsets to design the innovative products that we manage. Anyone working within the Project Management profession knows how important good, skilled people are for making projects succeed.
On top of this, for better or worse, we have not yet got to the point where technology is being used fully to compliment our Project Management people skillset. Automation of Project Controls is still very much in its infancy and we have yet to move to more integrated concepts that work...without creating extra work! Virtual reality and augmented reality are not generally adopted as the accepted norm, although these can be really useful tools, & we have yet to learn cross industry, how to use technology to properly enhance the Project Management skillset. So for now, as Project Managers, we are still predominantly reliant on people to deliver projects.
As a people based profession, we have learnt how to work together and maximise our efforts. Collaboration, communication, trust and accountability are commonly understood to be important components of success. And where they aren’t, or they break down, we are quick to find solutions to fix the problem – revisit the communications strategy, host a workshop, set up some team training or simply arrange some drinks to get everyone socialising. All excellent solutions that help get teams back on track in what is often a complex, stressful (and sometimes combative) environment.
Many of the physical dangers that occupy some of our more hands-on projects are better managed now too. Long gone are the days in construction or manufacturing where people are sent to dangle over the edge of buildings on a rope with no fall proper fall protection or Personal Protective Equipment for example. Health and safety is, quite rightly, taken much more seriously now. It is managed via legislation and prioritised so fatal accidents are rare and non-fatal accidents are on the decline.
But if our projects are reliant on people for success, then why amongst all of this are we forgetting to look after ourselves? Why are we are we forgetting the basics of how human beings function and what the fundamentals are for us to optimise performance? How are we only tackling physical dangers without also reviewing mental health ones?
Individual human needs are actually pretty basic. Assuming you are safe and have a roof over your head, global guidelines show that adult humans generally need
· Sleep – 7-9 hours per day
· Water – 6-8 glasses every day
· Diet – a healthy, balanced diet rich in fibre with a variety of fruit, vegetables & protein
· Exercise –150 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity per week
· A sense of community – to reduce stress, anxiety and isolation
· Purpose – according to modern neuroscience we also require a sense of purpose to maintain our physical health and mental wellbeing
How often can you say that you tick all of these boxes regularly, especially when your projects get tough?
Mental Health on projects is slowly gaining increasing attention. Projects can be stressful with their deadlines, budgets & constantly changing team dynamics. Statistics show that Project Managers often report high levels of stress with the Project Management Institute (PMI) showing that more than 75% of PM's report experiencing 'significant stress' on a monthly basis.
And when we look at certain industries this is compounded. Today in the UK construction industry, depression, anxiety and stress make up one fifth of work-related illnesses – the estimated annual cost of this is somewhere between £70 and £100 billion pounds. According to the The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), construction has one of the highest rates of work related stress and mental health problems – with 70% saying they have experienced some form of mental health issue because of work. And as a result of all of this, suicide rates are high, and workers in our industry are reported to turn to self-medication in the form of pain killers, drugs and alcohol more than people in other high stress jobs.
The same is true as a trend for many other professions. In healthcare professionals often face long hours, low pay & intense emotional strain without adequate support. In law, people are often demanded to work through the night, taking on high individual responsibility on complex, high stake issues. The same could be said for technology, finance, emergency services...I could go on.
Working under stress has a significant impact on job performance. It results in decreased productivity and higher levels of errors. Burn out results in higher levels of absenteeism and a higher turnover rate of staff. And of course it leads to health problems that can be chronic & long lasting.
So when are we going to start looking after ourselves?
We all have an individual responsibility to look after ourselves. So that we can perform to the best of our ability. So that we can have long, fulfilling careers. For the sake of our loved ones, friends, family and colleagues. For the sake of ourselves.
But beyond that we have a collective responsibility too. To look out for each other. To not glamorise stress and overwork. To spot the signs of overwhelm and exhaustion in a colleague and to have the courage to ask them if they are ok. To spot the signs of overwhelm and exhaustion in ourselves and to do something about it. To be kind to ourselves and others, even when things inevitably get stressful.
People are any project's greatest asset. When stress is high, we have to remember the importance of returning to the basics and looking after ourselves. This is how we will succeed better. Individually and as an industry. Just imagine the levels of success we could achieve if we can all turn up to work as the best, healthiest versions of ourselves.