Program aims to boost staff morale

By Rachel Makabi
Daily Bruin Reporter

Responding to stress from the state budget crisis and Sept. 11
attacks, the UCLA Staff Assembly presented a program, titled
Keeping a Positive Attitude in Times of Uncertainty, to about 40
staff members Thursday.

Participants listened to a lecture about stress management and
watched a video illustrating strategies on dealing with
tension.

“We are all living with so much uncertainty in our lives
these days,” said Jorge Cherbosque, co-director of the Staff
and Faculty Center. “We cannot control the circumstances of
our lives, but we can control our attitudes.”

Living in a modern society has added further stress by
alienating people from each other, he added.

Many factors have contributed to an increased level of stress
for staff members, said Staff Assembly vice president of programs
Susan Corley. One factor, she said, is the chancellor’s
recent hiring freeze, which stipulates that no new non-essential
staff positions can be created.

“Dealing with stressful situations is part of any
job,” Corley said. “If anything, UCLA staff members
have it a lot better than others because we work in a positive
environment with students and professors.”

But when Cherbosque asked those in attendance if they enjoyed
coming to work each day, less than five people raised their hands
““ despite the majority in attendance saying they felt they
were contributing something of importance.

Workplace politics have induced stress in her life, said Diane
Blake, a staff member from Communications Technology Services.

“It is frequently not about what you can accomplish
here,” she said. “A lot of times it feels like
it’s more of a power game.”

People should always have a clear focus, purpose, commitment,
desire to contribute to others and methods of learning from others,
said Cherbosque, who emphasized maintaining a positive attitude in
the face of stress.

“A business will always have a clear vision, similar to a
mission statement, but many individuals do not have this,”
Cherbosque said.

In addition to Cherbosque’s lecture on stress management,
the program consisted of a video presentation with Ben Zander,
conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra.

In the video, Zander said feelings of inadequacy can be a main
cause of stress, with people continually fearing failure and
craving success.

“Don’t think of success or failure when you go out,
but realize that you are always contributing to something,”
Zander said.