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The study -

The study looked at the workplace phrases that raise employees' heart rates the most.

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The study -

The Knowledge Academy asked 807 members of their staff to take part in the study.

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Methodology -

Staff wore a heart rate tracker every working day for six weeks. During this period, senior staff were asked to say 16 common workplace phrases randomly (listed in the following slides).

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Methodology -

The staff were not told the nature of the study, but were told they would be asked to write down their heart rates (BPM) at random times. It just so happened that those "random times" were after the phrases were said.

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Methodology -

A typical heart rate usually ranges between 60-100 BPM. The calculations and results were based on an average heart rate of 80 BPM. Next, let's look at the phrases that increased employees' heart rates the most.

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16. "Do you have anything you want to discuss?" -

Average Recorded Heart Rate BPM: 91

Average Heart Rate Increase: 14%

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15. "Can I talk to you about what you’re wearing?" -

Average Recorded Heart Rate BPM: 93

Average Heart Rate Increase: 16%

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14. "I accidentally deleted it" -

Average Recorded Heart Rate BPM: 96

Average Heart Rate Increase: 20%

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13. "I tried to call/zoom you earlier…" -

Average Recorded Heart Rate BPM: 99

Average Heart Rate Increase: 24%

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12. "What are the learnings here?" -

Average Recorded Heart Rate BPM: 101

Average Heart Rate Increase: 26%

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11. "Would you mind covering that ex-employee’s role for a while?" -

Average Recorded Heart Rate BPM: 103 

Average Heart Rate Increase: 29%

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10. "Please advise" -

Average Recorded Heart Rate BPM: 105

Average Heart Rate Increase: 31%

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9. "Can you elaborate on that?" -

Average Recorded Heart Rate BPM: 111

Average Heart Rate Increase: 39%

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8. "How do you think it’s going?" -

Average Recorded Heart Rate BPM: 118

Average Heart Rate Increase: 48%

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7. "Have you done X yet?" -

Average Recorded Heart Rate BPM: 123

Average Heart Rate Increase: 54%

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6. "It’s come to my attention…" -

Average Recorded Heart Rate BPM: 127

Average Heart Rate Increase: 59%

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5. "Have you seen that urgent email?" -

Average Recorded Heart Rate BPM: 130

Average Heart Rate Increase: 63%

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4. "Just make it happen" -

Average Recorded Heart Rate BPM: 131

Average Heart Rate Increase: 64%

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3. "Can you share your findings in today’s meeting?" -

Average Recorded Heart Rate BPM: 138

Average Heart Rate Increase: 73%

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2. "Would you be able to do a presentation for us?" -

Average Recorded Heart Rate BPM: 143

Average Heart Rate Increase: 79%

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1. "Let’s have a chat" -

Average Recorded Heart Rate BPM: 147

Average Heart Rate Increase: 84%

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How to deal with it -

Ian Hurst, co-founder of mental health non-profit We are Hummingbird, shared a few tips on how to keep calm at work. They are as follows...

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Talk to a friend or colleague -

It's important to get things off your chest. Open up about your worries with a friend or a trusted colleague.

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Use grounding techniques -

There are multiple ways you can do this, such as the 5-4-3-2-1 Coping Technique.

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Repeat a calming mantra -

This can have a powerful effect when it comes to relieving feelings of anxiety. Choose one and stick to it.

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Write it down -

Sometimes we make more sense of things when we write them down. This can really help you determine what your worry really is, and what you can and can't do about it.

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Difficult people -

Hurst notes that dealing with difficult people is usually the main cause of stress at work.

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Remote working -

As working from home becomes more and more common, a simple request for a video call can indeed become a stressor.

Sources: (The Knowledge Academy) (The European Business Review)

See also: How and why you should separate your identity from work

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