There is a vast number of people who work in financial services in process-orientated functions that have some level of predictability and structure. In the main, these types of roles expose employees to the same levels of stress as any city office-type careers. Due to the competitiveness of the sector and the costs involved, there are roles in banking that do carry a high level of stress risk. These roles could be client-facing, or market-facing such as trading and sales to internal functions, such as trade support, middle office, operations, and IT.
Pressure is not just in the domain of the business, Large IT projects for example can shut down trading, they carry the largest internal risk to the business and therefore carry the highest pressure for those delivering projects. It is not only those at the top that carries the pressure, the most junior test hire, who misses a test case could find that the error goes undetected until go live and then gets highlighted from obscurity to notoriety in a blink. It’s a team effort until failure and then it’s straight to lessons learned, and there is nothing like a function to be blamed for failure. Everything is signed off and checked, so what is the problem? that the sign-off is contingent on what is being presented for the sign-off is complete and accurate. Systems have evolved over the years, and are by their very nature too complex for every eventuality to be captured and tested, and errors do indeed happen. This burden of the ‘what if’ is carried top down through the project team, and no one is spared.
Creating a Sanctuary: The Safe Space of Therapy
Having someone to listen to your story is often one of the gains of going through the therapeutic route. I have engaged with many city professionals where breaking down their story is the first time, in their adult self, they have played out the process of where they are today. It is often this experience clients will often find a shift begins to happen. Remember to reach out using the contacts on this site, to start your journey, if this is something that resonates with you
Unearthing The Roots: Identifying Sources Of Stress
- Collaborative identification of stress triggers
- Analyzing personal and professional stress factors
- Developing insights into individual stress responses
Mastering The Waves: Learning Coping Strategies
- Techniques for managing high workloads and deadlines
- Strategies for maintaining composure under performance pressure
- Tools for effectively handling customer service challenges
The Art Of Communication: Dealing With Customers And Colleagues
- Enhancing interpersonal communication skills
- Strategies for conflict resolution and assertiveness
- Building empathy and understanding in professional interactions
Anchor In The Storm: Emotional Support Through Therapy
- Providing a supportive environment for emotional expression
- Developing resilience and emotional intelligence
- Offering guidance and support through challenging times
Provides a safe and confidential space to talk:
Talking therapy can help you identify the sources of work stress in banking. This can help develop coping strategies that are tailored to your specific situation. For example, if you are struggling with high workloads and tight deadlines, your therapist may help you develop time-management strategies or suggest ways to delegate tasks.
Talking therapy can help you develop coping strategies to deal with work stress more healthily. Your therapist may teach you relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation, or suggest mindfulness exercises that can help you manage your stress levels.
Talking therapy can help you improve your communication skills, which can be useful in dealing with difficult customers or colleagues. Your therapist may teach you assertiveness techniques or help you develop strategies for dealing with conflict in the workplace.
Talking therapy can provide emotional support during times of stress. It can be comforting to know that you have someone to talk to who understands what you are going through and can provide guidance and support.
Closing Thoughts, Help is at Hand
Work stress is a common occurrence in the banking industry, but it doesn’t have to be a way of life. I am a former City Analyst, having worked at the Coal Face for more than 2 decades. I now work with banking professionals in my Therapy Practice. Talking therapy can help you manage work stress and lead a healthier, happier life. By providing a safe and confidential space to talk, helping you identify the sources of stress, teaching coping strategies, improving communication skills, and providing emotional support, talking therapy can help you navigate work stress in banking and thrive in yours.
If you would like to reach out, please follow the contact links on this page, would be pleased to discuss this further.
