Managing stress in the workplace

It’s inevitable that stress is going to crop up from time to time in the workplace, and a certain amount of stress is healthy, but it becomes a problem when it starts affecting productivity, employee wellbeing and the success of your business.

As a business owner/manager, understanding and managing stress is an essential skill. High levels of stress among employees can lead to burnout and absenteeism, which develops into missed deadlines, mistakes and ultimately, employees leaving your organisation.

What are the signs an employee might be stressed:

• Increased irritability or mood changes

• Frequent fatigue 

• Decreased productivity or quality of work

• Withdrawal from colleagues or team activities

• Being ‘off sick’ frequently or regularly showing up late.

How to support your employees

If you’ve noticed some of the signs of stress showing themselves in your employees, here are a few steps you can take:

• Promote communication - encourage employees to speak up about stress and their workloads. Host regular check-ins to create a safe space for honest conversations and to allow you to identify stress before it escalates.

• Manage workloads - ensure your employees have clear priorities and achievable deadlines, consider delegating tasks or adjusting deadlines and expectations.

• Encourage breaks and time off - make sure your employees are taking their annual leave in order for them to have time to recharge. Even tea breaks and lunch breaks can help reduce mental fatigue during the working day and it’s important they are taken properly.

• Resources such as wellbeing programs and counselling services can also be a big help to employees that are feeling stressed and they can really make a big difference.

Over the years, the importance of a healthy work/life balance has grown substantially. You can read our advice on promoting this in your workforce in our blog post here.

Stress in the workplace can affect everybody, from your team to your clients and ultimately, your business, so by proactively recognising signs and implementing strategies and support, you can build a healthier and more engaged team.

If you need some expert guidance, get in touch with us and we can work with you to help identify stress, support your employees and create a healthier and more productive workplace.