Be Respectful And Friendly
One of the most common complaints employees share is that their bosses ignore them, unless theyre assigning a task. That sense of being treated as a nonperson in the place where an individual must spend most of his/her waking hours every week is a serious stressor. Its also the stuff of an unhappy, unsatisfying, degrading existence.
Great leaders tend not to be arrogant. They respect and value others intelligence and talents. Theyre fair to everyone, and theyre clear on the fact that all employees need and deserve to be treated with respect in the workplace and to feel welcome, recognised, and wanted in the place they work.
Make Your Employees Feel Valued
According to an article featured on CBS Detroit, ensuring that your employees feel valued is a great way to alleviate stress. When employees feel as though they are disposable, it can make for a stressful work environment. For this reason, it is important to communicate to your employees that they are valued at the company. Make sure to do this with all of your communication, however, or it can feel forced. A Forbes.com article titled, 4 Simple Ways to Make Your Employees Feel Valued states, The more you recognize your employees specific contributions to the team, the more irreplaceable theyll feel. Being personal when giving work assignments, and taking an interest in your employees makes them feel like part of the team.
Employees Need To Understand Their Job Responsibilities
It is stressful when job expectations are confusing. When employees understand job responsibilities, they will feel calmer and perform better. Work stress and employee health have a direct impact on employee productivity.
Do This: Make sure every employee has a specific job description that they helped create. Provide guidelines but let them tweak it. This description should outline daily, weekly, monthly, and even yearly responsibilities. Make sure the job description provides the employee with a chance to grow and be rewarded.
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Tip : Learn How Managers Or Employers Can Reduce Stress In The Workplace
It is in a manager’s best interest to keep workplace stress to a minimum. Executives can act as positive role models, especially in times of high stress, by following the tips outlined in this article. If a respected manager can stay calm in stressful work situations, it is much easier for their employees to stay calm.
In addition, there are a number of organizational changes that managers and employers can make to reduce workplace stress, including:
What Role Does Your Personality Play In Stress Management
Everyone is unique in their own way and capability, which is what gives the world its diversity. Each person has their own distinct personality.In various situations, every one of us has a distinct reaction. As a result, our responses to stress are largely determined by our personality type .In my professional and personal life, I met a variety of people with diverse personalities. Observing them taught me a lot about how to deal with stress in many difficult situations.Our responses to stress are partly innate and partially learned throughout the course of our lives.
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Stress Management Techniques To Reduce Stress At Work
Written by Grant Olsen | October 19, 2021
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The life of an entrepreneur is inherently stressful. There can be a lack of control, lack of predictability, lack of support, and lack of personal time, all coupled with an abundance of pressure. If legendary cooking teacher Julia Child saw those ingredients, shed probably refer to this as a recipe for trouble.
Of course, some of the factors listed above are what can make the entrepreneurial life so appealing. Its a thrilling rocket ship ride that pits your tenacity and creativity against a range of unforeseen challenges. When times are tough, the burden falls directly onto your shoulders. And when your business triumphs, there are few things in life that bring so much satisfaction.
Thats the double-edged sword of entrepreneurship. The highs are incomparably high, while the lows can be brutal.
Learning stress management techniques is essential if you are going to maintain health and wellness throughout your ever-changing career. Consider these startling statistics:
- 72% of entrepreneurs face mental health challenges
- Entrepreneurs experience depression twice as often as the general population
- Entrepreneurs are 3 times as likely to struggle with addictions
Common Sources Of Work Stress
In an article from The American Institute of Stress, 46% of the main cause of stress is the workload of an employee, with people issues at 28%, followed by juggling work and personal lives and job security at 6%. Remember that excessive stress can interfere with your employees productivity and performance and can also impact their physical and emotional health. This will then eventually affect relationships among colleagues and home life too.
Besides the statistics listed above, there are other factors that coincide with workplace-related stress. They are
- low salaries,
- limited prospects for growth or advancement and
- the task at work that is not engaging or challenging.
From the same article, 80% of workers feel stress on the job and nearly half say they need help in learning how to manage stress. A good manager is aware of situations, as such, that occurred in the office.
However, a great manager takes the initiative to help their team members by finding out how they can reduce stress in the workplace. To assist you in being a great manager who finds ways to reduce stress in the workplace, we have listed a few ideas that you can cultivate with your fellow colleagues.
80% of workers feel stress on the job and nearly half say they need help in learning how to manage stress. The American Institute of Stress
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How To Spot Workplace Stress
Workplace stress could manifest in one of several ways. It will probably start with the work itself, as employees find themselves lacking the energy, focus, or motivation to complete their day-to-day tasks.
On the physical side, they might suffer from headaches, digestive problems, or general aches and pains. Studies show that increases in cortisol, the stress hormone, can affect the immune system, making people more susceptible to illness.
In terms of mental health, stress is linked to a higher risk of depression, anxiety, and insomnia . Stressed employees may begin self-medicating by overeating, using drugs, or drinking alcohol.
Stress and sleep are closely linked. If people get stressed at work, their sleep is often one of the first things to suffer. On the other hand, lack of quality sleep can be a source of stress in itself.
Many of these symptoms could be invisible from the outside. However, there are external signals you can watch out for.
Be alert for people who normally perform well falling below their usual standards, or losing motivation. Loss of concentration or focus, which you might put down to simple tiredness, could be a sign of stress.
Stress can make people irritable and impatient. So if you notice flare-ups or disputes between normally peaceable team members, stress could be a factor there too.
But Wait Where Is All This Stress Coming From In The First Place
Without question, some jobs are more stressful than others. But, by and large, stress is a personal issue. A certain job, task or encounter may be more stressful for one person than another. Because every employee deals with or expresses stress in different ways, it is difficult to pinpoint and address the root cause.
While some stress in the workplace is inevitable, employees should not feel constantly overwhelmed by it. Stress can and must be managed in your organization to ensure a positive, thriving culture and meaningful employee engagement. When culture and engagement are healthy, a multitude of other pieces of the successful organizations puzzle fall into place.
How does your organization work to manage and reduce the stress of its employees?
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Model Good Stress Management At Work
Measure your own words and actions at work. This is not to suggest that you present an emotionless, robotic persona to your team. Thats the opposite of all thats been recommended elsewhere in this list around concepts of helping your staff be more comfortable with you as their leader.
Nevertheless, do keep your emotions in check in the workplace. The Harvard Business Review offers a good discussion for leaders on disciplining yourself against displaying negative moods, anger, signs of stress at work. Attitudes and behaviours, good or bad, are highly contagious in workplaces, especially when spread by the leader. After all, youre the person that the team is supposed to take their behavioural cues from at work.
Employees Should Be Able To Conveniently Change Work Hours When Needed
Allowing employees to have some control over their work schedule will manage stress levels. A worker with schedule flexibility is better able to find work/life balance, and is generally happier, more productive and more engaged at work.
For example, if an employee can choose when to start and finish work, they can be available for family needs, arrange to miss peak rush hour traffic, create time for exercise, etc.
Do This: Consider the use of flextime or other alternative work schedules such as part time, staggered hours, job sharing, shift working, and even telecommuting. These policies allow employees to manage stressful factors in all parts of their life.
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Start With Your Organizations Leadership Structure
Workloads aside, stress in the workplace trickles down from decisions at the top.
As part of your organizations leadership, you must continuously work to monitor employee stress levels and address any harmful emotional states.
Your leadership and managerial teams can control stress in the workplace by:
- Leading by example in every aspect of the business. This includes managing your own stress in a healthy way and ensuring you are not emitting any unnecessary tension in the workplace.
- Regularly communicating in a transparent manner to all employees about job performance, job responsibilities, company health, company goals and reiterating the company vision.
When employees feel reassured, know how their efforts fit into the big picture, have a sense of control over their work duties, and understand how the company is doing and what the short- and long-term goals are, work takes on a higher meaning and stress levels are reduced.
- Expressing gratitude for your workforce in a very genuine manner on a consistent basis. Its important this effort is not forced, or it will come off as inauthentic. Your employees are what make your business tick, so be sure they know how irreplaceable they are by praising deserving individuals and recognizing specific contributions and accomplishments.
The Financial And Health Effects Of Stress In The Workplace
- Regardless of job title, responsibilities or industry, 80% of workers feel stress on the job.3
- Studies conducted by the CDCs National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health have reported that upwards of 40 percent of American professionals are extremely stressed at work.2
- Additionally, according to the American Psychological Association, more than a third of American professionals deal with chronic work stress.
- Stress in the workplace is costing businesses and organizations billions of dollars a year in medical bills and lost work hours.1
Of course, its more than financial consequences. The effects of job stress on physical and mental health can prove to be the real crux in organizations today. Take a look:
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Start Your Day Off Right
After scrambling to get the kids fed and off to school, dodging traffic and combating road rage, and gulping down coffee in lieu of a healthy breakfast, many people arrive to work already stressed. This makes them more reactive to stress in the workplace.
You might be surprised by how affected by workplace stress you are when you have a stressful morning. When you start off the day with planning, good nutrition, and a positive attitude, you might find that the stress of your job rolls off your back more easily.
Consider Flexible Work Schedules
If any of your employees have children or an elder parent in need, the demands of work and home life can quickly become overwhelming. Allowing for employees to have a flexible work schedule will give them time to take care of the people they love, and in turn allow them to be more present at work while theyre there.
If your employees perform work that could be done remotely, consider days where they can work from home as well if it makes their lives easier. Modern tools like Slack and Google Hangouts can still keep the communication lines open.
Related article: The Future Workplace: Where Flexibility Trounces Paid Time Off
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How Managers Can Help Employees Cope With Stress In The Workplace
Stress in the workplace can be a problem, but there are many things managers and employers can do to help employees cope with stress and overcome it.
The Calm Team
How stressed are your employees?
A certain level of good stress can actually be positive. But if stress goes on for too long, it can undermine your employees well-being. There’s a big difference between an occasional burst of frustration and feeling constantly worried or anxious about your jobday in, day out.
In this post, well take a deep dive into some ways you can make the workplace a happier, more productive place and save your employees from excessive stress.
You Can Help Your Employees Reduce Stress & Increase Total Well
In just six weeks, your workforce can experience reduced stress levels and have the tools needed to control future feelings of stress.
Through Stress Free Now – an online, six-week program by Cleveland Clinic | Bravo that teaches clinically proven relaxation techniques to help employees reduce and control their feelings of stress – your employees can reduce perceived stress and increase their levels of mindfulness, psychological well-being, vitality and quality of life.
Learn more about Stress Free Now and lets talk about how we can help you build a stronger, healthier, stress-free culture:
Need actionable steps to take right now as you learn more about our Stress Free Now program? Find five strategies for managing stress in the workplace below that compliment this program.
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Allow Flexible Work Schedules
While not practical for all businesses, allowing employees some flexibility in when and where they work can go a long way toward reducing stress.
Often, what causes stress is not necessarily the work itself, but managing all of lifes responsibilities, including children, spouses, and household responsibilities in addition to work. Allowing employees to work remotely, or to set their own hours, helps them maintain that balance more effectively, and keeps stress low.
While employers cannot remove every possible stressor from their employees and guarantee that they will never feel overwhelmed by work, they can make changes to keep stress manageable. Given the serious consequences of overly stressed employees, it only makes sense to do your part.
About the Author
Megan Andrews is a freelance writer who is just stepping into the wonderful world of content marketing and SEO. She has a BA in English and experience in many fields, ranging from finance to health . When not creating quality content for quality sites, Megan enjoys reading, photography, and learning new things about the amazing world around her.
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How Managers Can Help Reduce Workplace Stress
We all deal with workplace stress in our careers. Whether its a large workload, fast approaching deadlines, upset clients, or an angry boss, things can arise each and every day that have us feeling anxious. However, what many people dont realize is just how severe the issue actually is. In fact, the World Health Organization has dubbed workplace stress the health epidemic of the 21st century, costing American businesses an estimated $300 Million annually. So with that in mind, here are several expert tips for managers to help alleviate workplace stress in employees.
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Lack Of Job Feedback From Leadership
Unless employees receive feedback, they can worry about their job performance even when they are doing well. This can make it hard for employees to manage their stress. When leaders communicate with a spirit of encouragement, employees feel reassured and are more likely to communicate with leaders, especially during difficult challenges.
Do This: Employees need regular performance reviews. Employees need to know if they are exceeding your expectations or have things they can improve. Involving them in the process and letting them to set their own improvement goals will improve relationships and increase job satisfaction.
Do This: Encourage sharing in staff meetings. Ask for employee suggestions then share them at meetings. This will increase trust, motivation, and performance, all of which reduce stress.
Do This: Communicate regularly by email, newsletters, calls, chats, etc. This builds a relationship of trust. Whatever the form of communication, make the message simple, clear, and relevant.
Communicate Employee Future Fit
Uncertainty at work is a breeding ground for employee stress, especially when its about an employees future fit within the company. When employees are unsure of what theyll be doing within your organization or if theyll even be a part of your organization this can create unnecessary worry, anxiety, and stress.
Pinpoint Areas of Uncertainty and Clarity
Stress can wreak havoc on your organization’s overall productivity. Attempt to uncover where uncertainties are within your team and try to understand why. You’ll also want to find out what gives your team members a sense of certainty or clarity. These are quick wins that you can immediately deliver on.
Conduct Career and Performance Conversations
Meet with employees to discuss career aspirations, as well as your teams and companys future needs. Make sure all employees understand whether theyre exceeding or falling short of your expectations.
Be Transparent
Clearly communicate organizational and team strategies, as well as any changes that occur. Create goals that align your organization from the bottom to the top. Every employee should have a clear understanding of how their work personally impacts the team and organization as a whole. Employees who see how their puzzle piece fits into the larger picture will be more driven, engaged, and seemingly less stressed.
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