Six steps to tackle workplace stress
Figures from the Health and Safety Executive showed a staggering 15.4 million working days were lost to work-related stress, anxiety and depression in 2017/18, making stress one of the biggest causes of workplace absence.
And these numbers are before we’ve even begun to consider the impact of stress on those who continue to work while unwell. Presenteeism has more than tripled since 2010, according to the latest CIPD survey.
In today’s competitive world, it’s easy to feel under pressure to perform at work and pressure can, to a certain extent motivate, with many employees thriving on the buzz of a new challenge or project. Feeling overwhelmed and stressed, however, can have the opposite effect. It can leave us feeling irritable, struggling to concentrate and have a knock-on effect on our home life. One report found that more than half of workers (54%) said stress negatively impacts their home life at least once a week, with the same number saying it has kept them awake at night.
Stress shouldn’t be deemed just ‘part of the job’ – it’s important that both employees and employers recognise when they or others are struggling and take steps to cope more effectively.
Keep perspective
We all have bad days or challenging weeks at work, but it’s important to remind ourselves that work is not the be all and end all. Encourage yourself to think about what else matters to you outside of your job; the positives in your life. Think about why you go to work and the values you align yourself to. In times of stress, we need to keep perspective and remember that what may affect us today is likely to be a distance memory a year down the line.
Step away
It’s difficult to create a sense of separation when you’re in the thick of it, so take time away from work to retain a sense of calm. Different things will work for different people, whether that’s taking a break from your desk to go for a walk, calling a friend, taking some holiday or switching off your phone when you get home to avoid being distracted. The key is to find a tactic that allows you to decompress away from the stresses of that day and create an emotional distance from work.
Create boundaries
Creating boundaries by identifying what triggers your stress levels can also really help. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by late night emails, raise it with your manager. It’s about managing expectations, communicating openly and honestly about what is expected of you and what you can realistically do. For people who work remotely, setting those boundaries can be even harder to achieve, but equally important to make sure the work/life balance doesn’t become blurred.
Regular engagement surveys
Businesses should, as par for the course, run regular engagement surveys. These are invaluable in highlighting what a business is doing well and what can be improved upon. Stressful situations affect everyone differently, so understanding what these triggers are for each employee is crucial in helping create a more supportive, less stressful environment. Running the engagement survey is the first part of the journey but following it up with relevant actions that have listened to the feedback and any key themes is even more important. Depending on the size of the business, small focus groups that allow employees to speak freely about how they feel, what causes their stress and what solutions would help, will make them feel listened to and valued which will ultimately boost staff morale.
Raise awareness
Greater awareness of mental health is helping to break down the stigma, but to make a real impact, employers should make sure mental health is part of the HR strategy. This means putting policies and steps in place, including wellbeing benefits, tips on how to spot warning signs in themselves and others, advice on how to keep healthy and access to professional services if people need it. A business’ duty of care and responsibility for staff needs to start at the recruitment stage, by explaining the potential stresses of the job to candidates and making sure they are capable and confident to do the work required.
Support each other
We should never underestimate our power to help others. You don’t need to be a mental health expert, but by sharing views, challenges and personal experiences with each other, it encourages a more open and supportive workplace. It also makes us more aware if we are personally doing something to add to someone else’s stress levels so we can take steps to avoid it.
While it’s unlikely we will completely overcome workplace stress, we can all benefit from taking simple measures to create more positive work environments and protect our physical and mental wellbeing.
“15.4 million working days were lost to work-related stress, anxiety and depression in 2017/18”
“Businesses should run regular engagement surveys. These are invaluable in highlighting what a business is doing well and what can be improved upon”