It probably won’t come as a surprise that one out of 14 UK adults indicate they feel stressed every single day, while eight out of 10 agrees the most common cause is their job. These statistics show the importance of businesses tackling this issue and placing wellbeing at the forefront. Stress wreaks havoc on your emotional equilibrium, as well as your overall physical and mental health. It narrows your ability to think clearly, function effectively, and enjoy life. Keep reading to ensure your business is not part of the statistics.
Managing Employee Stress
Managing stress at work isn’t just the right thing to do - it’s also smart for your business. Approximately 49% of workers in the UK admit to working unpaid overtime of an average of 184 minutes (over 3 hours) extra a week. Managers reportedly do the most unpaid overtime, with those in senior management roles averaging 4.1 hours a week, compared to 2.7 hours a week for non-management staff.
The most popular categories noted to work the most overtime in 2023 were:
- Men: 198 minutes per week
- Employees Aged Between 25 & 34: 210 minutes per week
- Employees Who Work Remotely: 212 minutes per week
- Senior Managers: 248 minutes per week
Higher amounts of hours can significantly impact levels of stress, and if not managed well, it can severely affect businesses and the well-being of their employees. That is why it is crucial that companies shift their focus towards prioritising stress management within the workplace. This not only improves the overall physical and mental well-being of their employees but also makes the company stronger.
By investing in stress management, businesses can enjoy perks like increased creativity, better teamwork, and employees who stick around. Employee well-being programmes can help reduce stress at work and improve overall productivity and employee satisfaction. By tackling the root causes of the problem rather than the symptoms, these types of programmes improve the overall mental well-being of your employees and help nurture your team, resulting in increased productivity in the long run.
Avoid Pressure Becoming Anxiety
Sometimes, there is some confusion between the definitions of stress and pressure, followed by unawareness of the consequences of both. Whilst pressure can be a healthy experience for individuals - it’s healthy that people experience challenges within their workplace - the excess of it can turn to stress and, consequently, burnout.
The Workplace Stressors
Safely navigating workplace stress is crucial for maintaining a productive and healthy professional environment. Common workplace stressors like demanding workloads, tight deadlines, and unclear expectations can have a direct effect not only on the well-being of the employees but also on the organisation's overall effectiveness. Unaddressed, those stressors pose a risk of decreased morale, increased absenteeism, and higher turnover rates.
The presence of these stressors can impede holistic development and divert attention from progress; it is essential to reframe the perspective on workplace well-being, moving beyond solely aiding individual employees through resilience-based solutions alone to adopt a mindset focused on identifying the causes of stress within the organisations and therefore benefitting the entire company.
Steps to De-Stress
Providing steps and solutions to mitigate stress within the workplace is crucial in order to show dedication to the well-being of your employees, boosting their productivity, motivation, focus and engagement. Here’s how:
Establish Clear Communication
Consider incorporating refreshers and clear channels for open communication in order to remind employees of expectations but also ways in which they can raise their concerns. Opening a clear line of communication will allow both parties involved to communicate effectively.
Promote Work-Life Balance
49% of employees say they do unpaid overtime work, on average clocking 18 days of unpaid overtime a year. Managing the demands of your personal and professional life can become complicated when an individual is faced with no time to de-stress, unwind and switch off when needed.
Promoting a work-life balance within the workplace can look like offering flexible work schedules, insisting on more breaks, or regularly checking in with your employees to ensure that they are managing their work to see if there’s a way the business can offer to help such as hiring new employees or re-organising workloads within the existing workforce. However, this type of approach only goes so far; to help employees establish a true work-life balance, it is essential to understand the underlying issues behind why some roles encounter more difficulty in this area. If done in this way, these areas can often be resolved at little cost to the business by addressing the right causes.
Build Positive Relationships
Positive connections with colleagues are crucial for creating a supportive work environment marked by enhanced job satisfaction and productivity. Building these relationships involves effective communication, mutual respect, and participation in team-building activities. Additionally, seeking mentorship opportunities is vital for professional growth, offering valuable guidance and insights from experienced individuals.
Actively engaging in mentorship demonstrates a commitment to personal development, contributing to a culture of continuous learning within the organisation. Ultimately, these efforts cultivate a cohesive and resilient team, fostering a positive and conducive workplace atmosphere.
Encourage Employee Feedback
Regular feedback, recognition of good work and open communication for stressors experienced by employees are great ways to gain better insight into your employee’s well-being and overall job satisfaction. In return, this can help you understand better how to manage workplace stress and help individuals within your business. Having a clear understanding of the underlying issues behind stressors within your business can help you acknowledge them with solutions that will help overcome these stressors.
Invest in Employee Wellbeing Programmes
Such stress management programmes can offer you a unique, professional perspective and offer new ways to help you improve the overall performance and productivity of your business. It is evident that chronic stress can impact not only the individuals’ well-being but also their performance and job satisfaction. Thus, investing in programmes that can help assess your workplace and offer knowledgeable expertise on ways in which stress can be managed can help you grow your business and ensure the satisfaction of your employees.
High levels of stress are a serious problem for many organisations. The direct consequence it has on people and, therefore, the businesses they work for is severe. Addressing these issues and offering effective solutions is crucial in order to protect the mental and physical well-being of your employees and to protect your business. Essentially, managing stress within the workplace is key to managing people effectively. Employers should take a systematic approach through thorough assessments to ensure that they have the right understanding of what needs to be done to put everything in place to help their employees manage stress better.
More often than not, looking into workplace stressors can be a pressure point for those involved therefore, it is always recommended to seek help from experienced professionals who can offer you advice and guidance to help you grow your business and manage the stress within your business.
Read more about how Caldeira Consulting can help you and your team.