Mental health problems can have a profound effect on people’s lives and understanding what triggers stress is essential to learning how to manage it. A large percentage of the population feel stress in the workplace, which can be caused by a wide range of reasons. Being able to recognise what makes you or people in your workplace feel more stressed is the first step to reducing stress.
Here are some top tips for reducing stress in the workplace:
Look out for signs of stress
Stress can be shown in lots of different ways but in the workplace, it can often be that people are reacting in unexpected ways, sometimes getting easily irritated with people they work with. A stressed person is usually less motivated than usual, and they can seem unfocused and distracted when doing work.
The quality of work may dip as a consequence of being distracted due to stress, so it is important that managers look out for signs and try to have open conversations with employees to check how they are doing. Employees who are feeling stressed, should approach their manager and explain how they are feeling to get support.
Discuss wellbeing in 1:2:1 meetings
Most workplaces have regular 1:2:1 meetings between managers and their team members where performance and their existing projects are discussed. Make sure that regular meetings are scheduled and also discuss wellbeing as well as performance, to provide more opportunities to talk about stress. Getting to the root of the problem should help to identify some solutions, for example, if the workload is the main issue, the manager could arrange for the workload to be reduced.
Take breaks at work
Some people are reluctant to take breaks at work, either because they have a lot of work to get through or for any other reason. Taking a break away from work is crucial to be able to refresh your brain and give yourself the chance to take your mind off work. Even if you just go for a 15- minute walk, this will give you some time to get out of your workplace for a short break and give you a little bit of exercise that can also boost your mood and help you to focus better when you get back to work.
Healthy living
Leading a healthy lifestyle can help to reduce stress and there are several key factors involved in this, including having a healthy diet, a good sleep routine and getting regular exercise. Within the workplace, these can all be encouraged through wellbeing events/initiatives and providing fruit and other healthy food to employees can also help to promote healthy eating. Some companies have a ‘Fruit Friday’ where selections of fruit are shared out. Some companies have an on-site gym, or reduced gym memberships and other employee incentives for exercise, such as a Cycle to Work scheme.
Stress in the workplace is very common, so both employees and employers need to work together to try and reduce stress. By reducing stress, employees are happier at work, will take less time off and will be more productive, so there are many benefits to investing time and money into stress reduction. For more tips on reducing stress in the workplace and other important advice such as Health and Safety, follow the Hivis.net social accounts.
