Stress management techniques for a healthy workplace

Stress is often mischaracterised as an entirely negative sensation. However, when this stress builds up over time, it can all become too much. The workplace can be the most common source of stress amongst most people. Between the amount of conscious time people spend working, the dependence of it for income, the workplace can be the key driver of stress.

High levels of stress won’t simply impact the individual, but those around them and in turn, the entirety of the workplace. Helping people to effectively manage their stress and overcome the associated issues makes for a more efficient and harmonious workplace. Senior leadership need to keep this in mind and focus on providing their people these healthy techniques to manage stress.

What is stress at work?

The Health and Safety Executive identifies stress as; “the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures placed on them”. The parallels between the general definition and how it can be seen in the workplace are clear to be seen. When members of senior leadership are dependent on their people, the demands can quickly increase, workflow can become clogged, and pressure quickly builds leading to extenuating levels of stress.

When individuals do not feel their workload is matching their skillset, or they feel they do not have the time or capacity to complete assigned tasks for a set deadline, they will begin to experience workplace stress. Whilst stress affects people differently and others may be more prepared to handle it; excessive amounts will be damaging to most people in the workplace. This can be seen in recent studies which show that 79% of those aged between 16-24 in the workplace experienced high levels of stress, with 63% of the UK workforce showing symptoms of workplace burnout.

Why you must prioritise stress management at work

Any organisation’s success is dependent on its people. If individuals can’t effectively carry out their role for whatever reason, the organisation suffer. Stress can be the primary obstacle preventing your people from achieving their full potential and contributing to the accomplishment of the goals of the organisation. High stress-levels may lead to decreased productivity due to burnout, anxiety or depression, can be the cause of increased absence rates due to illness and lead to higher costs due to increased turnover.

Plus, if high stress is causing someone to underdeliver in their role, it can have a direct impact on others. This can then create a self-sustaining culture of stress and declining mental health. Very quickly, an organisations workplace culture can become toxic and unmanageable.

Here are a few brief reasons as to why senior leadership teams must prioritise effective stress management for organisational success:

Increased productivity

When people are in the right headspace in work, they are more likely and prepared to be productive and contribute to organisational goals

Improved teamwork

High levels of stress can lead to anxiety and depression, causing people to isolate themselves. Reducing stress decreases these symptoms and can naturally encourage collaboration

Greater job satisfaction

When individuals aren’t experiencing prolonged high levels of stress in their roles, they are less likely to experience a decline in their mental health, leading to greater satisfaction and joy within an organisation

Enhanced organisation reputation

Satified individuals means happier individuals, which reflects the ethics of an organisation, whether it be through word of mouth or general perception

Legal compliance

According to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, organisations have a legal duty of care to protect their people from stress, therefore implementing effective stress management measure keeps organisations compliant within UK legislation

Top stress management techniques for a healthy workplace

Understanding the value of stress management in the workplace is one thing. Identifying and implementing the effective stress management tools is another thing entirely. However, there are some simple steps that can be taken to provide people the necessary and healthy techniques to manage their stress in the workplace. Here are just a few methods that can implemented:

Ensure balance:

Most people are equipped and prepared to deal with stress in their workplace. The stress will come from overly heavy workloads, leading to people taking their work home with them to stay on top of their responsibilities. When this happens, the barriers between work and home life become blurred and often shatter entirely. When people aren’t afforded the time to relax and focus on their personal lives as they are too preoccupied with working responsibilities, stress can quickly become overwhelming as there is no respite from it.

Ensuring people avoid taking work home with them guarantees a level of separation from working pressures, allowing people to focus on themselves and their passions.

Encourage physical activity:

It may seem redundant and at first, but regular physical exercise and activity can alleviate feelings of stress. Whilst it might not clear all of a person’s stress, exercise can give a person some space and clarity from the stressful thoughts occupying their minds. When a person is amid a stressful period or a personal crisis, gaining that sense of space from a situation provides clarity to assess the situation, contextualise it, and find an effective solution.

Breathing techniques:

One thing that helps relieves stress is practicing mindfulness. Breathing techniques can help achieve that mindfulness and offer people a technique to relieve stress in the moment when they have encountered a stress trigger. Breathing techniques are proven to calm the mind and body, reducing the impact of an increased heartrate during an instance of stress and relieving the body of added tension. These techniques can easily be incorporated in the workplace to relieve stress through wellbeing classes and sessions, at an individual’s desk or by taking a break to practice a specific technique.

Connectivity between people:

When a person is isolated, stress can become intensified as the cause of the stress can become the focus on a person’s mind. And, with no one to discuss the issues with that may be able to offer a sense of composure as an outside party, solutions can be harder to come by. When a person focuses on a stressor by themselves, the situation can be intensified, and it can seem like there is no way out. Encouraging colleagues to socialise and discuss things other than the workplace will help relieve stress and lead to improve wellbeing amongst individuals.

What else can organisations do?

Due to the nature of stress, it can be quite personal and difficult to address. This can be especially concerning to organisations. They want to ensure their people aren’t struggling with stress and can effectively manage their wellbeing as it can drive results and success. However, there are steps and policies that an organisation can implement to address workplace stress.

Regular one-to-ones:

It can sometimes be difficult to identify when a person is struggling with workplace stress. They might shut themselves off, become isolated as their mental wellbeing begins to decline. Scheduling regular one-to-ones between individuals and their line managers provides a secure and confidential environment to discuss any possible issues or concerns. When issues are aired and discussed, leadership teams are provided the opportunity to address the issue and find a suitable solution.

Stress management training:

One of the easiest steps an organisation can take to try and manage stress, is to provide the training to prepare them for stress and enable them to overcome it. With professional training, management and other individuals can better understand stress, causes and how they can themselves manage it and assist others in managing it too.

Mental Health First Aid:

Declines in mental wellbeing can often be caused by stress and vice versa with poor mental health leading to stress. When people are provided the knowledge and skills to help others with their mental health, they cultivate an environment of support and openness without stigma. This is where Mental Health First Aid Courses can be invaluable to an organisation. Using Mental Health First Aid Training, people can learn the skills to not only identify the signs of stress and declining mental health, but also how to develop and implement action guides for specific incidents and people in order to be able to provide an effective response to the issue and signpost them to expert support if necessary.

Stress management for employees on sick leave

In certain instances, stress can become so overwhelming that people need time off from work. Stress is linked not only to declines in mental health but impact a persons physical health, leading to headaches, chest pains and more. When an instance such as this occurs, it is best that organisations understand and empathise with the issues the individual is struggling with. Offering this understanding along with the appropriate assistance will not only aid in their recovery but also ensure a safe, smooth and speedy return to the workplace.

To ensure this, organisations and leadership teams can utilise Occupational Health Assessments and Active Care. No matter the reason for the absence, the appropriate services provide professional recommendations on the necessary adjustments that can be made to ensure a safer workplace that provides effective stress relief to its people. These adjustments may include:

• Independent health advice

• Policy and procedure guidance

• Fitness assessments

This can ensure the appropriate support is ready and in place to be provided and the necessary adjustments have been made without impacting an organisations operational capacity.

How can an Employee Assistance Programme help your employees in distress?

Sometimes, the best way for an individual to address stress is to speak to a qualified expert. Using HA | Wisdom Wellbeing’s Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), your people will have access to a 24/7 confidential helpline, 365-days a year where they can connect with qualified counsellors to provide expert assistance. Our team of counsellors are trained and prepared to provide the appropriate support through short-term, solution focused counselling. As well as this, individuals will also have access to the Wisdom app, loaded with breathing techniques and exercise routines to provide that immediate stress relief and offer clarity.

On an organisational level, those with access to HA | Wisdom Wellbeing’s EAP, will have access to Occupational Health Assessments, ensuring a safe workplace environment for its people.

Conclusion

It is natural that people will experience stress, especially in the workplace. The issue occurs when the stress is prolonged, goes unaddressed and quickly becomes overwhelming. This negatively impacts individuals and organisation as a whole. That is why it’s important for organisations and their leadership teams to manage people’s stress. This could be through offering the relevant support, techniques or having the policies and procedures in place to address high levels of stress.