How To Manage Stress In The Workplace

How To Manage Stress In The Workplace

What is stress?

Stress can be beneficial and debilitating. Stress is the body’s reaction when it feels threatened or under too much pressure. When the demand placed on the individual is greater than the resources they have, they start to feel stressed. Some stress, or pressure can be motivating, however if the pressure becomes excessive then stress occurs.

The monetary effects of stress

Stress and stress related illnesses cause about 15 million workdays to be lost per year in the UK. This equates to an estimated cost of £5.2 billion.  Stress can also lead to poor productivity, human error, injury, poor performance, a high staff turnover and increased sickness.

What are the causes of work related stress?

The HSE lists six factors, which cause stress in the workplace. These are:

1.      Demands – a workload that is excessive to the employee, a work pattern that is unsuitable and a negative work environment.

2.      Control – How much say and control employees have over the way they work.

3.      Support – This includes encouragement, sponsorship and the resources provided by the organisation.

4.      Relationships – The relationships employees have with their colleagues, line managers and senior managers. Includes a positive working environment that avoids conflict.

5.      Role – Do people understand their role within an organisation, what is expected of them in their role and does the organisations ensure roles are not conflicting.

6.      Change – change can cause stress, as people generally fear the unknown. Organisational change, both large and small, should be managed and communicated in a way that causes the least amount of stress to the employees.

How does work related stress effect wellbeing?

According to the NHS excessive stress over a long period of time can affect your mood, body and relationships. Experiencing stress over a long period has shown to increase the risk of depression. Stress can make you feel anxious, irritable and affect your self-esteem.

Excessive work related Stress can lead to:

·        A feeling of being overwhelmed

·        Difficulty concentrating at work

·        Irritability

·        A lack of self-confidence

·        Trouble sleeping or feeling tired all the time, which eventually leads to poor performance at work

·        Avoiding work problems or tasks

·        Eating more or less than normal

·        Smoking and drinking more than usual

How to reduce workplace stress?

·        Create an environment where employees are encouraged to talk about the cause of their stress with either their line manager, a colleague, occupation health or another person in their management chain.

·        Remind employees that they can speak to a health and safety representative, human resources or a trade union representative.

·        Introduce mentoring and co-worker support. e.g. a stress at work champion.

·        Provide yearly or biannually employee health and wellbeing checks to give staff an opportunity to discuss their mental health and work related stress.

·        Make changes to “foreseeable” stress. If for example there is a high staff turnover in a position or department, it is important to undertake an appraisal of the role. Certain stress inducing factors should be limited. The risk of stress should be controlled and an action plan created to alleviate the problem.

How to deal with and reduce the impact of stress

·        If a task seems like it is too big or overwhelming, split it into easier chunks or speak to your line manager about getting extra support to complete it.

·        Take time out of your day to consider what you are doing well and list three things you are thankful for.

·        Challenge your thoughts and the way you think. Sometimes our brains trick us into thinking about the negatives of a situation. Think about the positives and always challenge negative thoughts and emotions. Sometimes our brains act in an irrational way.

·        Exercise more to burn nervous energy. Exercise has been shown to release endorphins (the happy hormones) and reduce stress. It may not make the stress disappear, but it will certainly help.

·        Talk to someone, either a friend or colleague. Talking sometimes helps us gather our thoughts. Getting things off your chest might be enough to reduce the stress when we are struggling. There are also helplines available e.g. CALM, NHS 111 or contact your GP.