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Less Stress, Happier Workplace
With mental health issues more prevalent than ever before in the UK, employers have a duty of care to make sure that their employees are cared for and protected from stressful situations.
Alarmingly, employee stress is one of the highest causes of workplace absence in the UK. A survey conducted by Perkbox in 2020 revealed that a staggering 79% of British adults in employment commonly experience work-related stress. This is 20% higher than 2018's findings.
Common causes of workplace stress include long working hours, job insecurity, lack of management structure, and conflict with co-workers.
So, what can employees do to encourage a more harmonious environment where staff feel valued and secure?
Time For An Environment Revamp?
We spend a lot of time at work, and a negative environment will take its toll on your team. Talk to your staff, listen to their feelings – and act on them. It could be as simple as providing a different brand of coffee, or there may be deeper-rooted issues that you, as the boss, have a duty to resolve.
Be Flexible
We all lead busy lives. If your staff ask for a degree of flexibility, such as coming in after the school run or working from home one day a week, take their request seriously. It’s probably taken them a lot of time to pluck up the courage to ask – so don’t laugh them down or belittle them.
Employee Recognition Goes A Long Way
Resentment builds. It festers until one day it reaches breaking point. Recognising the great work that your staff do – and publicly voicing that recognition – will go a long way to keeping simmering resentment at bay. Just remember that everyone is different, so judge how you recognise their efforts based on the individual. A broad-brush approach could cause more stress within your workforce.
Provide A Quiet Space
Breaks are good, but not if you’re forced to sit at your desk because there’s nowhere else to go. Does your building lend itself to a breakout area? Is there anywhere outside where you can provide benches or picnic tables so that your staff have somewhere to go on their scheduled breaks, or when it all just gets too much, and they need some respite.
Get Social
Arrange the occasional social event and encourage your staff to let their hair down together. A social situation can see the most reserved team member letting their guard down and relaxing – the best way to get to know colleagues and overcome those awkward stress-inducing personality clashes.
Workplace Wellbeing
Encouraging your employees to take a breath of fresh air at lunchtime won’t cost you a penny but it will make a big difference to that employee’s focus in the afternoon.
If budget allows, why not consider introducing a regular workplace yoga session or inviting a professional masseuse into your organisation to administer seated chair massages. You may even want to go the whole hog and offer subsidised gym memberships.
If your employees think that you’re looking out for their health and wellbeing, they’ll feel valued – something as simple as providing a bowl of fresh fruit for them to help themselves to is a great starting point.
Provide Counselling
Whether it’s in-house or remote, offering your employees someone to turn to in order to help them cope gives them a hugely positive message that you care. Yes, there will be a cost but compare that cost to the expense of losing a valued team member and recruiting their replacement and you’ll see that some measures are worth introducing.
Hopefully, we’ve given you something to think about. Everybody is different as is every workplace, so knowing when your employees are in need of support is a vital leadership skill to master.
