Why is it time to take workplace stress SERIOUSLY?

Why is it time to take workplace stress SERIOUSLY? https://thejaneevans.com/wp-content/themes/corpus/images/empty/thumbnail.jpg 150 150 Jane Evans Jane Evans https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1b06bd036211b82cdba19b095bacdad4?s=96&d=mm&r=g 20 August 2017 21 August 2017

20 August 2017
Jane Evans
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Does work place stress have a ‘peak season?’

Searches on stress and work/life balance slow during the summer and spike again from September.

Source: HR Magazine, August 2017

This shouldn’t be surprising as many people take a break in July and August. What is perhaps more surprising are the numbers of people obviously struggling with work-related stress who are seeking information online rather than face to face,

The ‘stress and work/life balance’ research analysed Google searches in the UK, and found that the phrase ‘how to deal with stress’ received 62,400 enquiries in 2016, and ‘work stress’ saw 34,440 searches.

Source: HR Magazine, August 2017

Are ‘stress-less’ workplaces the answer?

Stress is normal when we feel challenged, and when we initially feel like ‘it’s all too much’. The optimum amount of stress gets us wired and fired up to perform which is a great feeling and good for anything we are trying to achieve at work. From teaching a class full of children to preparing figures for a report, serving a customer, making a phone call to a potential client, carrying out a life-saving procedure, the right dose of stress brings focus, an alert state, energy and enjoyment.

Too little stress (yes there is such a thing at work!!) we get bored, lethargic, switch off and find it hard to care too much about being productive, attentive to clients’ needs or sharing our passion for a subject or product. It all feels too hard to do and physically and emotionally exhausting to even have a go at.

What does stress look like?

We all have preferences when it comes to stress-levels which make it essential that Managers and Supervisors are really good at spotting the signs of it becoming unhealthy.

Signs of workplace stress:

Finding others irritating
Withdrawal from work and social gatherings
Jumpy and nervy
Being short and aggressive
Excessive ‘day-dreaming’ and switching off
Easily distracted
Jumping from one piece of work to another
Bothered by sounds, smells, lighting or vibrant colours/patterns, people getting too close
Anxious thoughts and emotions about going to the workplace
Little relief when out of work
Poor quality sleep
Sleeping excessively at home
Repetitive colds, headaches, muscle pain, bowel, stomach, bladder problems
Increased reliance on caffeine, fizzy/energy drinks, food, alcohol, exercise, screen-time either phones or TV

Who’s going to tell the CEO they are stressed?!

Who will monitor Senior Management and CEO stress-levels and keep them on track so they recognise and reduce their stress before it reaches toxic levels? Sometimes an independent coach can be the answer as it removes the hierarchical element of being held accountable which can be complex! For stress-reduction to succeed it is essential to create a whole organisation approach and commitment to taking work-place stress seriously otherwise the focus and strategies will fade away over time.

One team day does not a stress-free workplace maketh!!

You may be familiar with a team day to address stress and improve well-being. Now I am not against this, in fact, I regularly deliver them as part of my Wellness & Resilience in the Workplace package. However, one day will not support ongoing change and a long-term commitment to reducing stress.

Habits and beliefs are created by repetition, and as soon as we are stressed….guess what? We ping back into our old habits and beliefs!

To kick-start an understanding of the mechanics and dynamics of stress, which is a body-based rather than an emotional experience, it needs to start with the Leaders. Their knowledge and commitment is essential for sustainability and to increase levels of confidence and competence when it comes to recognizing and addressing stress in their team.

Tools and practices are important so that every employee develops a similar process of understanding, relating, and having techniques to increase resilience by reducing daily stress. Essential to the success is the full support of the organization so it becomes normal to take a screen-break every 30 minutes, stretch, go outside and breeeeeathe!

Coaching in small teams, especially leadership teams is a must to make it all stick and to allow space for in-depth understanding and to be able to relate it to real situations in the workplace.

Why get super-serious about stress at work?

An article by ACAS on Mental Health at work, highlights the very real ‘hit’ productivity and client relationships take if stress is minimised or seen as a ‘weakness’.

A Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development study has highlighted the impact on business of poor mental health in employees. The study found that:

37% of sufferers are more likely to get into conflict with colleagues

57% find it harder to juggle multiple tasks

80% find it difficult to concentrate

62% take longer to do tasks

50% are potentially less patient with customers/clients.

The study also found that, for the first time, stress is now the major cause of long-term absence in manual and non-manual workers.

Work related stress, anxiety and depression statistics in Great Britain for 2016 shows that the size of the organization can increase or reduce stress, as can the type of work,

. In 2015/16 stress accounted for 37% of all work related ill health cases and 45% of all working days lost due to ill health.

. Stress is more prevalent in public service industries, such as education; health and social care; and public administration and defence.

. The main work factors cited by respondents as causing work related stress, depression or anxiety (LFS) were workload pressures, including tight deadlines and too much responsibility and a lack of managerial support.

Stress-reduction benefits hardly need stating…..

When the brain and body have the right amount of stress they really perform.

When an individual feels fully supported they really perform.

When a client has contact with an organization with the right amount of stress they feel they are in safe, capable and reliable hands. They will then be keen to enter into that all important relationship which is the foundation of success for any organization.

Morally and legally stress-reduction has to be attended to. There is a far-reaching legal responsibility to be diligent about stress at work so feeling more confident about identifying it is essential at all levels of every organization.

Line managers have an important role in assisting employers to proactively address work related stress, and in doing so reduce the likelihood of employees suffering from work related stress.

Source: Health & Safety Executive