Member Article

Stress Awareness Month: Leaders must take action to prevent employee stress escalating

Stress is one of the biggest wellbeing issues in the workplace. A 2022 Health and wellbeing at work survey report carried out by CIPD shows that stress continues to be one of the main causes of short and long-term absence. Overall, 79% of respondents report some stress-related absence in their organisation over the last year, and this figure rises to 90% of large organisations.

While stress sometimes goes hand-in-hand with working life, extreme or debilitating stress is harmful for employee wellbeing, productivity and efficiency. This Stress Awareness Month, it is crucial leaders are proactive in helping employees keep stress at bay and preventing it from escalating into more serious wellbeing issues such as burnout. The ultimate goal should be sustainable high performance.

Workplace wellbeing expert and founder of WorkingWell, Lesley Cooper draws on her 25 years of experience to advise leaders how to do this in 5 simple steps.

Maintain a Psychologically Safe Workplace Culture

A psychologically safe culture is the foundation of any wellbeing framework. Employees need to feel that they can speak openly and voice their concerns without fear of negative consequences. If employees don’t feel safe they won’t indicate that they are struggling with stress before it’s too late. This is especially important right now when so much of the world around us feels unsafe.

‘‘More than ever it is important that employees feel able to be open about what is going on for them. If employees can discuss struggles with managers and leaders then they can access the help that they need,’’ says Lesley.

Lesley advises leaders to set a precedent by showing their own vulnerability to employees so that they know it is okay to do so, and feel comfortable doing the same.

Have regular check-ins

A crucial role for leaders is to be there for employees as a sounding board, or to offer advice and support. Checking in on employees to see how they are getting on with their work, but also focusing on their pressure management and how they feel they are coping with their current workload, is important.

“Regular discussions will help assess how employees are coping before they start drowning. Remember that not all employees will feel that they can ask for help or indicate that they are struggling, so these constructive conversations are important to help assess how they are doing,” Lesley says.

Having these regular, constructive conversations will help prevent stress snowballing into bigger issues, and will help employees feel that they can speak honestly with leaders.

**Build in intentional recovery in teams ** Intentional recovery periods are important to build into company culture to help avoid overworking and burnout.

‘‘The human brain can focus effectively for 90-120 minutes at a time when working on the same task,’’ says Lesley.

‘‘If teams are making time for focused effort, they also need allocated time for focused recovery. Taking time away from our screens and taking a short time not to discuss work must be encouraged in all employees to aid cognitive focus throughout the day.’’ Intentional recovery must be built into organisational culture to ensure that employees know that taking breaks between tasks is standard practice. Having time away from work and our screens will help recharge employee energy reserves and minimise the escalation of stress. Everyone recharges differently, but movement can be a key way to break linearity.

**Encourage self-protecting boundaries **

It can be hard to set boundaries and say no in the workplace, particularly when we want to impress managers and help out colleagues. However often this can lead to excess stress as we take on too much.

‘‘Leaders must encourage all employees to create and uphold boundaries to protect them from stress and pressure overload,’’ says Lesley. ‘‘Instructing employees to assess their workload before agreeing to a task is crucial, and everyone needs to know that it is not only acceptable, but advisable to politely indicate to colleagues that you do not have capacity.’’

Encouraging employees to prioritise their wellbeing before overworking, and ensuring that everyone feels comfortable saying no when faced with excess work is key to helping employees manage stress.

Don’t forget your own mental health

As a leader it can be difficult to manage stress when it feels like it is coming at us from all angles. When you are responsible for protecting the wellbeing of others, it can be easy to forget about our own mental health.

Lesley comments, ‘‘the impact of constantly supporting others can result in emotional fatigue, depleted productivity, or burnout, so allocating time to recharge your own battery is key.’’

She advises that leaders should ‘‘establish office hours where you can be fully present for employees, then establish allocated time for their own uninterrupted work.’’ This will allow leaders to manage their time and not become snowed under while supporting employees.

’’Pressure and stress are not the same thing. Pressure is a neutral input - stress is the negative outcome of perceived pressure exceeding perceived ability to cope. The stress response can be hugely debilitating, both to individual wellbeing and company productivity. Taking these steps to address high levels of pressure before they drive the stress outcome is crucial to managing wellbeing and business health,“ Lesley advises.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by AmbitionPR .