6 Ways to Deal with Workplace Stress – For Organisations and Individuals
Some people thrive on workplace stress finding it motivating, and there are jobs where stress is more likely than others – high-pressure sectors like the world of stock trading or healthcare, for example. However, if you’re not one of those people and you don’t thrive on stress, it can be all-consuming.
The fact is everyone will have to deal with workplace stress from time to time – there’s no way to completely avoid it. Even if your job does not involve pressure on a daily basis, unexpected circumstances like workload or deadlines may also trigger work stress. Different things will stress different people out, but sometimes the things that bother one person will affect everyone. For example, if one person in the office gets angry and upset, it can make everyone else feel stressed out as well.
We know that stress can be bad for our health, but we don’t always know how to respond when we start to feel it. Work stress can occur for a number of reasons including: unreasonable/unclear expectations, weak management, unreasonable/shifting deadlines, poor working environments etc.
Whilst an individual may not always be in control of the trigger, with the right tools, stress can be managed and kept from becoming overwhelming. That said, the onus shouldn’t focus solely on an individual, an organisation can do a number of things to ensure that the risk of stress, and thus burnout, is reduced.
What can be done at an individual level?
Work stress can be harmful to both an individual’s mental and physical well-being and it can also trigger a change in behaviour. Research has shown it can lead to high blood pressure, sleep deprivation, and obesity amongst others. It can also cause cognitive impairment which affects the brain’s ability to think and process information – which in turn can lead to workplace accidents.
The key to managing stress is recognising when you feel it coming on and finding ways to reduce the levels. With the right tools, you can better manage your stress and keep it from becoming overwhelming. These are just a few ways to deal with work stress.
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Take time to breathe and break your day
You can’t always control what happens to you in the course of a day, but you can control how you react to it. When you feel overwhelmed, think about what you can do to get yourself back under control. Take time to breathe and perhaps break your day down into manageable tasks. Sometimes, just taking 10 minutes alone to regroup can make a big difference in your overall stress level.
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Go for a walk
A simple walk can do wonders to help you refocus when you’re feeling stressed. When you walk, you’re not only temporarily getting away from your daily tasks, you’re also clearing your head, releasing tension, and increasing creativity. If you can, walk outside. The fresh air, sunlight, and change of scenery can do wonders for helping you to relax. Use your walk to let your mind wander and clear. When you feel more relaxed, you can return to what you were doing with a new perspective and renewed energy. If you have trouble clearing your head and relaxing, try taking a walk outside with a friend or co-worker. If you don’t have anyone to walk with or want to take your walk alone, try listening to music or an audio book or podcast.
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Talk to someone you trust
Talking to someone you trust can help you to release feelings of stress, frustration, and anxiety. Finding someone to talk to can be extremely helpful in getting you to see your situation more clearly and may help you to come up with a solution. You can talk to a co-worker, friend, family member, or even your manager. If you’re not sure who to talk to, try talking to someone who you feel is in a position of authority. If you’re worried about letting others know about the source of your stress, it might be worth seeking professional help.
Ask about any resources available. Many organisations have support services available to their employees, such as stress management seminars, meditation rooms, and employee assistance programs.
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Ask for what you need
When you’re feeling stressed, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and let the stress you’re feeling get the better of you. Before letting it get out of control, try to identify what additional help you need. This could be anything from asking for an extended deadline to finding ways to reduce your workload. Approach your manager and let them know what you need. If you’re uncomfortable doing that, try to find someone in the office that you feel comfortable talking to about your situation. If you find that people around you are continually adding to your stress and you don’t know how to ask for help, talk to your manager about implementing a more supportive work environment.
What can be done at an organisational level?
Most of the things that can be done at an individual level aren’t possible if the workplace won’t/can’t support people. Workplace stress can have a negative impact on an organisation in many ways. The most obvious is that stress can damage a person’s health and well-being, which may ultimately lead to absenteeism. It can also decrease productivity, increase the risk of mistakes and result in people being less creative and innovative. It therefore makes sense for organisations to re-evaluate their approach if stress is something that has been evidenced. HBR suggests the following two elements to help create a less stressful workplace:
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Create a positive working environment
A safe, positive working environment is vital for everyone, a few ways of doing this are:
- Increase psychological safety
Psychologically safe environments are workplaces where employees feel at ease to speak up and share their thoughts. It’s important for organisations to create a psychologically safe workplace for everyone by giving clear goals, making sure everyone feels heard and letting people know it’s ok to fail.
- Breakout rooms
When there are a lot of distractions and concentration is hard to attain, providing rooms to get away from everything can help alleviate stress. If that’s not possible then scheduling quiet hours into the day will help achieve the same result. - Working practices
Set boundaries and let it be known that people are not expected to work outside of their contracted hours unless it’s critical – and not at all on holiday; offer flexible working and recommend regular breaks.
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Build employee engagement
Research has proven that high employee engagement has a positive effect. It builds a reciprocal connection between individuals and the organisation resulting in people wanting to do their best for the business. This approach has been found to reduce stress on employees as well as improved health and job satisfaction.
As always, it’s important to lead by example – a culture change needs to come from the top down.
Stress can be an unfortunate part of life that can come from a variety of sources. The good news is that with workplace stress there are plenty of ways to combat it and reduce its impact whether this be at an individual or organisational level.
Remember, you don’t have to go through it alone, so reach out and find someone to talk to. You may just find that having a conversation can make all the difference.
If you’re struggling the following resources may be of help: