By James Adonis
Research that came out earlier this year finally showed us what we know so well to be true: we?re a nation of stressed-out workers.
The findings, which were released by Lifeline Australia, revealed 90 per cent of us feel stressed, with the workplace being the major culprit for our furrowed brows and clenched fists. Most concerning was that for 40 per cent of people, their stress is at a level deemed to be unhealthy.
Having employees in your team that are highly stressed can stress you out. From unexpected bouts of crying to prolonged absenteeism, and from negative attitudes to diminished productivity, being surrounded by workers that are tense and anxious can impact your own sanity.
Stress is a person?s inability to cope with the environment they?re in. When their capabilities don?t match what?s expected of them, the enormous pressure makes them respond over-emotionally, and sometimes, irrationally. I never used to believe in stress. I would proudly proclaim that stress only ever happened to the weakest of minds ? until I got stressed.
That?s when I realised that anyone is vulnerable to the psychological terror that occurs when they feel they?re unable to meet expectations.
Instead of being a stress denier or waiting for a staff complaint to be made, it?s better to be on the lookout for the visible signs that let you know when employees aren?t handling their levels of stress as well as they could.
These include:
- Changes in disposition, such as being hypersensitive
- Touchiness and a quick temper
- Damaged workplace relationships
- Increased rate of sickies and lateness
- Inability to make a decision
- Health issues, especially tiredness and migraines
- Reduced productivity and performance
- Lack of concentration, memory loss, and cluttered thinking
- Low self-esteem and little confidence
Upon recognising they?re stressed out, there?s much that can be done to alleviate the tension your employees are under.
- Time pressures: Check to see if you?ve set unreasonable and unrealistic demands on your employees? time. If you relieve them of a few burdens, it?ll free up their headspace to be more calm and controlled. It could be that you?ve got people in your team who can?t say ?no?, and so their workload keeps piling up.
- Relinquish control: People get stressed when they feel they?ve got little influence over their work. Be flexible in how you let your employees do their job. Give them the latitude to use their strengths and talents to give you the result you want without you dictating or micro-managing every step of the way.
- Manage change: Managers are very good at implementing change, such as a new computer system or a new process. What they?re not so mindful of is engaging their employees during the change so that they embrace it. Getting your employees on side before the change occurs is as important as the change itself.
- Conflict: Look out for personality clashes between your employees. In more extreme cases, be wary of bullying or harassment. People affected by these factors rarely speak out. Don?t ignore disagreements; they hardly take care of themselves, so be an immediate mediator where troubles are sorted, not shunned.
- Ramp up support: Be understanding of the challenges facing your employees when they?re stressed. Provide them with training on stress management and ensure they?ve got the resources they need to do their work. When eventually they?re back to normal, they?ll stay loyal towards a boss that cared.
- Your personal stress levels: Many managers don?t realise the influence they have over their employees. What you say and do determines whether your employees are happy or sad, thankful or mad. If you?re highly strung, you?ll have a team of employees who will be on-edge. You might be the source of their stress.
- Uncover problems: Be vigilant with getting feedback from your employees to understand how they?re feeling. Talk to them, ask sincere questions about what they like and dislike about their job, and listen to what they say. Once you?re aware of the underlying issues, dealing with them straight away builds trust.
- Ergonomics: The physical work environment, from the design of workstations to the lighting of offices, can all be contributors to workplace stress. Conduct audits to be certain that chair and desk set-ups are appropriate, that employees are working with the right posture, and that they?re taking adequate breaks.
Employers are required by law to provide a safe working environment for their staff, which includes the hazard of stress.
Since intense stress is deemed to be a disability, you could be up for a nasty workers? compensation claim if employees are able to prove that their place of work has been the cause of their angst.
Paying the price of attention now will help to steer away from paying the price of neglect later.