2020 has brought with it immense amounts of pressure and stress. Nearly 7 in 10 employees in a recent survey by Ginger stated that COVID-19 has been the most stressful experience of their entire professional career, a staggering result considering the (fairly) recent recession of the early 2000s. It has never been more important for employers to take the health and wellbeing of their team extremely seriously. As well as general health, happy, healthy employees are more likely to remain with their current employer and will perform better. Read more about the importance of employee wellbeing.
It becomes an HR issue and a strategic edge all at the same time. It is normal for us all to feel under pressure at some point during our working week. However, GFI Software- the international IT company- has found that a staggering 90% of employees have considered changing jobs due to work related stress.
Prolonged periods of stress cause many health concerns, including: persistent adrenaline production, reducing the efficiency of the immune system; increased risk of heart attacks and strokes; inability to sleep properly; and longer-term anxiety. Due to stress, it is known that 13.3 million working days per year are lost in the UK.
Professor Sir Cary Cooper identified some ways that managers can reduce stress on employees, as discussed below:
One such way is to give employees more control and autonomy. A large number of studies support there being a strong relationship between the amount of control and the stress felt by the employee: the more control, the more stress experienced. Micromanaging a situation can make the other person lose confidence in their own ability. Cooper explains, “If you have the control you need to get out of a bad situation. That will make you feel good”. By delegating, whether to a virtual personal assistant or a member of staff, you are taking control and decreasing your stress levels and your workload - both of which will make you feel better.
Another way to reduce stress is one that is well documented: ensure there is a positive work-life balance. It is important that employees are given enough time to switch off from work and spend time with their families. For example, Sweden has recently introduced six hour working days, believing that employees are significantly more focused, more efficient and are happier and healthier outside of work.
For those employees that have had to take time off of work due to stress, research suggests that return-to-work interviews have a positive effect on integrating the employee back into working life. These interviews will help to bring any concerns to the surface, helping to alleviate any potential anxieties from returning.
Workplace stress is more common now than ever. With the unfortunate expected redundancies and global uncertainty, it is quite difficult to make firm plans. However, by taking just these three things into account, employee stress can be reduced, leading to a happier, healthier workplace.
If you are struggling to manage the performance and wellbeing of your team, reaching out to HR and customer care specialists can ease the burden and allow you to take time to really focus on what matters.
