Working in a busy office can be very stressful for both leaders and employees, no matter what their job grade.
Whether you are managing the team or simply following orders, stress in the workplace can often be attributed to many different sources – but it is important that both employees and managers learn to deal with stress better in order to maintain healthy mental health.
While lots has been written about stress in the workplace, the solutions don’t have to be complicated and a few small, simple steps will help you reduce stress in the office. Here’s 5 top tips that should help.
Ensure leaders Assign Tasks Fairly
One of the biggest reasons why your staff might be overstressed is that tasks are not being assigned fairly. You might find that some team members have a lot of spare time while others always have a lot of work on their plate. This might be down to individual roles but it doesn’t mean that it always has to be like this.
Consider reassigning tasks and talking to your team to discuss any issues. By ironing out any workload-related stress, and redistributing tasks, you will really help to reduce stress in the long term.
Hold A Seminar
Failing to handle stress effectively can have a negative impact on your mental health at home and at work, so learning strategies to manage stress can be useful. Did you know that there are specialists who can visit your office to offer guidance to you and your team, teaching you effective ways to deal with stress?
An increasing number of companies are now inviting life coaches into their workplaces to hold a de-stressing seminar. Hosting a de-stressing seminar will equip staff and leaders with healthier coping mechanisms for stress, and the cost will be offset by the reduction in stress levels of your team.
Outsource Cleaning
If your staff have a lot on their plate, then simple tasks within the office can cause unnecessary stress. Consider outsourcing tasks like cleaning to another company to remove these tasks from your team’s to-do lists. You can find plenty of trustworthy companies online such as Ideal Cleaning Services who are used by the likes of the NHS. By outsourcing to a professional, you often find the job is done better (with less resentment!) and your trained staff can spend their time on more productive tasks.
Offer Flexible Working
Employee Benefits Magazine recently reported that three-quarters (75%) of working parents suffer stress and anxiety as a result of juggling their work-life balance, based on research by HR software provider CIPHR.
Modern employees juggle multiple responsibilities at home and work, often caring for relatives, managing childcare, managing homes and pets and inevitably doing so much can be stressful. It’s important to remember these pressures can affect male employees too, these tasks are no longer ‘just for women’. In between these pressures, working parents and carers also need to juggle their own healthcare appointments – trying to find time for a simple doctors appointment can often add to the stress overload.
All employees have a legal right to request flexible working, (although employers must consider it, they do not have to grant it).
Flexible working can be a huge ally for employers, as it is so effective in reducing stress in the office. Different companies adopt different approaches, but flexible working patterns could include working from home, flexible start-finish times, reduced hours at different times or different work approaches, such as job sharing.
You can find more information about flexible working online.
Take Action Today
Often, business leaders are aware when they need to reduce stress in the office – or in their own lives – and plan to do something to tackle it at some point in the future.
By being decisive, and choosing to tackle stress proactively, you can reduce stress within your team right now.
Taking action today could create a better start for 2020.
Get that de-stressing seminar booked, hire a cleaning company, put a date in the diary for your team to discuss workloads, but do something proactive to reduce stress in the office.
Making simple changes in the workplace can go a long way – start and start 2020 with a less stressful environment for your team.