How can organisations help tackle stress and it's impacts
We hear it all the time, don’t we? “I’m SOOOO stressed at work”. Something I learnt recently was that some stress at work can be motivating. It can help us focus and help us to stretch ourselves to meet challenges. Stress can keep us alert and help us to work accurately and avoid mistakes. BUT what we commonly know as stress, the bad type, is defined as “the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures and demands placed on them”, according to the HSE.
So, what does that mean in practice? Tight deadlines, a feeling that we have too much to do in the time we have available, not being sure exactly WHAT it is we need to do, working long hours and feeling like the demands are coming from everywhere and everyone can lead to feelings of worry and overwhelm. This is when stress stops being helpful and leads to a deterioration in health in mind and body.
I was astounded to read that stress, anxiety and depression are behind one in five visits to a GP and 40% of all work-related absence in the UK is stress related. In addition, many studies have shown the correlation between high stress and lower productivity in the workplace.
For the person experiencing the stress, it can manifest in lots of different ways. Some of the most common stress warning signs/results are feeling anxious, irritable, or depressed, apathy, loss of interest in work, problems sleeping, fatigue, trouble concentrating – and there are many more.
All organisations have a moral obligation to ensure employee wellbeing, but if that wasn’t motivation enough, reduced productivity will be seen in the workforce in 2 ways. The first and most obvious is due to sick leave and, the second is that there is a direct correlation between higher stress and lower productivity. In turn this of course leads to reduced employee engagement, increased staff turnover and even a poorer customer experience for the organisation’s customers.
So how can we tackle stress in the workplace?
There are generic things that we can help employees build habits around including good screen/ phone habits, good sleep, eating well, exercise and fresh air, taking time for yourself and connection with others. But THE ONE which I have identified which can see tangible results quickly is something that I work with organisations on, and that is helping employees to get clarity and order across everything -work AND home.
I usually work with a cohort of around 12 leaders in my 1:1 mentoring for organisations with each person working with me one on one. In the sessions we identify all the elements contributing to the overwhelm; work life and home life as one. We formulate a plan and take actions each week to get systems in place and create habits to bring order to the chaos, which in turn improves wellbeing, tackles stress, and increases productivity.
The approach works for all and will show benefits for all, but it is worth pointing out that women still carry most of the mental load in UK households, which undeniably means women are more likely to have more to manage in this space. It’s my hope that by equipping women with these tools they will continue to succeed, rise, and thrive, so supporting the quest for gender equality in the workplace.
I also work with cohorts of people earlier in their career, or simply those who would like a fresh look at refocusing in my group programme. It's a programme consisting of 8 hours - 2 hours a week for 4 weeks - covering how to keep track for clarity, how to focus, how to prioritise, how to tackle procrastination and how to keep your battery full.
If you want to find out more – drop me an email on Litsa@unscrambleme.co.uk or DM me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/litsa-smith/ . Or for a chat – book a discovery call with me here: https://calendly.com/unscrambleme/discovery-call
