Your Stress Levels Affect More Than Just You

There are so many factors that go into running an efficient office today. Proper tools and technology, adequate training, the right team dynamics, etc. You could go on forever. Perhaps none is more important than having happy, fully functioning employees. When an employee is not feeling 100%, whether it be physical, mental, or emotional, they are less productive and creative. The stress level of your employee has a direct relationship with your business, other employees, and customers. Let’s learn more about managing employee’s stress levels.

Managing Employee’s Stress Levels

In a recent article from The American Institute of Stress, 46% is the main cause of stress in the workload of an employee, with people issues at 28%, followed by juggling work and personal lives and job security at 6%. Remember that excessive stress can interfere with your employees’ productivity and performance and can also impact their physical and emotional health. This will eventually affect relationships among colleagues and home life too. Therefore, it’s vital for employers to take steps to protect their employee’s stress levels. If you are a manager, supervisor, or someone in a position of authority, it’s important to be aware of the ways you affect other’s stress levels. If you project a calm and focused demeanor, employees are likely to follow suit. On the other hand, if you are exuding a lot of nervous energy, this will be felt by your employees.

Another static from this article states that 80% of workers feel stress on the job and nearly half say they need help in learning how to manage stress. A good manager needs to be aware of stressful situations occurring in the office. They need to take the lead on finding ways to help members of their team cope with stressful issues that are always going to be present in any work situation.

Top Causes of Employee Stress

Employees can experience stress from a variety of different causes. One of the most common, found across nearly every industry and form of job, is dealing with unrealistic expectations from supervisors. If leadership expects too much work to be done in the allotted time, or expects extra hours to be worked on a regular basis, such things can significantly add to an employee’s overall stress levels.

Another common stress factor for employees is changes in their job or career paths. Decades ago, people could generally find entry level positions that provided easy and clear avenues for upward mobility. Nowadays, many jobs do not offer clear career arcs or blatantly do not offer opportunities for advancement. This has caused much of the work force to end up in several different companies and/or industries throughout their lifelong career.

Another major, but often overlooked, form of stress at work is the expectation of always being at 100% peak performance. As humans, we have off days, or days where we don’t feel as productive and focused as we normally are. Often there isn’t a reason for this other than we are human. But the nature of many workplaces makes us feel that we are not allowed to have these off days. A good supervisor will recognize that such things happen and not punish an employee for a day or two of small productivity loss.

How Managers Can Help Employees Manage Stress

The best thing you can do as a manager is to stay in touch with your employees. Know their personalities and look for signs when their stress levels may be creeping up. Talk to them openly and honestly and ask what you can do to make their work life easier. If your employees feel they can be open with you, then these discussions can lead to increases in overall happiness and effectiveness of your workforce.