In short, these are all examples of causes of stress that require a multitude of solutions that are more or less easy to implement. To deal with stress in the workplace in a concrete and serious way, here are a few tips to solve the main problems:
- Treat all employees fairly and respectfully.
- Take stress seriously and show understanding for staff under undue pressure.
- Be aware of the signs and symptoms that a person may have difficulty managing stress.
- Involve employees in decision making and allow their input directly or through committees, etc.
- Encourage managers to have an understanding attitude.
- Be proactive in looking for signs of stress among your staff.
- Provide workplace health and wellness programs that target the real cause of stress. The source of stress in the workplace can come from many causes - safety, ergonomics, work demands, etc. - and it can be caused by many different factors. Survey employees and ask them to help you identify the root cause(s).
- Incorporate stress prevention or positive mental health promotion into your policies or mission statement.
- Ensure that staff have the training, skills and resources they need to be successful in their jobs.
- Design tasks to allow for a balanced workload. Allow employees to control the tasks they perform as much as possible.
- Value and recognize the results and skills of individuals.
- Bring support.
- Be clear about the expectations of the job.
- Ensure that the job requirements are reasonable by providing reasonable deadlines, hours of work, clear tasks, and interesting and varied work.
- Provide access to Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) for those who wish to attend.
The technique of small steps
As you can see, there is already a wide range of stressors in the workplace that you can act on today. The best thing to do is to take small steps and deal with the most critical situations one by one. After a few weeks, you will see the magic of a stress-controlled organization and a company that will be much more productive.
