Most of us spend just as much time at work as we do at home during waking hours.
When the pressure mounts, we need to know how to manage stress.
1. Set an Example As a Leader
If you’re a manager, you can take stock in your employees’ well-being.
Part of this comes by setting an example by showing the people that work for you that it’s okay to not work all the time.
This includes using vacation time and having a proper work-life balance.
Use Vacation time
Make sure you use your vacation time at least once a year and encourage employees to do the same.
You also might want to consider encouraging employees to have at least one extra day off every few months.
For example, maybe your employees normally only have one day off per week. It will do well for their stress levels if you can convince them to take maybe one or two extra days off in a row.
This extra downtime will help them return fully engaged rather than only putting in half the effort with no time off.
Maintain Proper Work-Life Balance
If you show your employees that they can see their family or have personal hobbies by making time for those things, you’ll be better for it. They will also too.
Showing your employees that they can pursue personal interests outside of work may even decrease turnover rates, which cuts hiring and training costs.
That’s because your workers will have the chance for that much-needed “fun” time outside of work. It will increase job satisfaction levels and lower stress levels.
2. Stay Open to Communication With Employees
Few things scare workers more than the possibility of having to open up to a boss about issues they’re facing in the workplace.
For instance, some employees might seem willing to cover just about any open shift that you ask them to.
However, they might quietly resent you until one day they have a breakdown and not show up for work.
This may come as a surprise to you unless you decide to let them know that you want them to feel heard. If so, it can prevent burnout because they know that they can admit to you when they feel overloaded or need time off.
Making sure your employees know that they can talk to you also reduces the stress of workplace conflict.
For instance, they might need you to mediate co-worker disagreements – not that you have to babysit them, but it could reduce the anxiety that comes with poor employee relations.
If you help your employees learn how to resolve their conflicts, it will make your workplace somewhere they want to be. That’s less pressure on you and them in the long run.
3. Encourage Employees to Use Health Benefits
Not all employers offer health benefits, but if you do, realize that some employees don’t even bother to use them.
If you want to foster a healthy, reduced-stress workplace, make sure you remind them that the health benefits are there for a reason.
If you don’t currently offer health plans, we encourage you to consider them.
They could reduce the chances of loss of productivity time and employee burnout.
4. Offer Wellness Programs
Offering your employees health benefits means more than just providing an insurance plan that pays for a yearly physical, eyeglasses or dental work.
For instance, access to free or reduced-fee counseling can help your workers unload when life seems to be more than what they can handle right now.
Even if employee stress doesn’t always originate from work, home life stressors, such as divorce or the loss of a loved one, influence work performance.
Offering access to professional counseling can help ease some of that emotional burden during these difficult times.
Other wellness program benefits you could offer include an onsite exercise facility, massage and meditation sessions, or support groups.
You could even encourage employees to schedule social events, such as picnics or community service projects. All of this will lower tension and will strengthen worker bonds.
5. Maintain a Clean and Safe Work Environment
Making sure your workplace stays safe is not just your responsibility. However, it’s your job to make sure your employees know how to maintain clean and safe work environments.
This comes with providing them with onsite safety training that helps them prevent slips and falls or machine injuries.
It also calls for teaching them about infection control that can prevent sicknesses and diseases.
In addition, it means that you must show them proper production area sanitation procedures, so they can keep the place clean even when you’re not present.
Keeping your employee sites climate-controlled also regulates stress if the workspace allows for turning the heat or air conditioning to comfortable levels.
Otherwise, install drinking stations in hot environments as close as possible to production stations if employees must work in extreme heat.
You also can keep your workplace safe if you have personal protective equipment handy for cold places, such as coats and hats near freezers.
Safety vests for times when your workers need to spend time outside in high-traffic areas, such as driveways, also reduces hazards and stress.
If you’re not sure where to start with reducing tension in the workplace, consider online therapy for anxiety and stress reduction.