Have you noticed that your employees are biting their fingernails regularly or walking around on edge? If so, you have a serious problem. Stress in the office happens when poor management practices are in place, disrespect is tolerated, workloads are unbearable, rewards and recognition are sparse, and overtime is the norm. And when high stress levels are commonplace in the office absenteeism soars, productivity is lowered, there is a higher employee turnover, etc. Stress can lead to mental health issues, which can lead to workers’ comp claims. When stress infiltrates the work place, you get more than just disturbed employees, turmoil ensues and the stress-related expenses pile up. Complacency is costly. It’s time to take action. Stress management is crucial to your bottom line.
So how do you turn a frazzling workplace into a more Zen-like environment? Here are five ways to reduce stress in the office:
Teach Time Management
When employees feel like they don’t have enough time to complete a task it can be a serious stress inducer. Hiring someone to do a time management workshop for your employees can be worth the time and money. If a time management workshop is out of your budget, you can have a meeting and share some of your best practices or read some excerpts from a good book on time management. You can even post some time management tips around the office or send a daily or weekly email to your team with tips.
Encourage Teamwork
When people feel like they have a team to support them they tend to feel more confident that they can complete a task with ease. It’s hard to get stressed when you have a cheerleading squad. And it makes employees feel good when they are supporting other employees. To encourage teamwork, assign team focused tasks. Have group brainstorming meetings. Have team building activities such as a group lunch or outing.
Happy, Friendly Management
When management is happy-go-lucky it sets the tone for a successful work day. When management is more like Jekyll and Hyde your employees will suffer. Good management starts with your company culture and guiding principles. Is it clear that your company is intolerant of disrespect, unfair treatment or harassment in the workplace? Does your company encourage fun? Are you careful to hire leaders that have tact and know how to recognize achievement and inspire? Is management implementing policies and procedures that support a low-stress work environment or are they adding to it? To find out, survey employees or observe managers from a distance.
Make A Good Work/Life Balance Attainable
Make overtime optional. Employees shouldn’t have to fear losing their jobs because they want to go home to be with their families rather than burn the midnight oil. Offer flextime. Give employees the option of working from home once in awhile. When employees are exhausted and feel grinded down tension and anxiety starts to form and their performance dwindles.
Create A Calming Work Aesthetic
It may sound silly, but you may want to read up on Feng Shui or consult an expert. When your work environment is in harmony it can create a lot of positive energy. But just doing things like adjusting the lighting and temperature, de-cluttering, adding more living plants, changing the wall paint to a more tranquil or happy color and adding some artwork can make your employees feel at home.
Just making minor shifts in the office can go a long way in quelling negative feelings. Fostering a more Zen-like environment won’t just make your company a more inviting place to be, it will translate into happier clients, less cash forked out for needless costs and a fortuitous outlook for your business empire.
Is your office in need of stress reduction? What do you think is the major source of stress? Which one of these tips will you implement first? Do share by commenting below.