This year has been a challenge for both employers and employees, with many experiencing heightened levels of stress.
Whether you've had to implement changes to your business or altered the way your team works in line with COVID-19 restrictions, it has put added pressure on managers and the staff they lead.
During this challenging time, it’s important to acknowledge that stress has been prevalent. However, there are things you can do to help your team members work through stress and effectively manage it.
In the face of a global pandemic and widespread uncertainty, keeping staff happy and motivated is now more critical than ever.
Several studies have shown that happy team members make for a happy work environment, as positivity boosts morale.
It’s in the best interests of both business owners and managers to identify the warning signs of stress in their team members and implement positive change as soon as possible.
Here are five ways you can help your team manage stress at work:
1. Look for warning signs
While some staff will get on the front foot and initiate discussions with management about any mental health issues, others can be fearful or uncomfortable discussing such subjects. If any of your employees tend towards the latter, identifying their telltale signs of stress and anxiety is critical.
What are the warning signs?
Keeping in mind that each employee may express stress in their own way, management should keep an eye out for any combination of the following: boredom, fatigue, tardiness, changes in routine, irritability, low moods, loss of interest in work, or other significant changes.
One example could be a usually extroverted team member suddenly becoming quiet and uncommunicative.
2. Identify the source of stress
At times, an employee’s feelings of stress will be temporary and based on fleeting issues.
In other cases, however, their anxiety may be far more deep-rooted, potentially arising as a direct result of workplace conditions or personal matters.
The longer a team member’s situation of extreme stress or anxiety remains in the shadows, the more serious the potential consequences become.
Management can help to address their workers’ mental health issues by identifying the source of stress. Is the problem related to the work environment? Is there an immediate solution at hand?
By asking these questions within the boundaries of a safe and confidential discussion, you’ll be supporting your employee mentally and emotionally and assisting them in getting back on track.
3. Address the stress
If the catalyst for your employee's stress is a larger or more complicated issue, the next step is devising a plan of action.
Before doing so, management must understand that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to dealing with mental health; what works wonders for an independent 25-year-old male employee might not align with the needs of a 45-year-old mother, for example.
The ideal way to address the problem is for managers and employees to work together to formulate a suitable outcome.
For Jane, the fix could include paid or unpaid leave, work-from-home options, or flexible hours. For John, it might be a combination of additional training, roster swaps, and a reduction in workload.
Business owners and managers should also make sure they understand their obligations under employment laws, as well as health and safety laws.
4. Encourage a healthy lifestyle
Dealing with workplace stress is as much about mitigation as it is about prevention.
Behind sleeping, a 40-hour full-time workweek is an employee's single largest weekly time allocation. Therefore, companies need to recognise the influence they have on staff lifestyle and use that influence to encourage healthy habits.
Generally, this comes down to two main areas: diet and exercise.
Regarding the former, managers could provide healthy communal snacks or distribute nutritional advice material.
For the latter, management could offer discounted gym memberships or information and access to fitness classes.
Advocating for regular GP check-ups and positive work-life balance is equally vital.
5. Conduct regular reviews
Regardless of whether two or 200 staff members have experienced mental health troubles, business owners and managers must regularly review their workplace systems.
The best way to deal with stress in employees is to prevent it from occurring in the first place. Is equipment inadequate and not as functional as it should be? Is there too much work to go around? How can you motivate staff to exercise or adopt healthy habits?
These questions, plus many more surrounding physical and mental wellbeing, need to be asked regularly.
Managers can have a positive impact
Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) indicate that 45 per cent of Australians between the ages of 16 and 85 will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime.
While this is an alarming statistic, it’s one in which employers have the power to impact positively. It’s up to the leaders of businesses, HVAC-related or otherwise, to step in and lend a helping hand.
To summarise, keep an eye out for red flags, create an environment that encourages safe and open conversations, actively advocate a healthy lifestyle to your team, and make sure you understand your obligations under employment and safety laws.
By doing so, you’ll empower employees to thrive in the workplace and ultimately achieve greater success for your business.