Preventing Workplace Stress
We need a certain amount of stress to perform and to be productive, but when stress is overwhelming and emotions are high, stress takes the lead and stress-related illness and burnout wins; hurting not only workplace performance and productivity but also the financial bottom line of the company. Everyone loses.
Stress and burnout in the workplace lead to stress and burnout at home. As well as lives being severely disrupted, relationships get damaged and other health issues such as sleepless nights, depression and anxiety make an already debilitation situation ten times worse. It’s in everyone’s interest to reduce, prevent, manage and control stress and burnout in all our workplaces.
The prevention of stress-related illness and burnout in the workplace is not only the responsibility of employers but also the responsibility of all employees; the idea is to work together to prevent, reduce, manage and eradicate stress and burnout, in order to sustain a healthy work environment and a healthy financial bottom-line. Everyone wins.
Promoting Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace
- Learning the difference between stress as a vague concept and our real stressors can be invaluable when we are faced with difficult situations at work, at home and in our relationships.
- Knowing there is a big difference between our stressors and our stress response can give us the tools to reduce our stress hormone levels and maintain healthy work and home environments.
- Knowing how a triggered stress response can affect our bodies and minds is an advantage when faced with stressful situations; this knowledge can lead to more open communication and better work culture for all.
- Knowing the signs and symptom of the stress response and being able to articulate these signs and symptoms to others is a huge advantage when managing a team and/or being a member of a team.
- Knowing how and why we perceive something as stressful can help us reduce stress responses so we can focus on dealing positively with responsibilities and relationships.
- An understanding of how stress responses can influence illness; mood, beliefs, emotional expression and behaviour is essential when dealing with absenteeism, presenteeism and stress-related illness in the workplace.
- Knowing that how we cope is a direct link to the current state of our relationships and the current state of our physical and mental health is essential when assessing our coping strategies.
- Developing a tailor-made personal stress relief plan, to reduce stressors and stress responses and improve coping strategies, performance and productivity in the workplace is invaluable to both employee and employer.