Employee Workplace Wellbeing

Preventing Workplace Stress

We need a certain amount of stress to perform and 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. It’s in everyone’s interest to make sure everything possible is done to reduce, prevent, manage and control stress in all our workplaces.

Preventing stress-related illness and burnout in the workplace is priority number one in The Netherlands because stress-related illness and burnout is the number one workplace illness in the Netherlands since before 2018. Figures in 2018-2019 jumped from 30% to 34%.

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 in the workplace.

Preventing Stress-Related Illness: 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 a 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 more 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 and presenteeism 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 personal stress relief plan, tailor-made to reduce stressors and stress responses, improve coping strategies while improving performance and productivity in the workplace, is invaluable to both employee and employer.

Employer Workplace Wellbeing

There is no doubt that a happy workplace is a productive workplace. Educating employees and helping them become more aware of the difference between their stressors and their stress response, and the effect these have on their physical, emotional and psychological health and well-being, will result in more job satisfaction, better performance, efficiency and productivity; while encouraging a more open and friendly working environment.

Managers Concerned About Stress In The Workplace

We know that 79 % of European managers are concerned about stress in their workplaces, 40 % consider that psychosocial risk (PSR) is more difficult to manage than ‘traditional OSH (occupational health and safety) risks’ and less than 30 % of organisations in Europe have procedures for dealing with workplace stress, harassment and third-party violence”(EU Research review: Calculating the cost of work-related stress and psychosocial risks European Risk Observatory Literature Review 2014).

“Nevertheless, in many organisations, there is an erroneous perception that addressing psychosocial risks is challenging and will incur additional costs when, in fact, the evidence suggests that failure to address these risks can be even more costly for employers, workers and societies in general”. (EU Research review: Calculating the cost of work-related stress and psychosocial risks European Risk Observatory Literature Review 2014)

Updated Dutch ArboNed 2019: Figures for work stress in middle and small companies (200 employees) in Netherland until July 2019

The average absenteeism for employees in the Netherlands is 3.8%. For long-term absenteeism (> 6 weeks), 35% drop out due to psychological complaints; this figure was 30% in 2018. Long-term absenteeism; 25% is stress-related (absenteeism with a diagnosis of stress, severe stress or burnout). Source ArboNed: https://www.arboned.nl/wat-u-moet-weten/verzuim-verlagen/voorkom-uitval-door-stress

Cijfers over werkstress in het mkb tot juli 2019

Het gemiddelde verzuim in Nederland van medewerkers in het mkb (200 medewerkers) bedraagt 3,8%. Van het langdurend verzuim (> 6 weken) valt 35% uit door psychische klachten. 25% van het langdurend verzuim is stressgerelateerd (verzuim met de diagnose spanning, overspanning of burn-out). https://www.arboned.nl/wat-u-moet-weten/verzuim-verlagen/voorkom-uitval-door-stress

How can we help?

Mind Synergy Int. contributes to the European Union’s 3rd Health Programme 2014-2020 “for investing in peoples health and for spending smarter, not necessarily more on sustainable health systems”.

Investing in ‘your people’ health through our tailor-made stress and burnout educational and health-promotion programmes’and workshops will help reduce stress-related illness and stress-related costs. Training and educating your staff to reduce, manage and control stress-related illness, burnout and psychosocial risk in the workplace will help you ensure staff performance and productivity. Addressing workplace stressors and stress-related illness, encouraging open communication, training and educating managers to be more objective when it comes to workplace stressors and conflicts, will help improve health and wellbeing in the workplace.

“Different studies prove that the employer will have a return in double for every euro spent on occupational safety and health” (Joint Action on Mental Health and Well-being, 2016).

A stress-free workplace is a prosperous workplace, Mind Synergy Int. can help you achieve a stress-free workplace. Give us a call at 0652898605 or email us at info@mindsynergyint.com to see how we can help and support you.