Stress and how it impacts our mental and physical health
Being under pressure is a part of normal life, but what about when it becomes overwhelming? The level of stress felt varies from person to person. When we encounter a stressful situation, our bodies are stimulated to produce stress hormones triggering a ‘fight or flight’ response.
When we quickly return to a resting state without any negative effects on our health, people can recover quickly from a stressful situation. However, if the stress becomes excessive or prolonged leaving a person in a constant state of ‘fight or flight’ they can become overwhelmed and unable to cope. This can lead to both mental and physical health issues. Stress increases the risk of conditions like heart disease, back pain and gastrointestinal issues.
The cost of stress in the workplace
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reports that work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2016/17 saw 12.5 million working days lost and there were 526,000 workers suffering from stress during this period.
The HSE’s six main causes of stress at work are:
- Demands – staff become overloaded and cannot cope with the workload
- Control – when people have little or no say in the workplace, they feel disaffected and perform poorly
- Support – sickness absence rises when employees can’t talk to managers about issues
- Relationships - a failure to build relationships based on good behaviour and trust can lead to problems related to discipline, grievances and bullying
- Role – people become anxious when they don’t understand or know what is expected of them
- Change – should be managed effectively to avoid uncertainty and insecurity.
Workplace stress and poor mental health is extremely costly to an employer, as it has a huge impact on productivity, absences both short and long term, falling employee retention rates, creating a poor working environment and difficulty in attracting new employees.
Recognising the signs of stress
Can you and line managers in your organisation identify when an employee is stressed?
Look for changes in someone’s behaviour, do they seem on edge, on a short fuse or more emotional than usual? Are they repeatedly late or taking more time off for sickness? Perhaps they are having trouble staying focused on their work or in meetings and are less productive than usual. They might be interacting with colleagues differently or seem withdrawn.
Sometimes these changes can be quickly and easily identified, but in some employees, it may be harder to pick up on external signs of stress.
How can employers support staff with stress in the workplace?
The mental health charity Mind are asking employers to start the conversation about stress in the workplace and suggest creating a stress awareness space, where staff can share their thoughts and feelings when they are feeling stressed. They have resources you can download including posters, cards and a booklet on managing stress. Starting the conversation and taking the stigma out of mental health will help staff to feel they are able to be more open and honest about how they are feeling. Employers need to create a platform for them to openly talk about these issues.
Employers can also ensure they implement specific policies to tackle poor mental health and that they promote health and wellbeing in the work place. Carrying out a risk assessment to identify areas where the organisation is performing poorly and developing an action plan to improve the problems identified, can help to reduce stress in the workplace.
Employees are most likely to experience stress at work because of the demands and workload placed on them. Ensure job roles are clear with realistic goals and that any training requirements are identified and addressed.
Are you and your managers trained in how to support staff who are experiencing stress? Think about the culture in your company. Are employees actively involved in decision making and able to contribute to the business? Are there open channels to communicate?
Do line managers have regular one to ones with their direct reports which allow employees to raise any mental or physical health issues they may be experiencing? Or how their workload is affecting them? A manager should meet with an employee in a private setting to discuss any issues. They should be open minded and supportive. If the employee has a grievance against them then it may be beneficial to involve an HR professional or a third party.
When an issue is identified what support or changes would rectify the problem? Would these be temporary or permanent? For example, decreased work load or flexible working arrangement. It is important when an issue is raised that progress is monitored and a manager keeps in touch with the employee for continued support.
When an employee is experiencing stress due to their work, employers can more easily step in to support them. But what if they are experiencing stress due to personal circumstances, how can an employer help? An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a workplace service that employers pay for and are designed to help employees deal with personal problems that might adversely impact their performance, health and wellbeing. It could include counselling for an employee or immediate family member, or help with financial concerns, relationship problems or legal concerns.
Employers that support workers and reduce the causes of stress at work will see huge benefits to performance, productivity, attracting and retaining employees. They will create a happier and healthier work environment which will reduce absence levels and disputes.
If you would like strategies to help your staff deal with workplace stress, then please contact us for more advice.
Not only is it National Stress Awareness Day, did you know the main night of Diwali falls on Wednesday, November 7? Diwali is the annual Festival of Lights in the Hindu calendar. It falls between the middle of October and the middle of November each year. You might be interested in our blog Understanding religious festivals and holidays.