Health and Wellbeing
The office can be one of the most stressful places in the world, or it can often seem that way at least. But stress can have a big impact, individually as well as collectively...
The impact on employees and managers alike can be disastrous, and this, in turn, takes its toll on the collective efforts of a business. More business owners and managers are now realising the importance of managing work-related stress. It’s common sense because a stress-free office is much more likely to be a successful and productive office.
But what is the exact impact of stress on people in the office and the business more broadly? The biggest concern for business owners is the impact it has on absenteeism. When people take time away from the office, the business can suffer. But when people are put under immense stress for long periods of time, it’s not surprising that they eventually have to take time off. It’s proven that high-stress offices face higher levels of absenteeism than other, low-stress offices. The impact this has on the business’ productivity levels is very worrying. Looking for ways to decrease stress might not be easy, but it can be done.
Good communication is one of the best ways to lower stress levels. When people fail to talk to one another and relay ideas and notifications properly, stress levels can soar.
Communication breakdowns are not uncommon in the office so it’s the job of the office manager or management to make sure that people communicate properly to avoid unnecessary frustrations.
Even simple things like making sure queries and questions are answered adequately and swiftly can make a difference. If people start talking and communicating, you could see the stress levels in the office drop.
Part of this new focus on communication should include greater planning provisions and regular team meetings. The meetings you hold in the office will give everyone the opportunity to get up to speed with what’s happening in the office. This is essential for a business that’s big and sprawling. It puts each individual department in contact with all the other departments in the office and helps keep lines of communication open. This can be helpful for everyone in the office.
Planning is a good idea too. When you plan what is going to be happening in the week ahead, you give everyone a chance to prepare properly, minimising any unforeseen issues.
There are lots of small things that people in the office worry about but most of these things don’t really warrant you getting stressed over. You shouldn’t be the kind of manager that demands perfectionism from every task. Most tasks don’t need to be completed perfectly. The fact is that many habitual small tasks that happen day to day in the office can often be better completed quickly rather than perfectly. When people are required to work too quickly on multiple projects, they may not be able to ensure every piece of work they do is perfect and therefore communicating the importance of each task can help clarify the priority a manager places on them.
Time management is something that is essential for a low-stress workplace. When people are not able to juggle their different tasks and meet deadlines, it can cause lots of stress. They stress themselves out by putting unnecessary stress on themselves. But this is not all that happens. The stress is also multiplied because when someone doesn’t get the work done, it often affects other people down the line. This is why finding new ways to manage time in the office is of the utmost importance. By getting work done in a timely fashion, the workforce will see its productivity rise and stressful situations will be averted.
For senior professionals and managers, it can be very difficult to leave the office at the office. With the advances in modern technology, it’s now possible for people to take their work home with them easily. And it’s also a lot easier for them to be contacted and asked to do some work when they’re away from the office. This is a big problem and a massive cause of stress for many employees. You should try everything you can to make sure that your work life is very clearly divided from your personal life. Mixing the two can lead to problems in the long-term which creates a vicious circle in which your work life and your personal life can suffer.
Driving down workplace stress is a challenge for certain workplaces, but it’s something that needs to be done. The repercussions for failing to confront work-related stress are too large to ignore but the benefits of managing it can have far-reaching effects.