Recognising and Reducing Stress in the Workplace

Top tips for employers on dealing with stress at work

Whilst not technically an illness of itself, stress can cause both physical and mental health issues which could lead to a variety of workplace issues including absences, low morale and decreased productivity.

Employers have a duty of care to their employees to safeguard their wellbeing and prevent harm, and therefore given the risks to the business and individuals involved it is in an employer’s best interest to not only recognise the early signs of stress, but to mitigate it arising and to tackle it head-on at those first stages.

As managers or business owners, your employees staying healthy and productive should be a top priority. If you have a larger workforce or infrequently see or speak personally with your staff, below are some behavioural signs that may indicate stress is an issue:

• Irritability or being unusually short tempered.
• Lower productivity levels.
• Abnormally emotional or tearful.
• Excessive tiredness.
• Avoidance of social situations.
• Low mood or seeming ‘off’.

Generally, if there is a significant change in an employee’s demeanour that is either noted by colleagues, their line manager or yourself, it would be advisable to speak informally with the employee and try and establish the cause.

What should you do if you identify stress at work as an issue?

If stress is identified as a problem, there are a few things you as the employer can do to try and alleviate the causes and prevent its recurrence.

1. Ensure the workplace culture is healthy

As a manager or business owner, you have the power to implement measures to rid the workplace of a toxic social environment, which can lead to stress.

Lead by example and encourage employees to speak openly with their line managers about problems they may be having either in-work or out of work. Talking can help take the pressure off if someone is feeling overwhelmed and allow action to be taken if needed. These discussions can be informal and be set aside in designated times to prevent interference with work tasks. Additionally, offer the managers training to give them the confidence to have these conversations with staff.

2. Assess the working environment

Risk assessments are an effective way of ascertaining whether simple adjustments to the workplace or the working day can be implemented to reduce the likelihood of workplace stress. For example, facilitating regular breaks, the ability to go outside and get fresh air, adequate time away from the workstation and access to a staff room or a quiet space may be all that is needed just to provide a bit more down time that employees may not be getting enough of either at work or in their private life.

3. Incorporate a Wellbeing plan

Various companies or charities like Mind offer well-being plans or templates to follow. A wellbeing plan may just involve sitting down with the employee and informally chatting about how as an employer, you can help relieve some of the stress. Identify their current workload, the amount of time off they are taking and establish work-based action plans if it is work-related stress.

Listen to what they are saying, don’t assume, as the stress may not be work related. A certain level of flexibility may be needed, both in the handling of the employee if they are presenting as agitated or upset, and in measures that may need adopting to support them e.g. time off or temporary working patterns if there are problems outside of work.

Employee Assistance Programmes can be a useful tool if employees are not comfortable in speaking to someone in work, as they often offer confidential counselling services.

4. Consider appointing a Mental Health First Aider

If managers or team leaders are overstretched with other duties or the workforce is larger in size, it may be worthwhile appointing and training someone as a Mental Health First Aider. This will provide them with the skills to spot signs of stress and wavering mental health, deal with the initial interactions and understand how to sign post the individuals for more substantial and qualified help. If employees feel there is someone specific to go to who will listen, it can give them the peace of mind and comfort that there is someone there should they need.

5. Appreciate individuality and diversity

As well as being flexible towards solutions, keeping an open mind when listening to employees is essential, as what is a stressor for some, may not be for others. When speaking to or listening to someone who maybe suffering from stress, be open minded to the responses you get. Often stress can be substantially relieved by talking things through calmly and working out a plan of action with someone. Being anything other than kind and non-judgmental will likely only exacerbate the situation and make matters worse.

If you would like any help and support in implementing steps to help manage and alleviate excessive workplace stress please do not hesitate to contact the RELA Team. We would be pleased to assist you.