Due to the digital shift in how we are working, workplaces are moving faster than ever before. Being constantly connected and the change in culture for people to work outside of
hours as caused a dramatic increase of stress in the workplace. Many managers are baffled about the stress levels of their employees and encourage motivation.
Stress is one of the main reasons for employee absenteeism and chronic stress can have numerous detrimental health impacts on employees. Those suffering from workplace related stress can develop anatomical issues such as sore muscles due to tension, severe changes in weight and even auto-immune diseases.
There are several ways a manager can focus on managing stress in the workplace and put in place a plan to increase workplace happiness and productivity:
1. Motivation
Any great manager knows that in order to inspire a team, they must lead by example and not purely manage them. If a manager is focusing on negative reinforcement instead of celebrating an employee’s work, it is more likely that that employee will suffer more stress, especially if they feel that they will be reprimanded if they make an error. A manager is less likely to have stressed employees if they celebrate their achievements and support and encourage their work and progression.
2. Listening
The companies with the least stressed employees listen to their needs. They acknowledge when their workload is too high or if resources are stretched, and they take active steps to work with the employee to minimise the stress in these situations.
3. Communication
Many people fear the unknown, so when a company is growing or visually changing, an employee may feel stressed about losing their position or not being part of the change. Open and clear communication allows an employee to feel valued and offers them a sense of emotional security.
4. Get Active
Physical activity is known to induce happy feelings in the brain and promote endorphins. Not only do endorphins increase energy levels, they also help an employee to feel motivated and healthy. Group exercises, particularly when undertaken outside, will reduce stress. Outside physical activity provides a Vitamin D boost, also enhancing energy levels and the fresh air will de-clutter the employee’s minds.
5. Hypnosis
If the stress levels are high in an organisation or if any particular employees are suffering from consistent workplace stress that they can’t shake, hypnosis is an excellent method to decrease the stress levels.
Hypnosis helps to relieve stress in two main ways. Firstly, it allows the employee to slip in to a state of much need relaxation where the stress is not a primary focus of their minds. Secondly, the focus of the hypnosis can help a person subconsciously change their mindset and achieve numerous behavioural and lifestyle changes.
Stress in the workplace is common, but it can be managed. The best method is to create a supportive and open workplace as a means of prevention. If trying to change the stress culture in an existing organisation, there are always excellent methods, such as hypnotherapy, that will decrease stress rates and up employees workplace happiness.