Employees stress is a growing concern for organizations today. Stress can be said to be the response of people to the unreasonable/ excessive pressure or demands placed on them. Employee stress occurs when the demands that are being placed upon a person tax exceed available resources as appraised by the individual involved.

The workplace stands out as a potentially important source of stress purely because of the amount of time that is spent in this setting. It is easy to think that “work” and “stress” go hand in hand. Yet, there is a point at which the stress of work can actually become detrimental to one’s health.

Stress is not always negative. It may also bring out the best in individuals at times. It may induce an individual to discover innovative and smarter way of doing things. This positive dimension of stress is called as en-stress. But usually, the term stress has a negative implication and this negative aspect of stress is termed as distress. “Work Stress causes some people to break, and other to break records.”

 

WAYS IN WHICH LEADERS CURB EMPLOYEE STRESS

Stress in the workplace has become of universal concern to all managers and administrators where in some work groups, stress has become epidemic.

Long working hours and intense demands are the primary culprits, but some employees also report difficult bosses and co-workers and poor working conditions as a cause of their stress. Not only are such high levels of stress harming our health, they also harm businesses.

It is the duty of a Leader to source for means at which they can reduce the stress at workplace and create a very conducive workplace for their employee. Many which can be done through:

1. LEAD BY EXAMPLE

So many people are looking to their bosses for guidance on how to behave at work and the leader’s attitude passes a lot across to the employee. For example, if a leader gets to the office at dawn, stay late every night and eats lunch at his desk every day, it is likely that the employees will follow your lead and do the same.

Also Managers are mostly responsible for establishing the culture of workplace. It is necessary that in keeping everyone stress in check, Leaders commit to modeling better work/life balance by working reasonable hours, taking breaks, and having a life outside of the office.

2. ENCOURAGE BREAKS

As simple as this sound, it is a pity that most organization failed in scheduling break time for their employees. Employees are allowed to take breaks throughout the day (the law entitles them to at least a 20 minute break for every six hours worked, and 11 hours between working days) so make sure that they are taking those breaks. In fact, studies show that most people are most productive if they work in 90-minute spurts punctuated by 20-minute breaks, so it is likely that you will actually get better work from your team if you allow them regular periods of rest.

3. LISTEN

Sometimes, employees just need a chance to share what they are thinking and express their concerns or complaints. Many are afraid to talk to their bosses, though, because they do not want to create the impression that they cannot handle their jobs. To be an effective leader and reduce stress, you need to not only say that you have an open door policy, but follow through with it. This means listening to employee concerns with an open mind, and helping them find solutions to the work problems that are contributing to their stress. It is important that you practice active listening, and focus conversations on solutions rather than complaints, also if employees know that they can be honest and you will listen compassionately, stress should become less of an issue.

4. ENCOURAGE TEAM BONDING

Our teammates are our support system at work, but if your team is dysfunctional and does not communicate well, there are bound to be problems that cause stress. Leaders need to encourage their teams to bond with each other and build solid, trusting relationships. When the teams are strong, there is greater accountability to each other and better communication, as well as greater trust. .

     5. CREATE A PLEASANT WORKING ENVIRONMENT

No one wants to spend his or her days working in a space that is dirty, cluttered, noisy, and unpleasant. In fact, studies show that excess clutter actually contributes to stress and anxiety, and makes it more difficult to get work done. You might not be able to do much about the physical environment of your office space in terms of layout or décor, but you can encourage employees to keep the place clean and the noise levels low.

Leaders should therefore be sensitive to the work environment and ready to provide solution in cases where stress is being detrimental to the employee or when any form of stress is being pointed out.