FALL IS PEAK ANXIETY SEASON IN THE
WORKPLACE, AND IT CAN COST COMPANIES BILLIONS OF DOLLARS. HERE'S HOW BOSSES CAN
HELP MANAGE THEIR EMPLOYEES' STRESS.
Paul Pellman, Contributor (USA)
Nov 7, 2019,
5:00 PM
Paul
Pellman. Courtesy of Paul Pellman
·
Paul Pellman is the CEO
of Kazoo, an employee experience platform.
·
Pellman writes that fall is one of
the most stressful seasons for employees — daily routines change with dwindling
sunlight, and seasonal affective disorder is in full swing.
·
Stress costs employers $300
billion annually, and has a real impact on employees and the people around
them.
·
Managers should check in with
their employees, put mental health initiatives in place, offer opportunities to
stay active in the workplace, and lead by example.
From cooler weather to leaf peeping
to pumpkin spice lattes, there's so much to look forward to when it comes to
the autumn months. But what we may not realize is this time of year is one of
the most stressful for employees in the workplace. With significant changes in
daily routines to the dwindling number of daylight hours, we don't have to look
far for the sources of our fall misery.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD),
which affects around 10 million Americans annually, kicks off during this
time of year. The resulting feelings of fatigue, depression, and hopelessness
can easily seep into the workplace and are often exacerbated by work-related
stress. In addition, according to the "Google misery index" created
by former Pew Research analyst Christopher Ingraham, searches for
"depression," "anxiety," and "stress" peak during
the fall months. That trend has not only held steady over the years, but in
fact, the same search terms are even higher in 2019.
So what do we as leaders do about
this problem to help our employees and ourselves get through it? It starts by
understanding the effects of stress and working with employees to manage
it.
Understanding stress
According to the American
Psychological Association (APA), there are three types of stress — acute,
episodic acute, and chronic. While stress affects everyone differently, all
three of these can negatively impact the health and happiness of employees in
your workplace, and lead to a host of other health issues — like burnout.
Earlier this year, the World Health Organization officially
classified burnout as a legitimate medical diagnosis due to the increase of
"chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully
managed."
When looking at workplace stress in
particular, it costs employers an estimated $300 billion annually due
to absences, turnover, lower productivity, medical costs, and worker's
compensation. Not to mention that an employee's low morale and loss of
motivation often has a contagious effect, spreading angst to others in the
office. In the "always-on" culture that is the new norm in today's
workplace, many people have become so accustomed to stress in their everyday
lives that they don't know how to manage it or where to turn.
Managing stress
Many employers may not realize that
stress and anxiety have real consequences for their company, and
instead they put the task of managing stress on the individual employee. When
employees are dealing with stress it can affect concentration, relationships
with colleagues, and ultimately work performance. By leaving the employee to
manage this alone, companies are actually making the problem worse.
One of the best lines of defense to
manage stress in the workplace is to educate managers to better understand the
signs of stress and how they can help employees through it. By using
organizational programs and behaviors like the ones below, managers can help
alleviate the effects of the fall doldrums on their team.
1.
Listen to your
employees. A little communication goes a
long way. Face-to-face check-ins show employees that you value their opinions
and needs while also giving you an opportunity to see how they are doing.
Managers that are attuned to their team will be able to notice the small, but
important signs of stress early and can better manage things before they spiral
out of control. At a company level, using anonymous, company-wide
surveys to measure employee sentiment throughout the year will help you
keep a pulse on how they're doing, which allows you to identify stressors or
problem areas and take action at a faster pace.
2.
Actually address
mental health. Nearly one in five adults in
the US lives with a mental illness, yet 55% of employees say their
employer either does not have (or they were unaware of) a mental health
program, initiative, or policy. Destigmatizing mental health in the workplace
and providing access to help should be a no brainer given how many employees
are affected by it. In addition to publicizing mental health resources and
fostering an open dialogue with employees, adding in-office benefits
like light therapy for SAD and meditation classes will help
destigmatize mental health in the workplace.
3.
Bring the workout
to the office. Regular exercise is well
known to improve both physical and mental health, but many employees find
it difficult to squeeze it into busy work weeks. In addition to encouraging
employees to work out on their own through incentives like gym membership
reimbursements, managers can help integrate physical movement directly into the
work day. Walking one-on-one meetings, reminder alarms to stand every hour, and
taking the stairs to and from lunch are easy ways to get your team moving on a
daily basis.
4.
Lead by example. Employees look to their managers for cues on what's
acceptable in the workplace. Leaders need to show their team it's okay to
disconnect by taking advantage of flexible work schedules or PTO, eating lunch
away from the desk, and actually logging off when using sick or mental health
days. If managers don't make an effort to handle their own stress, employees won't
either. Similarly, encourage employees to support one another through physical
acts, like helping with a project if they have extra time, as well as digital
acts, like messages of encouragement and recognition via social communities.
With fall in full swing, now's the
time to reevaluate how your company looks at stress in the workplace. Learning
to manage stress and burnout isn't just important for helping employees feel
happier and healthier — it's also best practice for retaining top talent. By
prioritizing the employee rather than their work output, your company will not
only be a happier place to work, but also a more productive one.
Disclaimer:
The content of this blog is for informational
purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional
medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your
physician or other qualified health provider with any question you may have
regarding a medical condition. If you think you may have a medical emergency,
call your doctor immediately. Opt4health does not recommend or endorse any
specific tests, physician, products, procedures, opinions, or other information
that may be mentioned on the Opt4health blog. Reliance on any information
provided by Opt4health, Opt4health employees, other contributors appearing on
the blog at the invitation of Opt4health, or other visitors to the blog is
solely at your own risk.
Opt4health:
Web Site: http://opt4health.co.za
Facebook: https://facebook.com/aubrey.huntly
No comments:
Post a Comment