Tackling workplace stress is important but it can have a profound impact on the wellbeing of your employees; healthier people make for a happier working environment.
It’s in everyone’s best interests to support good mental and physical health as it will result in a much more productive, efficient and happier workforce as well as reduced sickness and an increase in retention.
Here are my top actionable tips for employees which I have implemented into my own workplace environment that has helped create a positive atmosphere and a culture where people feel safe and supported in addressing their mental well-being:
1. Maintain frequent communication
With a lack of communication, you could end up with unmotivated, ill-informed and disconnected employees, contributing to workplace stress. Try to be purposeful with your communication and encourage frequent communication. Organise frequent, but short, catch ups to keep everyone in the loop and provide a platform for them to ask for help or feedback if they need it, especially if you’re a remote team. Encourage non-work conversations in these meetings, too. This will help your team connect and get to know each other, which can help to build trust and ease feelings of isolation.
2. Prioritise task management
Constantly feeling the need to ask “what’s next?” or not knowing what’s expected of them, and when, could cause unnecessary stress amongst your team. That’s why tasks, responsibilities and deadlines should always be crystal clear.
While regular calls or meetings can help, investing in task/project management software is the best way to promote a seamless workflow. It provides a central location for your team to see their delegated tasks, understand what deadlines are coming up in a given day, week or month and gauge the status of each project without having to step on other people’s toes.
With 21% of remote workers feeling unmotivated, it’s also a great way to ramp up productivity. Seeing a list of tasks and physically being able to tick them off releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter that generates feelings of accomplishment and happiness.
3. Establish an open-door policy
It’s very easy for employees to hide the fact they’re stressed, overworked or struggling with personal matters. For this reason, it’s really important that your employees feel comfortable enough to reach out if they need support. Encourage an open door policy where managers regularly ask for honest feedback and employees are actively encouraged to discuss any problems, without fear of repercussion. This will then help foster a culture where employees feel comfortable and safe coming to you with any mental health issues knowing that they’ll be supported.
Find the time to schedule regular 1-2-1s with each team member. This will help you to gauge how they’re doing both personally and professionally, whilst providing them with a natural opportunity to voice any concerns.
4. Judge on output, not attendance
Constantly looming over your employees, setting strict working hours and tracking their every move is a surefire way to cause stress and burnout amongst your team. Instead, consider measuring their success on output, not attendance. Does it really matter when, where or even how your staff does their work, so long as they deliver the results you need? At Marketing Signals, giving employees the freedom to decide where and when they work best has led to increased productivity, as well as improved staff wellbeing, work-life balance and retention.
5. Set clear boundaries
With computers and other devices within instant reach, employees often feel the need to be available 24/7. But never switching off from work is guaranteed to increase stress levels and, ultimately, lead to burnout. If you need to contact one of your employees outside of their core working hours, make it clear that they only need to reply at a time that’s suitable for them. Personally, I’ve added a permanent note on my email signature to make it clear that I don’t expect an instant response.
You can also promote a better work/life balance by encouraging your staff to take regular breaks throughout the day to eat, stretch, rest and exercise. This is a great way to manage and reduce stress throughout the working day.
It’s also helpful to assist your team in creating an effective home office set-up if they work from home. Having a specific working room or area that they can physically walk away from, rather than working from the sofa, will help them to establish a firm boundary between work and their personal life.
6. Lead by example
You might have told your employees they should take breaks and truly switch off from work outside of their hours, but what will truly set the tone is leading by example. Ensure those at the top of your company are modelling a healthy work-life balance. If your employees see that leaders are taking breaks, using their annual leave entitlement and truly switching off after work, then your employees will feel more comfortable doing the same.
Gareth Hoyle is a Digital Marketing Strategist, SEO Expert, Content Marketer and E-commerce Specialist. He aims to help businesses drive digital success and champions work-life balance.
With 15+ years of experience, he empowers businesses worldwide to thrive online. His data-driven strategies fuel growth, boost brand visibility, and achieve goals. Passionate about work-life balance, he also advocates the four-day work week.
Gareth launched Coveragely in 2023 with the aim to help businesses of all sizes streamline their PR, Marketing and SEO reporting.
