Do you think your employees may be struggling with stress?
Unfortunately, the number of employees suffering from stress is on the rise again. The world’s employees are feeling even more stressed than they did in 2020 (the previous all-time high).
As an employer, you have a duty of care that includes looking out for the mental wellbeing of your team. If your employees are feeling stressed, they will not be as productive, engaged or motivated in the workplace. Plus, the number of employee absences will increase and you may see a rise in staff turnover.
The Importance Of Identifying Stress Triggers
Stress can have a significant impact on us. It can affect every aspect of our lives from our relationships and family life to our job and physical health. If it is not addressed, ongoing stress can lead to burnout or other mental health conditions, such as depression.
However, until we identify the factors that are triggering the stress, we can do very little about it. By identifying stress triggers, also known as stressors, we can work out a strategy to deal with the triggers and minimise the impact they have on our lives. This will significantly reduce our feelings of stress and improve our overall well-being.
How To Help Employees Identify Stress Triggers
There are several ways in which you could help your team to understand and identify stress triggers.
Educate Your Employees
The majority of us feel stressed from time to time. And stress affects everyone in different ways. Leading causes of stress including relationship problems, financial pressures, poor physical health, issues within the family, facing big changes, feeling under pressure and taking on too many responsibilities. Although we all experience stress every now and then, very few of us know how to deal with it.
The first step in helping your team identify stress triggers is to educate them. Provide professional mental health training, such as in-house workshops, that will teach your employees everything they need to know about dealing with stress. Educate your team on the resources and tools that are available to them if they are feeling stressed. And outline the support available to them within the company.
If your team better understands stress and its causes, they will be able to minimise the impact it has on their lives. Plus, if they have knowledge of the resources and support available, they are more likely to reach out if they need help.
Harbour An Open, Honest Workplace Culture
One of the best ways to break down the barriers surrounding mental health is to talk about it openly. Your workplace culture should be one of honesty and positivity. You should work towards a workplace that is free from mental health stigma.
Ensure your team is familiar with the company mental health policy and the support available to them. Plus, aim to have informal team meetings that are focused on the team members themselves rather than the clients or business. This will provide an opportunity for your staff to chat, bond and discuss anything that’s bothering them.
The management staff should also carry out one to one meetings with their employees. This will allow them to see how each employee is doing and provides a chance for the employee to talk openly.
Lead By Example
Due to the nature of the position, most business owners and managers experience stress. Some experience it frequently. Taking the time to identify your own stress triggers, and working to minimise the impact they have on your health and wellbeing will set an excellent example for your employees.
Provide An Wellness App
A wellness app is a modern way for your employees to track their mood. They will be able to record their mood during different situations and at various points throughout the day and attribute triggers for those feelings.
If an employee is regularly feeling stressed, the app will encourage them to record these feelings and pinpoint the reason for feeling stressed. Over time, your staff members will be able to identify patterns of emotions and stressors in and out of the workplace.
For example, if an employee feels particularly stressed on the same day every week, it could mean that you have too many deadlines on that day or a weekly meeting that is overwhelming them. Or an individual may find that their stress is not work-related, but is actually a family-related stressor.
Aside from encouraging your employees to identify the factors that are triggering their feelings of stress, a wellness app can also help you support them. As an employer, you will receive data through an online portal that will give you an insight into which of your employees are struggling with stress.
From there, you can provide the support, tools and training required to help your employees prioritise their mental health and manage their stress levels.
Get In Touch
Here at Wellspace, we create bespoke health and wellness solutions for businesses of all shapes and sizes. Our innovative employee app and portal allow you to monitor staff wellbeing.
Our Wellness Application allows your employees to track their health and wellbeing, including their sleep, activity levels and mood. Plus, the Online Portal allows you to track employee wellbeing and tailor your activities, health schemes and training based on the needs of your employees.
By reducing stress amongst employees, you will see an improvement in productivity and engagement and a decrease in absenteeism and staff turnover.
If you would like to find out more about Wellspace and the solutions we offer, get in touch. Alternatively, for more advice and tips, head to our blog.
