Stress Management

What is stress management in the workplace?

Stress can be triggered in many different ways, such as high-pressure, high-stakes work, or a difficult interaction with a customer. Unfortunately for many, it’s an unavoidable part of work, but stress can also be caused by challenges outside of the workplace.

However, that’s not to say that employees have to stay silent and deal with stress by themselves. Doing so can have severe detrimental effects on employees and, as a result, your business.

Stress management ensures that your employees can identify the cause of their stress and put processes in place to help alleviate it. It may be impossible to remove all stressors from employees’ lives, but by offering support, promoting healthy habits, encouraging communication and honesty, and offering training, resources, and tools, it can help to lighten the load.

Why is stress management important?

The main reason why stress management is important is that it helps improve the wellbeing of your workforce. Not only can stress have a huge impact on an employee's mental health by leading to depression and anxiety, but it can also have physical effects including:

• Sleep problems
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Panic attacks
• Eye problems
• Chest pains
• High blood pressure
• Breathing difficulties

By introducing ways employees can better manage their stress, your organization can help prevent stress from being the cause of these stress-related effects. In turn, your employees will feel far more supported and valued, and will be more efficient and productive, which will increase morale and job satisfaction. This will contribute toward reduced absenteeism and turnover, which will save your organization costs and long and expensive recruitment processes.

Is reducing stress the responsibility of your organization?

Managing stress is a personal process, but it’s not just an employee that feels the negative impact of stress. For that reason, it shouldn’t be down to your employees to manage their stress alone, and your organization needs to offer support and resources to help make that happen.

Managing stress shouldn’t have a “not my problem” mentality. When employees feel stressed it can lead to a plethora of other issues, and your business should help to alleviate stress where it can. Not only will this prevent further problems from arising, but it will cement your organization as one that cares for and values its employees.

It’s important that managers and leaders identify when their team members are experiencing stress. They should encourage their teams to be open and honest with their communication, and not feel like they’re inconveniencing anyone by asking for help. For more information check out our blog post on how workplace leaders play a role in reducing stress.

By introducing processes, encouraging communication, and offering training, these relatively low-investment solutions will have a long-term positive impact that will be felt across your entire organization.

What are the benefits of stress management?

Effectively managing stress has benefits that your employees will feel across their work and personal lives. Even though your organization may not be in a position to help with stressors outside of the workplace, the support you offer in the workplace can have an impact on their overall wellbeing. This includes both their mental and physical health.

For example, by managing stress your employees may experience:

• More restful sleep
• Better sleep patterns
• Reduced anxiety
• Fewer feelings of burnout
• Reduced feelings of depression
• Increased morale
• Improved mood
• Increased productivity
• Increased job satisfaction
• Increased engagement

Each of these also increases employee engagement. When they’re more engaged, employees will make better decisions, use more creativity, and collaborate more effectively.

As we’ve already discussed, this also ensures that absenteeism and employee turnover are reduced. When employees are engaged, collaborating, and working more productively and efficiently it will lead to better results, lower costs, and ultimately position your organization as a better place to work.

What are some effective stress management tips?

Stress isn’t something that will go away instantly with one or two changes, but is a long-term process that can come from making a number of tweaks to processes and routines. Many of these can be taught through stress management training. Below are just a few tips for how to manage stress at work.

• Stay active - moving more can boost energy levels, reduce stress, and increase mood.
• Set realistic goals - setting ambitious but still achievable goals will help prevent unnecessary stress.
• Make time for sleep - getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night is vital.
• Practice mindfulness - it might not work for everyone, but meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises can be effective stress relievers.
• Manage your time - time pressure can be a big cause of stress, and allowing more time for tasks can alleviate some of this pressure.
• Spend time with others - family, friends, and colleagues can offer support and guidance.
• Maintain good habits - such as eating well, not drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, and limiting caffeine.

Can employees learn effective stress management techniques?

When employees experience stress it can feel overwhelming, and at times it may seem like there’s no way those feelings can be eased without completely removing the triggers. However, that’s not the case. Stress management techniques can be learned, and when put into practice they can be incredibly effective.

Stress management training courses cover a variety of topics, from avoiding stress to practicing mindfulness at work. Training in soft skills can also help, such as time management and organization.

Stress won’t go away by itself, and providing training is an effective way to support your employees in lessening stress and its effects.

Can you learn about stress management online?

Yes, online training is a great way to learn about stress management. eLearning courses are convenient and flexible, providing employees with a wide range of options for learning about effective stress management.

Why eLearning is a great way to learn about stress management

Because eLearning courses are self-directed, they can be accessed at any time and by using any device. That means employees can learn whenever they have the time available. It doesn’t require time away from their desks, so doesn’t interfere with projects and tasks, unlike in-person training. This also improves engagement and the willingness to learn.

eLearning courses are easily scalable, so you can affordably provide training to a single team or your entire organization. Course materials use a variety of teaching methods, which means employees who learn via different learning styles can retain more information and put their new knowledge into practice. If your organization uses a learning management system (LMS) you can monitor how employees engage with courses and provide additional support to those who may need it.

What are the best eLearning courses for stress management?

There are plenty of online stress management training courses available which can be accessed right now. Some of the best courses include:

• Stress Management: Resiliency
• Stress Management: Managing Stress
• Stress Management: Stress for Success
• Stress Management
• Stress Management: Unavoidable Stress
• Stress Management: Balancing Home and Career
• Stress Management: Avoidable Stress
• 10 Minutes Managing Stress
• Stress Management and Mindfulness at Work
• Managing Stress (Part 1 of 6): Understanding Stress at Work

Teach your employees more about stress management with Go1

Looking to support your staff by teaching them how to manage stress at work? At Go1 we have a wide range of stress management training courses for employees that can be accessed right now. For more information on how Go1 can help your organization with its learning and development strategy, book a demo with us today.