As many employees return to work and embark on a brand new year, it is likely that they will set foot into the office and pick up the workplace sack of stress that they left behind before Christmas.
Recent research from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has revealed that nearly 600,000 workers suffered from work-related stress, depression or anxiety last year. And, these figures transcended into 15.4million lost working days and wealth of lost productivity.
The survey of 1,247 Brits found that excessive workload was the biggest cause of work-related stress accounting for 84% of employee worries.
Seventy-nine per cent found that unrealistic expectations and the continuous need to impress bosses was the second biggest source of the problem, while 72% said that a poor work-life balance was the root cause.
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Despite the survey results implicating many past problems – referring at large to company culture – the survey highlighted numerous other causes of this workplace stress that may hinder employees in future.
Sixty-three per cent of respondents said that a lack of progression opportunities, job security (59%) and a negative company culture (42%) as additional causes of workplace stress.
And, 2018 research from Boundless found that 47% of brits reported to be either ‘stressed’ or ‘very stressed’ in the office which could have a hefty impact on workplace productivity.
Ian Holmes-Lewis, Director at Boundless, said that employers should help with alleviating some of the stress levels and be better at managing these situations.
“There is always going to be some level of stress in the workplace – it’s probably not possible to work in jobs such as policing, local government, teaching and social work without it,” he said. “But there is a lot that can be done to help staff feel happier.”
“Our survey, for instance, showed spending time with family or having a day out at the weekend went a long way to making people feel happier in life and in work.”
He recommended helping employees escape from the stresses of work by organising staff outings, encouraging hobbies and considering flexible working patterns to bolster work-life balances.
According to Detroit.cbslocal.com, here are three ways that employers can help reduce stresses that their employees may face.
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Employee perks – Financial concerns in personal life pose as a huge concern for many employees. So, perhaps offering good healthcare plans can partially solve the problem. This will save employees money, save them time, improve their health and reduce the number of unproductive days lost to absence.
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Show, don’t tell – Communicating the importance of downtime and exercise is importance Scheduling breaks may be one way of demonstrating the importance of downtime – rather than leaving employees to their own devices where they may not feel deserving of regular breaks.
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Encourage physical activity – Lots of research suggests that exercise has a great ability to reduce stress, bolsters alertness and boosts concentration. So, encourage them to get out as much as they can during their allocated break time.
