The contemporary work place has never been so demanding and when individuals begin to feel like they’re stuck in a pressure cooker, it’s only a matter of time before they boil over. Stress is damaging not only to employees’ health, but to the business.
Stresses and the rest of its baggage come with the territory but let’s keep them at a minimum. Follow this guide for employers to help reduce stress in the workplace and increase performance of workers.
1. Re-imagine the workplace
Make efforts to reignite and amplify enthusiasm among employees by applying design thinking to the workplace.
Modify and condition the environment to help foster talent development and drive performance, and in turn, increase business impact.
2. Promote health and fitness
Introduce a workplace wellness programme to encourage activity and support healthy behaviour. This can be implemented by offering health education, fitness programmes, providing healthy food options and holding meetings which are health-focussed.
3. Select the right person to carry out the task
Bring out the best of the people you have by delegating effectively. Think about what’s involved in the job, what outcome you’re looking to achieve and who’s best matched to complete the job properly.
4. Train people
And it may sound obvious, but training staff provides them with the skills to improve work performance. When people hear about how your company offers training it effectively draws in talented workers who see opportunity to grow professionally.
5. Define work tasks clearly
Ensure you make it clear to the employee what steps need to be taken to complete the task. It’s all in the detail as they say, well defined assignments make it easier for staff to achieve their targets.
6. Resolve interpersonal problems
From time to time you’ll find difficulties arise between groups of people. The most constructive approach is to take a step back from their emotions. Try to see the problem from the other person’s perspective and try to resolve the problem with a solution which best meets both parties’ needs.
7. Provide regular feedback
Sincerity and honesty plays a vital part when providing feedback and it can make a real difference. Be specific and acknowledge which areas they are excelling in and which ones could do with a bit of work. It doesn’t necessarily have to be criticism. Feedback encourages positive changes and recognition pushes employees to improve their performance further
