This week, on 4th November, is it National Stress Awareness Day 2015 and this year the theme is “Employee Wellbeing as a Worthwhile Investment in Your Business”. We couldn’t agree more!
What’s the issue? Most employers now recognise the importance of looking after their employees’ wellbeing, and they understand that it could be just as beneficial to them. We know that stress can have a huge impact on employee wellbeing, but stress can be caused by any numbers of things in and outside the workplace. Stress can be caused by external factors like major life changes, financial problems, or work, or by internal factors such as negativity or unrealistic expectations. The problem is that other symptoms can manifest as a result of stress, and while these may be more noticeable it could mean that the stress has been building and getting worse for some time. Productivity at work can be affected by stress or it can even cause mental or physical illness. What this means for you is that your employees are less productive at work or absent completely.
What can you do? You do actually have the resources to help your employees who are stressed, and the first step is to be aware of the signs. These are some of the signs of stress that you might recognise:
* Inability to concentrate
* Easily distracted
* Less intuitive and creative
* Negative thinking
* Irritable, mood swings
* Lack of motivation
* Poor time management or standards of work
* Social withdrawal
* Absence
Once you are aware of these signs, you can do something to help combat stress. Many employers have Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs), so employees may have access to someone impartial to talk to about their problems, or you can run an employee wellbeing and stress management programme to build awareness and help employees with stress understand what they can do about it. It’s also important to note that any of your employees could be stressed and for any of the reasons we’ve explained here. For example, you might think your executives would be stressed because of their workloads or busy schedules, but they could be stressed about money just like anyone else.
You do have the resources to prevent stress and provide support for your employees who are stressed. We think employers should support employees not only because they can, but because it’s the right thing to do. For more information speak to your usual Jelf consultant or visit our website.
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