In today's work environment, unfortunately various levels of stress has become an almost inevitable part of professional life. Employees encounter various types of stressors, each with unique impacts on their mental and physical wellbeing.
Recognising these stressors and implementing effective coping mechanisms is essential for maintaining a productive workforce.
One prevalent type of stress is workload stress, which arises from excessive job demands and unrealistic deadlines. This can lead to burnout, characterized by emotional exhaustion and reduced performance (Maslach & Leiter, 2016). To mitigate workload stress, employers should encourage realistic goal setting and provide resources for time management. They should also check their organisation structures and seek out more effective work flows and eliminating non-productive activities and meetings.
Interpersonal stress is another significant factor, stemming from conflicts with colleagues or supervisors. Such stress can affect team dynamics and employee morale (Einarsen et al., 2011). Promoting open communication and conflict resolution training can help in addressing interpersonal stress effectively. Hiring people with the right personality profile and team fit can assist. Having strong HR support with team dynamics and conflict resolution skills can assist in working with employees to eliminate conflict.
Role ambiguity, where employees are unclear about their job expectations, can also contribute to stress. This uncertainty can lead to job dissatisfaction and decreased motivation (Beehr & Glazer, 2005). Clear communication of roles and responsibilities by management can alleviate this type of stress. At the basic level this can include clear role descriptions, reporting lines and the proper systems and tools in place to support smooth productivity.
It is crucial to acknowledge that individuals possess different stress tolerance levels. What may seem overwhelming to one employee might be manageable for another. This variance highlights the importance of personalized stress management strategies (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). Effective feedback loops between employees and their supervisors where stress levels are constantly monitored can assist in levelling out stress levels by making adjustments as work continues.
Employers can support their staff by implementing wellness programs that focus on stress reduction techniques such as mindfulness, exercise, and counselling services. Promoting a healthy worklife balance is helpful as well as having access to a confidential Employee Assistance Program.
Conducting regular pulse or more comprehensive employee engagement surveys can assist with measuring the levels of employee engagement across the organisation. Areas with lower engagement can often be caused by high levels of employee stress from the long list of possible causes. It provides another opportunity to deep dive and address the root causes before employees become to overwhelmed or decide to resign and leave.
Finally, understanding the diverse stressors employees face and recognising individual differences in stress tolerance are key to fostering a supportive work environment. By adopting proactive measures, organisations can enhance employee wellbeing and productivity.
Linq HR are Australian Employment and Workplace Specialists assisting organisations and employees be their best at work. Ph 1300234566.
References:
Beehr, T. A., & Glazer, S. (2005). Organizational Role Stress. In J. Barling, E. K. Kelloway, & M. R. Frone (Eds.), Handbook of Work Stress (pp. 7-33). Sage Publications.
Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., Zapf, D., & Cooper, C. L. (2011). Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace: Developments in Theory, Research, and Practice. CRC Press.
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. Springer Publishing Company.
Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2016). Understanding the Burnout Experience: Recent Research and Its Implications for Psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), 103-111.
