09 Apr Stress Awareness Month! – Managing Stress within the Workplace

Feeling stressed? You’re not alone! April 2021 is Stress Awareness Month. Stress Awareness Month has been held every April, since 1992 to increase public awareness about both the causes and ways to manage modern stress. 

According to the 2020 Health and Safety Executive report, work-related stress, anxiety and depression statistics in Great Britain account for 51% of all work-related ill health cases. In the UK alone, there were over 828,000 workers suffering from work related stress.

Stress can cause not only mental issues such as anxiety and depression, but can also lead to cause physical problems such as heart disease, problems with our immune system, insomnia and digestive issues.

Six Factors of Stress:

Recognising the signs of stress and learning about the causes of stress is good place to start. Evidence shows that there are six key factors that contribute to the majority of stress within the workplace: 

1. Demands: a heavy workload, work targets and the work environment.
2. Control: how much say the person has in the way they do their work.
3. Support: lack of encouragement, sponsorship and resources available to employees.
4. Relationships: conflict and dealing with unacceptable behaviour.
5. Role: whether people understand their role within the organisation.
6. Change: how change (large or small) is managed and communicated.

No job is stress free. Stress and mental health issues impact the daily lives of many individuals and no one is immune! Even recruitment can be a fun and rewarding job but that doesn’t mean it is without its pressures.

Let’s look at how you can combat some of these stressful factors in the workplace:

• Having demanding work targets can cause stress. Struggling to reach them can leave the pressure on! Remember to take time to step back. Take time to slow down and focus on doing your job, rather than the end target. 

• Flexibility in the workplace comes in many different forms. Many people have demanding commitments outside of work. These could include families which require childcare and finding a working balance can be tricky. Allowing for flexibility in the workplace, such as allowing staff to work from home on a day when familial duties are required, can help alleviate an immeasurable amount of stress.

• It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks in the workplace. Having a simple check in in your team can go a long way. Make a point of asking yourself and staff if they are ok. Not just ok in the workplace but ok overall. This doesn’t have to be done in formal reviews but just by throwing it into everyday conversation shows you care about your teammates and their wellbeing.

• Although your workplace is very much a team environment, there is no escaping some of the competitive elements that arise. It’s important to keep any competitive elements healthy and fun. Remember you are all working together towards a common goal and can support each other. Teamwork makes the Dream work!

• Many businesses require helping clients and putting them and their needs first. You can be left juggling various personalities, of both clients and candidates. Handling a variety of people all at once can be a tricky job. When juggling many different people, remember about the one person who matters……you! Self-care is not selfish! Remember to pause and take a moment for yourself every now and again.

Stress is the body’s natural response to pressure, producing physical and emotional responses. Many of us often do not realise we are under stress until it has started to become too much. The key is knowing how to manage stress. Ensuring you have some supportive measures in place can ensure a happy and healthy workplace environment. 

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