Some of the factors that may cause stress at work are leaders, managers, culture and change.
It is essential that there is the right work environment to work in with trust and mutual respect from the leadership right down to the shop floor. Not only walk the walk but convey it from the CEO to senior management and all employees.
Organisational culture is influenced by leadership behaviour. A manager who cannot give up control can lead to a toxic culture with their command and control management style. One manager does not have the skills to do everything themselves and that is why it is essential that they hire people to do other skills more effectively. Otherwise the managers who may have the skills will leave as they cannot work under this leadership style.
“The message from the shop floor is clear, stress is becoming a bigger and bigger problem. Pressures of long working hours and low job security are being felt in workplaces across the UK” said Frances O’Grady, TUC General Secretary, recently.
The theme this year for National Stress Awareness Day on Wednesday 2nd November is "Workforce Wellness – Your Prime Investment".
Below are a few tips and there are many ways an organisation can help to improve the wellness of their workforce such as using the stairs not the lift, having one large bin in an open plan space and everyone needs to get up and walk over to it and this can be the same for a water cooler. This can also help employees interact with each other.
Eat healthily
Have your five fruit and vegetables each day. These should include, citrus fruits, green vegetables and of course potatoes.
Vitamins are essential to take when under stress especially Vitamin C and Vitamin B complex (found in cereals). Many workplaces have a healthy option.
Set personal goals
Set goals and it helps to prioritise what is important for you to achieve
- Identify time set aside for you
- It can help to motivate you plus building your self-confidence.
- If you don’t already set personal goals, start now so that when you achieve a goal, you can give yourself a reward plus it gives you a boost.
Post-it notes with positive thoughts
Put a few words or a word such as “I am great”, “be positive”, “I can do it”, “smile” on a sticker and the more often you see the words, the more you believe it then you feel a lot better with the situation.
There are many times when we do not feel like being positive, but the more you see it and try it the more real it becomes. There is no fun in being negative all the time, it doesn’t help you so be positive now.
Take some time away from your desk
Even taking 5 minutes away from your desk can help you feel better. You may be stuck on an issue and just taking some time out can let you think of something else and when you go back to your desk, the issue can be resolved much quicker. This works for me on a regular basis so try it and see.
