If you have ever considered taking online business courses, then you will know that the wellbeing of staff pays a significant part in the success of the company. To make the best of a business, you need to consider the welfare of personnel. Therefore, part of any quality course will be answers to critical questions. How does stress impact business? Can leaders mitigate the impacts of stress? How can stress manifest itself in the workplace?
Here we explore the steps employees can take to relieve stress levels at work and take some of the control over this.
Work on your schedule
One of the most common reasons for experiencing stress at work is having too much to do and too little time to achieve it. Therefore, scheduling is an essential skill. Scheduling is part time-management – understanding what can be achieved when. If you are always chronically over-running in meetings or spending too much time on the phone with clients, then this is going to add up. It is also about prioritisation. Therefore, you need to understand what tasks need doing first so that any pressure felt from the deadline for this task is reduced.
There are online apps and CRM systems that allow you to manage simple to-do, doing, done lists, which should allow you to keep a picture of your work, and when it needs to be done.
Take a break
One of the biggest mistakes that stressed people make is skipping breaks and lunchtimes. Believing more time is going to solve the problem, they power on through. However, people are not machines, and productivity drops when we are tired or hungry. Therefore, ironically, you may be more productive if you take time off and rest. You also need to value your weekends and holidays – work-life balance is the key to less stress in the workplace.
On a similar vein, you should consider leaving work on time regularly. If you stay late every day, it means you are going to tire yourself out. It may be a sign that you are not using your time productively in work hours or that your workload is too much for a single person. Both these issues need addressing – either by working on your schedule or by talking to your manager.
Move where you work
This might seem like a strange suggestion – but it does work. Changing your location in the office can improve your mood and your outlook. It may be that working somewhere else will stop you from being drawn into office gossip and other distractions. You will then feel like you are progressing through tasks better.
Avoid social media
It is the curse of the modern world – the scrolling finger. Social media similar to popcorn at the cinema – you have had enough after half the content, but you just can’t stop. It’s best to leave social media outside office hours, as it can suck up time you can ill afford and so stress you out. You might want to switch off your phone when at work or during your busiest times.
You should also consider whether you should be responding to messages outside of work. Apps make us highly accessible, and it easy for people to send you a quick message about work even though it is out of hours. Setting boundaries between the personal and the professional will help you to maintain effective performance for longer. Therefore, although you might worry you are frustrating people by not answering straight away, the answer needed is rarely urgent and could easily wait until the next morning. There should be general respect shown for people’s time outside the workplace, and hopefully, this will be led by your managers.
Have other interests
You might be one of those lucky people who feel work is like a hobby, and you cannot believe you are paid to do this. Even if you are such a person, it is still good practice to have something that takes you away from all the concerns and issues that the workplace can create. By taking time for something completely different, you will be in a much stronger position when you are back on the clock. Remember, productivity is not always directly linked to the number of hours you spend at your desk.
Talk to your boss
Sometimes all the self-management techniques in the world cannot address the stress you feel. You may be starting to feel burnout and know that if things continue this way, something will blow up. Therefore, asking for a one-to-one with your manager can help address the issues. They may not have realised the workload expected of you or they may have suggestions about how to better prioritise your work. Don’t leave this meeting too late – it is better to ask for help before the help is a necessity. If you are a business owner, it can be extra challenging to manage stress, so check out these tips to improve your work/life balance.
Nick Cooper
25
11
8
