Managing Stress : From A Manager's Perspective

Stress in the workplace is now a commonly recognised problem

, but many articles and much advice is always to the employee. What if you're a team manager or boss, having people report to you that they are stressed and need help? It's sometimes a difficult task to juggle the needs of the business with trying to "cut some slack" to help a stressed-out employee. On top of that, showing stress yourself or being negative about it can be viewed as hypocritical or a weakness in a manger. Help is on hand though - in the spirit of "keep calm and carry on", here's some ways that you can help yourself and your employees or team members to be that little bit less stressed.

Open up communication channels

Stress and negativity can breed in workplaces where people consider that information is not being cascaded to them or that managers are "hiding" information from them. This isn't usually a day to day occurrence, but if you've ever been in a company where the word "redundancies" get thrown around, you can feel the tangible mood change to one of worry, uncertainty and stress. There is nothing worse than finding out news about your job or project from an external source (or even the news) rather than your manager. Be open, be honest and it helps to create trust.

Workloads and Workspace

Stress can be caused by things outside the control of an employee - they may not have the correct resources to do their job and if their training needs are neglected then this can result in frustration and stress. Talk or meet with your employees or team members regularly to make sure that they are getting the support they need from the company and its management.

Make yourself accessible to people so that they feel they can come and talk to you without fear of being berated or criticised. Workload is another issue - someone may not feel that they can approach a boss and honestly say "I'm sorry, this is too much for me to do", because in these harsh economic times, people want to hold on to their job. The last thing they want to do is give the impression they can't do it, so they will suffer in stressed-out silence, knowing there'll never be enough hours in the day. A sensitive manager will keep an eye out for employees who look like they are struggling and will offer help and support.

Keep morale high

Morale is directly linked to stress. Where there's diminishing morale, there's increased stress. It doesn't have to cost money (although sometimes it can be nice to budget for rewarding staff via their paycheque). Praise and credit where it's due can be a large factor in increasing morale. On the opposite end of the coin, if someone is underperforming, making someone feel incompetent will not inspire anything but stress or stubbornness. Be firm, but be fair, too. Be the boss you'd like to have.

Remember to stick to the policy that says no to bullying or harassment - both these things can cause unprecedented amounts of stress. Other employees may be the ones causing this, so try to be aware if you think someone is suffering at the hands of their colleagues (yes, even though we all usually act like adults, it can - and will - happen in the workplace.

Overall, even if your stress levels are high, remember that you have a team to look after, and who look up to you. Show positivity and proactivity in the face of stress and you'll be setting a good example for the whole workplace.

by: Rich Talbot

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