Blog » How To Make The Workplace Less Stressful

How To Make The Workplace Less Stressful

One of the biggest reasons employees take time off sick from work is stress, and when that stress comes from the workplace itself, that is hugely problematic. Stress affects productivity, wellness, how people treat others and manifests in physical ways, such as heart conditions, high blood pressure, and headaches. So even when workers at in the office or on the shop floor, their stress could be an issue. 

source

Of course, there is another way to look at this in a more positive light. If someone is suffering from stress and it stems from the workplace, as an employer, you can change that. You can make the workplace much less stressful and encourage your team to enjoy the changes and work in a different, easier way. Here are some ways to make that happen.  

Automate Where Possible 

Being overloaded with work and working long hours to get everything finished or worrying about missing deadlines is one of the major causes of workplace stress. Of course, there is always going to be lots to do – being busy at work is something we all have to get used to. However, when that ‘lots’ becomes ‘too much’, stress can strike. 

 One way to combat this is to automate as many processes as possible. The workers will have the right amount of work to do, and they will feel much less stressed in general. Plus, the work they do complete will be to a much higher standard. They can concentrate on their primary tasks, and the smaller jobs, the ones that cause so much stress, can be taken out of their hands and automated instead.  

Flexible Working 

If you allow for flexible working in your office or other workplace, your employees will have a much better work-life balance. This will immediately help to reduce stress and help people enjoy working for you much more. Those who are given the chance to work flexibly, perhaps starting later and finishing later, or working from home (either full time or part-time), or taking part in a job share, for example, will be much more willing to work harder and be more loyal to your business as they will feel they are being listened to and taken care of.  

To do this, you will need to set up a variety of different systems to ensure the smooth running of your business. Flexible working is one of the reasons the question why use cloud storage for business can be answered so easily; with cloud computing, anyone with the password can log in and work on a project or download a document whether they’re at the office, at home, or anywhere else. Again, this will reduce stress and help boost your profits.  

Encourage Wellness 

Gone are the days when an employee would clock in, sit at their desk for eight hours (with a short break to eat a sandwich at their desk) before clocking out again, only to do it all over the next day ad infinitum. Now wellness is much more critical, and employers understand how crucial it is to give their employees a little more leeway to get the best out of them.  

Encouraging wellness at work could mean: 

  • Making sure breaks are taken regularly and when needed
  • Giving your employees a specific break room (or even outside space)
  • Rewarding hard work or good results 
  • Giving free healthy snacks and drinks 
  • Organizing team days 
  • Offering incentives for cycling or walking to work, or giving subsidized gym memberships

Make your next business event a memorable one! Email us today!

Check Out Holly’s Books