How can we improve stress at work? Getting to grips with a realistic workload and having more control over your time are good places to start
The 21st-century work landscape is changing – and with that comes a seismic shift in our attitudes towards positive mental health in the workplace.
According to a recent report by global advisory service Willis Towers Watson, workplace wellbeing is now finding its way on to many a boardroom agenda as “a strategic priority”, with organisations realising its links with higher productivity and corporate resilience.
“The work environment has got a lot more complex – there’s a dramatic rise in stress and anxiety in the workplace,” opines Denis Hevey a performance coach and consultant, with expertise in motivation, performance and positive psychology.
The figures back him up. A 2015-2016 Staying@Work Survey revealed that stress is the foremost workplace issue for employers by some margin – way ahead of presenteeism, lack of physical activity and lack of sleep.
While in a recent poll by Acas (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service for employers and employees), two-thirds of employees (66%) have felt stressed and/or anxious about work in the last 12 months.
To state the obvious, stress can be a risk to human health. But, says the Willis Towers Watson report, an unhealthy working environment can also lead to financial losses for an organisation from decreased productivity, increased sickness absence, increased staff turnover, additional costs of recruitment, training and sick pay, and increased grievances and litigation. Indeed, poor mental health costs employers between £33bn and £42bn a year.
To effect change, we need to get to the crux of the matter: what’s causing this stress? When asked to identify the reasons behind their anxiety, 60% of those polled by ACAS cited workload pressures, followed by the way they are managed (42%) and balancing home and work life (35%).
It’s true, an unrealistic workload is a recipe for disaster. Too much and you’re heading for burnout, too little and people feel undervalued and disengaged. Similarly, an ineffective, out-of-touch line manager will fail to recognise the presence of work-related stress and mismanage it if they do.
For Millennials, in particular, an optimum work-life balance is key. A study from Mental Health America and Total Brain found that 60% of Millennials surveyed report that stress from work/life imbalance causes them to be mentally unproductive at work.
We are often our own worst enemies in this respect. In today’s digital working culture, we just can’t switch work off. “The smartphone is there to serve us, we are not there to serve it,” says Hevey. “We have all these devices that are meant to keep us connected. There’s never been so much connectivity and so little genuine connection.”
So how can we improve this stress-filled situation? Unsurprisingly, many of the solutions mirror the causes – a realistic workload; digital downtime; managers who are trained around mental health; and a supportive and relaxed working environment, where the subject is never taboo.
Not forgetting the role that flexibility in the workplace can play in reducing stress levels – no brutal commute or office politics and more control over your time, for starters. “Flexible work arrangements give individual employees the freedom to solve the work-life equation on their terms,” executive wellness coach and consultant Naz Beheshti wrote in a recent Forbes article. “Giving your employees increased autonomy is a win-win solution and communicates that you believe in and trust them.”
As for that holy grail, the work-life balance, Beheshti argues that we need to move away from the pressure of achieving that goal: “We do not have to choose between work and life. Work and life are not in competition... Avoid framing work and life in terms of an impossible balancing act.”
Hevey agrees: “I do not believe in work-life balance. It’s about employees taking ownership of their own wellbeing. It’s about work-life integration.”
And, anyway, it’s not all doom and gloom. According to Hevey, sometimes a little stress is just what we need. “There is no one who can have a meaningful life without stress at some point in their lives – we need to be able to embrace stress and manage it properly,” he says.
“All workplaces are challenging, but that’s good news. We grow more if we’re being challenged. Employers need to give employees proper challenges – not conflict – challenges. Give them that culture and environment and people will thrive.”
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