What are the causes of stress in the workplace?
Here are some helpful questions and considerations employers can consider for addressing work-related stress:
- Role at Work: Is the job role clearly defined or is there confusion or conflict about the job specifications?
- Training: Are employees properly and adequately trained for their roles? Rushing an employee into a new role or promoting them without adequate training can lead to work-related stress.
- Workplace Demands: Many workplace demands can be stressful. This can include increased seasonal work or a lack of support from co-workers.
- Fear of Job Security: Uncertainty about job security can make employees feel unsure of the safety of their position.
- Lack of Control in the Workplace. Lack of control in the workplace can lead employees to feel like they have little authority or respect in their role.
- Results-driven goals: Sales-based jobs often classify success by achieving high or hard-to-meet goals. Consistently missing these goals can negatively affect an employee’s stress level.
- Relationships at Work: Is there constant tension and disharmony, or even openly aggressive behaviour between people at the workplace? If so, this can lead to work-related stress for your staff.
- Leadership Practices: Have you ensured there are effective and fair management practices in place, supported by positive leadership?
- Demands: Do employees have much more work to do than they can do to the standard, or within the time, expected?
How can you reduce work-related stress in your business?
As an employer, it’s important to understand the common causes of stress in the workplace. It is worth considering creating an action plan to reduce stress and help employees who may be feeling stressed. Risk assessments will help identify any potential stressful situations. Before utilising risk assessments, you can introduce work-related stress reduction methods.
- Establish Workplace Boundaries: This includes knowing where and when work takes place, being aware of staff breaks, and what time to stop working.
- Be aware of Unhealthy Responses: It can be easy to rely too heavily on unhealthy habits to cope with stress. Encourage staff to try exercise or yoga to help relieve tension.
- Ensure staff get enough sleep: A lack of sleep can cause many health issues, including damaging mental health.
- Schedule Meaningful Time off: Encourage staff to a few days off at a time or a long weekend. However, it may be more beneficial to set apart more holiday days for a lengthy amount of time off. Try to encourage staff to take adequate time to recharge.
- Talk to your Staff: You can’t solve a problem if you don’t address it. Encourage staff to discuss their work-related stress issues with their supervisor or manager. This way you can work together to combat stress in the workplace.
Benefit employees by reducing work-related stress
We provide free support if you’re an employer and need advice on HR issues. We can help to guide you through the process of addressing work-related stress.
Please speak to one of our HR and employment law advisors for free at 1800 719 014 or fill in the form to request a callback.
