After enduring a global pandemic, there’s no doubt workers are still feeling the aftereffects of the crisis and are stressed and burned out—it’s more important now than ever to place an emphasis on mental health. According to a Gallup report in 2022, more than 40% of U.S. and Canadian workers say they’re stressed out on the job every day.
One of the many ways to encourage a healthy workplace is to make sure employees are taking care of their mental health by alleviating any tensions and stress the workplace may occasionally bring. We want to help you take care of your health and reduce stress at work with these three helpful steps.
Identify Your Stress
The World Health Organization identifies several factors that could be causing workplace stress:
- Under-use of skills or being under-skilled for work
- Excessive workloads or work pace, understaffing
- Long, unsocial, or inflexible hours
- Lack of control over job design or workload
- Unsafe or poor physical working conditions
- Organizational culture that enables negative behaviors
- Limited support from colleagues or authoritarian supervision
- Violence, harassment, or bullying
- Discrimination and exclusion
- Unclear job role
- Under- or over-promotion
- Job insecurity, inadequate pay, or poor investment in career development
- Conflicting home/work demands
Do you identify with any of the items on this list? These stressors could be causing a mental and physical toll on your health. It’s critical to understand what’s causing your workplace stress or burnout so you can effectively manage and overcome it.
Don’t Suffer in Silence
If the stress is getting to be too much, talk to a manager, HR, or a trusted co-worker. You don’t want to suffer in silence. Take advantage of the employee resources available to you. Many companies have wellness initiatives like counseling, meditation, fitness centers, and memberships that can be helpful to you.
Take Time Away from Work
Perhaps your stress is the result of a lack of balance between your work and personal life. Don’t be afraid to take a break from work. Utilize your vacation or PTO days. You can use some of your time off to rest and reflect, allowing you to return to work refreshed and less stressed.
Prioritizing your health is critical to being a productive and engaged employee, so do your best to manage stress and achieve a healthy work-life balance.
What are some other effective ways to reduce workplace stress? Let us know in the comments section below!
