Chronic stress rates high on the agenda of many companies and it can feel overwhelming to have to deal with it.
But combatting chronic stress is not necessarily an impossible mission. Actually focusing on three areas can be enough to revert the trend and successfully combat stress in organizations.
1) Provide knowledge and tools about stress to the whole organization
One of the most important action to take to build stress resilience is to inform the whole organization about the positive but also the negative effects of stress. Whereas stress is a fantastic tool to help us perform and rise to the challenge in the short-term, a long-lasting stress response also called chronic stress can have negative consequences on our health.
Knowing about stress symptoms and how stress develops throughout time into chronic stress and burn out is a good way to learn when to react as an individual, colleague or manager and thereby prevent negative stress.
Moreover, providing all employees with efficient and hands-on tools to calm-down their nervous sytem, manage their thoughts and use their time more efficiently will help them relieve their stress.
2) Embrace openness and action
Widespread knowledge and tools are a prerequisite to manage stress but openness within the organisation is even more important.
Bringing awareness to the fact that everyone can be subject to stress in a moment in their lives and that it is okay, really helps moving the organization towards another level.
A level, where stress is not a taboo any longer, where it is acknowledged as something that can happen to everyone. A level, where stress is not feared and hold silent but where stress is simply addressed, delt with so it never develops into chronic stress or burn out.
3) Encourage and train “commited management”
Stress is most often not an individual problem, but the result of a combination of factors where our workplace has a big influence. Therefore a single loop understanding of stress is not enough to combat stress, and often leads to employees resigning from their position.
Stress is often the result of an unconscious unbalanced work culture, where there is a discrepancy between the workplace values and the facts. Thereby, management commitment to reduce stress is absolutely necessary to prevent chronic stress and burn-out.
Directors and leaders have a crucial role to play by the way they lead. Being a role model who is empowering, guiding and caring for your team is not only increasing motivation and meaningfulness, it is also measures that actually reduce your team’s stress. By connecting with others with calmness and understanding, we are releasing serotonin, creating the best prerequisite for learning, development and performance.
Preventive stress in the organisation by implementing the suggestions cited above is a win-win situation. It prevents sick-leave and costs related to it but more importantly it helps employees feel good, cared for and motivated and thereby set the frame for even more performing teams.
If it sounds intersting, get in touch. We would love to share with you ideas on how to implement these measures within your organization.