7 Ways To Cut Employee Stress And Boost Productivity Employee stress is a growing issue. For almost all employees. At nearly every company. Stress occurs naturally in the workplace. And if left unchecked, it can wreak a great havoc on employee productivity and health. Also, stress has been associated with various physical problems such as high blood pressure, weakened immune system, hair loss, stomach aches and headaches. It causes some major problems with teamwork and concentration—and ultimately productivity. So what needs to be done? What steps can you take to fight stress at work and avoid all the negative consequences? The answer is simple, address the issue head on. Lessen the impact of stress at workplace by following any of these 7 workplace stress busters. 1. Walking Meetings As we all know, exercise is an age-old stress buster and it really helps in fighting stress at workplace. Organize groups and take short walks all through the day at work. You might have one group that fights the afternoon slump with a walk around the block or a maybe group that heads out for a stroll over the lunch hour. Regardless of where, when, or how long, giving employees the option to take a short walk through the workday can be a wonderful break, as well as the exercise boost they require. 2. Decaf Yourself Caffeine can be a natural anxiety booster. It gets the emotions and energy flowing and can really grow stress. Generally, most of the people a little caffeine in the morning to get them going, but after lunch, it isn’t usually essential. Switching your break room coffee pot to decaffeinated coffee in the afternoon. Following this way, you aren’t adding any caffeine into your already potentially stressful situations— which is like summing gasoline to a fire. 3. Open Door Communication You’d be surprised to know the amount of stress that arises from a lack of communication. A lot of people aren’t stressed by the work they’re accomplishing, but by the uncertainty concerning the project as a whole—or by the work of those they’re partnering with. Supporting employees to approach their leadership teams and supervisors with concerns and questions help to ease that uncertainty. Also, it provides an effective method for voicing frustrations as well as getting questions answered. 4. Bright Aesthetics It might seem trivial, but the way you decorate the office can greatly impact employee stress. Brighten up the entire floor with natural colors and light provides a lot of positivity. You can also allow employees to set up, decorate, organize, and even paint their own workstations. The more they personalized their space, the more comfortable they’ll feel at work.
5. Flexible Schedule Two enormous sources of stress at workplace are the lack of control over daily tasks and work-life balance. Empowering employees to set their own schedules addressed both of those common stressors. When employees are given the opportunity to choose their schedules, they’ll set a schedule that balances with their personal lives. For example, dropping kids off at 8 a.m.? Work day starts at 8:15. No problem. 6. Snacking Healthy ‘Hangry’ employees cause stress—to themselves as well as to their coworkers. On the same note, employees who snack on sugar-loaded or greasy foods are most likely to crash and burn in the energy department. A simple solution? Healthy snacking. By offering healthy snacks at workplace—or by simply educating and encouraging employees about healthy snacking—can really help employees in getting a healthy energy boost. Healthy snacks fuel up the body without causing any harm down the road. 7. Up With Technology It can be really expensive up front, but certain things like speedy internet connection, updated gadgets, and tools, as well as reliable software services, are very important. Technology is undoubtedly our greatest friend but if not dealt properly it can also turn into our greatest enemy—and an immense cause of stress at workplace. It will be completely worth it to put the money and time to have technology that works for you and your employees, rather of the other way around. Source: http://www.truworthwellness.com/blog/7-ways-to-cut-employee-stress-and-boostproductivity.html