Stress is at an all-time high globally in this Covid age, and the UK workplace is no exception. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) work, related stress accounted for over half (55%) of all working days lost to ill health in the last year (17.9 million). In the last 12 months, over 828,000 people reported suffering from stress, depression or anxiety, caused or made worse by work, which is a significant increase on the previous period.  

With many individuals working from home offices, remote workers are putting in longer hours while they juggle other responsibilities such as home-schooling, managing a household, personal relationships and/or caring for older relatives. The boundaries easily become blurred and it’s easy for people to feel a lack of control in both environments. This results in a lack of efficacy overall, which adds enormously to the general stress of everyday demands.  

Causes of work-related stress

The Health and Safety Executive reports there are 6 main areas that lead employees to experience work-related stress:

• Demands - An excessive workload with unrealistic deadlines resulting in feelings of not being able to cope

• Control - Not feeling like they have control over how they complete their work, being micro-managed and made to feel incompetent

• Support - Feeling that they do not receive enough information or support from managers, being overlooked and not given the right resources, or even being blamed by others not willing to own up to mistakes

• Relationships - A lack of strong relationships at work and feeling like they don’t get on with colleagues or managers. Bullying and harassment is a very real issue that always needs immediate action

• Role - A lack of information and understanding about their role and responsibilities within the business, lack of training and guidance

• Change – Being uninformed about changes within the business, a lack of communication about current and future plans resulting in disengagement

To prevent chronic stress from becoming burnout, managers can help their staff by providing careful consideration and empathy and providing the resources and support they need to do their job well. 

Communication: the remedy for work-related stress

The good news is that in nearly all of these scenarios, good communication can remedy many issues. Unfortunately, when it comes to stress and mental health, the truth is that employers are not actively communicating because stigma is still present and it is too often the elephant in the room. Just 13% of employees feel able to disclose a mental health issue. This needs to change. It is essential these conversations are braved early and regularly, so solutions can be developed. 

The way to do this is to have open doors and open ears.

HelpGuide, in collaboration with Harvard Health Publications and the team at 87%, have produced key communication advice for tackling the 6 areas mentioned above:

1 - Consult and talk with your employees

• Talk to them about the specific factors that make their work stressful. Some things may be relatively straightforward to address

• Communicate with your employees one-on-one. Listening attentively will make an employee feel heard and understood, and help to lower their stress and yours, even if you’re unable to change the situation

• Give employees opportunities to participate in decisions that affect their jobs

• Be sure the workload is suited to employees’ abilities and resources; avoid unrealistic deadlines

• Get employee input on working practices when possible. If they’re involved in the process, they’ll be more committed

• Address workplace conflicts in a positive way

• Offer stress management training and model recommended behaviours and strategies

2 - Clarify roles, goals and expectations

• Share information with employees to reduce uncertainty about their jobs and futures

• Clearly define employees’ roles, responsibilities, and goals

• Make management actions fair and consistent with organisational values

• Provide training and support to match skills and knowledge with the role

3 - Offer rewards and incentives

• Praise good work performance verbally and organisation-wide

• Respect the dignity of each employee; establish a zero-tolerance policy for harassment

• Show that individual workers are valued and appreciated and that job stress is taken seriously

• Schedule potentially stressful periods followed by periods of fewer tight deadlines

A focus on these 3 strategies will help to ensure that doors and ears are always open, helping staff manage their stress in healthier ways. Employers shouldn’t wait for staff to approach them; they need to encourage staff to talk about their mental health and be proactive to those who are less likely, or who feel unable, to reach out and ask for help.  

It is essential to provide a culture and environment where people feel supported and free to express what’s on their mind without fear of persecution or jeopardy. Managers need to be approachable and above all trustworthy and respectful to the way people feel. 

If you’d like to learn more about psychological safety at work, don’t hesitate to book a consultancy session with us.

Helpful resources for employers who wish to support their staff

There are many resources out there that advise what steps to take in supporting staff: 

The Talking Toolkit: preventing work-related stress.

A government HSE resource, this is a valuable tool for opening up communication and giving employees the chance to express their thoughts and feelings. However, consideration to ‘how’ this is done is important, as any form-filling exercise can turn into a one-sided power dynamic with the employee saying what they think the employer wants to hear, rather than their truth.

The government commissioned Lord Stevenson and Paul Farmer to review the role of employers supporting individuals with mental health conditions. Their ‘Thriving at Work’ report sets out ‘Core Standards’ that the reviewers recommend employers of all sizes can and should put in place.

Mind’s free Wellness Action Plans are an easy, practical way of helping people to support their own mental health at work.

Public Health England, in partnership with Business in the Community, have created the ‘mental health’ toolkit for employers’, with ideas on how to talk about mental health in the workplace.

Heads Together and Mind’s website brings together resources, training, information and tools to make workplace wellbeing a priority.

Acas advice – Bullying and harassment at work: a guide for managers and employers.