Stress is one of those things in life that you can’t escape. It is genuinely everywhere and can come from the tiniest things. Picture yourself getting stuck in a traffic jam on your way to work; it’s hard not to get stressed out at the idea of arriving late. Or maybe you’re supposed to hold a conference, and you’re feeling nervous about getting your presentation ready on time?
Whatever the reason, stress can’t be avoided, especially in the workplace. There is no denying that feeling under pressure is a commonly shared emotion that can have disastrous consequences. Employees often explain that they’ve quit a job because it was too stressful, for instance. Even when they choose to stay, stress can impact negatively on your productivity and performance, sometimes even drive you to the wrong decisions. Most commonly, stress in the workplace relates to lack of time, personal issues, or dealing with difficult individuals. As a result, while you can’t control stress, you can certainly try to manage the main causes for it.
Don’t Struggle For Time Anymore
Most people get stressed out when they feel that they are running out of time. Time management is indeed one of the most important soft skills in an office. You’d be surprised to know that most employees are not sure where their time goes. This is a common issue, especially if your office has a policy of free interruptions – which means when it’s fine for an employee to interrupt someone else’s work to ask for advice or help, with no regard for the other person’s occupation.
Distraction is another common cause for lacking time. You sit at your desk and promise yourself to finish that report in the morning, but when the lunch break comes, you realize that you’ve spent the last hours checking your former colleagues on Linkedin. Oops. Staying focused at the office means that you will gain a better control of your time. So be honest with yourself and write down what your time is dedicated to when you work, so that you can better understand where you’re wasting precious hours.
Don’t Ignore The Importance Of Personal Issues
Your employees are people with a private life. They can find it difficult to remain focused on their work when they are struggling with personal issues, whether these are health, relationship or even finance-related. It is the role of the business manager to offer a program of assistance to those who need it.
As it can be difficult to deal with emotional issues without training, most companies choose to partner with trained counselors, such as the team from EAP – Employee Assistance Program. This allows the employees to have an open conversation with someone who isn’t going to judge them in the workplace. Other companies also prefer to rely on a psychologist advisor who can be part of the HR team.
Don’t Keep The Bad Eggs
Stressful clients who call at the last minute for urgent projects, or who are constantly abusive, are a waste of your time. Difficult clients are not new. But they can be time-demanding and can cause a lot of stress. The solution: Get rid of them. Naturally, before you fire a client, you need to analyze the situation objectively, to ensure that you can explain why you don’t want to work with them. You can choose to discuss these points with them and give them a chance to change their behavior. If nothing happens, you can send a polite firing letter, explaining that you will share all details with their new provider.