Stress at work is one of the leading causes of people being off sick. It is important to tackle the causes of stress in the workplace as stress at work can lead to problems for the individual, working relationships and the overall working environment. These issues may include lowered self-esteem and poor concentration skills for the employee. The employer may suffer from increased staff turnover and days lost due to sickness.
Whilst some stress is a normal part of working life and can in fact be positive, excessive stress can interfere with your productivity and reduce your physical and emotional health, so it’s important to find ways to keep it under control. When your own needs are taken care of, you’ll become stronger and more resilient to stress. The better you feel, the better equipped you’ll be to manage work stress without becoming overwhelmed.
When stress becomes enough of a problem to affect your ability to carry out your work or other day-to-day tasks, or to enjoy things you have previously liked, it can become a disability like any other mental health condition.
Fortunately, Xhilarate Office Massage can help to reduce overall stress levels and the stress you find in the workplace.
The Management Standards as defined by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) cover the primary sources of stress at work. These standards must be properly managed in order to improve employee health and wellbeing and reduce sickness absence:
- Demands– this includes issues such as workload, work patterns and the work environment.
- Control– how much say the person has in the way they do their work.
- Support– this includes the encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the organisation, line management and colleagues.
- Relationships– this includes promoting positive working to avoid conflict and dealing with unacceptable behaviour.
- Role– whether people understand their role within the organisation and whether the organisation ensures that they do not have conflicting roles.
- Change– how organisational change (large or small) is managed and communicated in the organisation.
Managing stress in the workplace is therefore an essential part of both individual and corporate responsibility.