With the ever-increasing demands of jobs, the impacts on mental health and wellbeing and the costs associated with staff turnover, it makes good business sense to address stress in the workplace.

Workplace stress and fatigue can cause absenteeism. According to Heads Up Australia, one in five Australians (21%) has taken time off in the past 12 months because they felt stressed. In addition, leaders believe workplace stress leads to less productive employees. 71% of organisational leaders say businesses that value their employees' mental health are likely to have a more productive workforce. 

 

How to manage workplace stress

In order to manage workplace stress, everyone in your organisation should be aware of the signs and causes of stress. Here are five easy steps to effectively manage stress to ensure workplace health and safety:

 

1. Strengthen policy and leadership commitment 

Check policies and procedures support mental health and wellbeing and align with the organisation’s core values. Disclose senior-level endorsement by communicating to all staff regarding the organisation’s commitment to the well-being of its employees.

 

2. Assess your psychosocial risks

Gather information regarding the key risk factors or “stressors” for staff at your organisation by analysing the causes of any mental health issues, complaints, grievances and exit interview data. You can’t manage risks if you don’t know what they are.

Gather staff opinions about the challenges they face in their roles and in their interactions with others through pulse checks or employee engagement surveys.

 

3. Implement prevention and management initiatives 

Develop targeted interventions to address your risks, including workplace stress programs. For example, an increase in the number of mental health claims, which have arisen from staff being exposed to aggressive clients, may prompt the following:

  • review and improve escalation procedures
  • defusion training for all staff in dealing with difficult clients
  • introduction of an employee assistance program, which includes onsite debriefing.

 

4. Evaluate the effectiveness of your initiatives

Celebrate the successes of your initiatives and communicate these to staff to continue sending a positive message to employees regarding the importance of their mental health, wellbeing and safety.

 

5. Embed change in workplace culture 

Ensure any changes become part of the workplace culture and have support across all levels. They are more likely to stick if this approach is taken.

Remember, it's the employer’s responsibility to create a healthy and positive work environment. When done effectively, it can help prevent or minimise the feelings of stress arising in the first place. When stress impacts your employees, how you manage it will be the key to improving the well-being of your workforce and, in turn, productivity.