By Yazi Jepson
As a business owner, you carry the responsibility of taking care your employees. One of the biggest growing issues that face small businesses is work-related stress claims. It has been reported that employees seeking compensation over workplace-related stress has risen significantly over the years. That’s why it’s more important than ever that you are protected for these kinds of cases. Here are some proven ways to protect your business from these claims.
Get Worker’s Compensation
Worker’s compensation is an insurance policy that offers wages and medical benefits to employees that are injured due to the job. While it is often a necessity for physical jobs, many small business owners that operate in an office setting forego getting a policy as they see it as an unnecessary expense. What they need to realize is that worker’s compensation also protects you in stress-related issues which is indispensable.
If an employee is seeking a claim for stress at work, they can go through the process of documenting their problems to the insurance provider. With approval, employees will be able to get the compensation for treating their problem or for lost wages if they are not able to work for a while. This will give your business the financial cushion it needs in these kinds of situations.
Set Up Programs
Sometimes the solution is simpler than you think. Offices have done everything from scheduling meditation sessions, offering more frequent breaks, to offering gym memberships to their employees in order to reduce stress and increase productivity. Both meditation and physical activity has been proven to significantly reduce stress, so this a solution you should test in your office.
Another alternative would be to bring in a professional counselor or even a coach into your business to help work with the employees. Having somebody that can work with them one on one can make an immense difference in how your employees deal with and resolve the stressful aspects of their job.
Prevent Workplace Stress by Identifying the Problem Points
As a small business owner, you know how your business functions better than anyone else. That’s why you need to be aware of all the possible problems that may create stress in the work environment. Take a close look at what’s happening in your business and try to identify all the possible causes of workplace stress. This will help prevent stress before it even starts.
Ask yourself: Are there any glaring managerial problems that are making it hard for employees to get their work done effectively and efficiently? Are there any specific employees that are causing interpersonal conflict in your team? Is the workload that you’re asking for unreasonable? Take a look at all the possible problem points and talk with your employees about the most challenging aspects of their job to learn what’s working and what’s not working.
Change the Structure of the Business
If you go over the possible issues that may be causing workplace stress, you may find that the big issues lie with how your business is structured. For example, if you find that new employees are not given adequate resources to do their job. You’ll have to set up an onboarding program that gives them up to speed on the workflow of the environment as well as the proper technical training.
There are also little things that you can do to reduce stress. For example, if there’s a time of the year where the workload is increased significantly, you may want to allow some of the employees to work from home if it is possible. Changing the structure of your business and offering solutions to reduce stress will go a long way in reducing requests for compensation for stress at work.
In conclusion, stress can be a big deterrent to your business. Even if the work-related stress compensation claims aren’t hurting your business, it can still hurt the productivity of your business in a big way. By implementing a few simple solutions, you can prevent stress and create a positive environment for your employees.
Yazi Jepson is an inspired writer who researches and writes content for several companies, including Carter Capner, a progressive law firm specialized in work-related stress compensation. She loves to read, write, and learn over a cup of coffee. Yazi believes ‘learning and sharing’ has no end to it and this is what inspires her to continue learning something new and contributing good content.
