employer

By Raymond Chiu

Stress is an unfortunate consequence of people living their lives. Although they make people stronger when dealt with in a healthy way, too much stress can be a detriment to one’s health as well.

Many symptoms show stress in a person. You may see a decrease in energy levels, frequent headaches, a lack of or an increase in appetite, insomnia, and many more.

If a person has work stress, it can lower work quality and motivation. Thus, it is crucial that employers find ways to reduce stress for their employees. There are many ways to achieve this.

Promote work-life balance

Promote work-life balance amongst workers by encouraging employees to take breaks. Aside from short breaks in the middle of a workday, encourage them to use their vacation days.

Encouraging people to know when to work and to rest does a great job in promoting work-life balance.

Don’t hold back on praise for jobs well done

Getting feedback is always intimidating. Thus, it is essential to be proper when giving feedback to workers.

Praise your workers publicly so others can see what a good job entails. On that note, give negative feedback privately so that you don’t embarrass your employee in front of their peers.

Keep an open line of communication with employees

As a leader in the workplace, there is no such thing as a stupid question. Thus, you have to be open to communicating with your employees.

When you do this, your employees are less likely to make mistakes. With fewer mistakes come less stress for your employees, so encourage open communication between you and your employees for a stress-free environment.

Allow work in flexi-time shifts or remotely

Sometimes, stress comes from external factors outside of work. With instances like these, flexi-time shifts work well in addressing these external stressors.

In this age, it is easier to keep track of productivity online. Thus, employees need not be in the office physically to do a good job. Do this and watch employee satisfaction rise significantly.

Introduce wellness programs in the office

Wellness programs are programs that help take care of the physical and mental health of employees. With these in place, you create solutions to help prevent the onset of stress.

You can set up a gym or promote Thursday night yoga classes. There are many options to choose from. Just do your research on which one you prefer and set this up correctly to get it going.

Invest in improving the work surroundings

The work environment massively affects the stress levels of your employees. A dirtier workplace lessens productivity, lowers focus, and makes people sicker.

To prevent all these from happening, always keep the office neat and tidy. Hire professional office cleaners. Tidy up after each task.

All these little steps contribute to fostering an engaging work environment that helps prevent stress.

Engage with your employees as much as possible

Don’t keep yourself closed off away from your employees. When you are more engaged with your workers, this will result in higher productivity, lower turnover rates, and higher job satisfaction.

Invest in your employees as they are the ones making your business move. Start with simple day-to-day conversations to engage them.

Resolve workplace conflicts in a positive approach

Any conflict can weigh heavily on people’s minds. Thus, as the employer, one has to take charge of resolving any conflicts.

Although you shouldn’t fight people’s battles for them, it is crucial that you mediate between them and help people reach a solution. Do not encourage blame-throwing and resolve conflicts through solutions instead.

Promote and praise teamwork

Aside from praising individuals, do praise an entire team for a job well done. When employees know that they work well with their coworkers, they will have an easier time in the workplace.

There will be fewer instances of work conflicts, and you will improve synergy between employees.

Provide training and continuing education for your employees

Train and educate employees taking on a job to abate their worries beforehand. Whether they be new or promoted employees, it is essential that you guide them.

Nobody wants to feel like they aren’t doing right by their work so an employer should give them the chance to know what’s wrong and what’s right through training.

Wrapping it up

Many factors in the workplace can help contribute to stress. From dealing with coworkers to the workload, all of these can be a source of stress for your workers.

With the right mindset, a good employer can make these a source of delight instead. Take the right steps to reduce and prevent workplace stress, and you will make the workplace a great and productive environment not only for you but for your employees as well.

Raymond Chiu is the Director of Operations for Maid Sailors Office Cleaning, the leading office cleaning services in New York City. Maid Sailors take pride in providing outstanding office cleaning services at affordable prices.

Employer stock photo by marvent/Shutterstock