Ask the Flexpert…Name some Techniques that Lower Employee Workplace Stress

7 Simple Tips to Lower Employee Stress

In these uncertain times, even effective organizations undergo stress and worry. Human Resource personnel play a critical role in monitoring employee stress levels and modeling effective behCharaciture of Flexpertaviors for the workforce. to maintain a culture that triggers less unease and tension for employees, improves resilience, boosts performance, and builds feelings of value for all members of work teams.

Signs of Employee Stress

Quarrelling workers, hassling managers, poor communicating peers who don’t reply, supervisors who are emailing while you’re talking to them… all these personnel are too harried to observe the basic tenets of respect and concern for their co-workers or subordinates.

You should be aware of these 7 techniques because they merit your attention for improving the tone in your workplace:

  1. Institute “zero-tolerance” guidelines against toxic or offensive talk.
  2. Foster behavior by managers who hear negativity to prompt employees that their good performance or interactions compensates for any small mistakes. Advise employees that it is acceptable and even desirable to attempt some outcome even if tit results in some honest errors.
  3. Inform your workers what they are doing well. A few times per week a distribute a positive quotation that motivates them or at least gets them thinking about positive actions. Blend in snippets of positive company or industry news or positive results by an employee. The idea is if people see something positive the first thing each day that sets a positive tone for the entire day.
  4. Encourage leaders to praise employees in front of their peers.
  5. Support bosses in recognizing each employees’ strengths, and then have them delegate projects that mirror each employee’s strengths. Build work groups whose members’ skills complement one another.
  6. Arrange for lunchtime speakers to educate employees about stress-management. Upload stress-reducing exercises to your internal website.
  7. Regularly recap for employees the value of their output to customers or other co-workers or to support the company’s goals.
Reduce Stress with a Staffing Agency’s Support

Flexicrew can help improve your work environment, reduce your anxiety and stress by assisting you with workforce planning and recruiting the quality talent that you need in this uncertain time.  Contact one of our workforce professionals Today!

Dealing with Anxiety in Today’s Turbulent Business

Okay, so besides the normal day-to-day hustle and immense stress of the work environment in the modern world, we have a pandemic to contend with and we don’t know for how long.

Unfortunately, dealing with anxiety has become somewhat of a normal part of work life for many individuals today. Although this problem is not necessarily a new phenomenon, there are certain aspects of modern times that have served to exacerbate the issue.

anxiety

Due to our being so connected through the internet, social media and other forms of media, workers today are not only exposed to the issues in their immediate work environment. Instead, we are shown all of the bad things taking place across the entire nation. Furthermore, we are expected to juggle so many more responsibilities at one time, all while being as productive as possible.

Although anxiety certainly varies in intensity and frequency from employee to employee, there are a few ways to deal with the problem that are beneficial for anyone experiencing this issue.

 

This article intends to discuss a few of these techniques in order to alleviate some of your anxiety, hopefully improving your performance and overall quality of life.

Live in the Moment

Although it may seem obvious when stated, the only point in time in which you will EVER exist is right now. Ironically, most of us dedicate the bulk of our mental energy into the past or future. Anxiety is great at causing us to replay past mistakes in our head and constantly worry about things that have yet to occur.

A big part of dealing with anxiety is to live in the moment. This means focusing all of your physical and mental energy on what is going on right now. Not only does this simplify things for you, it also allows you to get the most performance out of your limited time.

Trying to deal with your entire past and future on a constant basis makes it virtually impossible to appreciate what is right in front of you.

Control What You Can Control

The truth is, many of the issues causing anxiety in your life are beyond your control. This includes global and community issues as well as problems in your personal life.

What you need to realize is that the weight of the world is NOT on your shoulders, even though it can certainly seem like it at times. Anxiety tells you that you should be worried about solving problems that are way out of your hands.

In reality, focusing on-the-job issues that you actually have the ability work on and to resolve is a much healthier response to a problem-filled situation.

It’s Okay to Not Feel Okay

Another side effect of anxiety is a feeling of isolation. People experiencing anxiety on a routine basis tend to feel like they are the only employees dealing with this issue.

Because of this perspective, we often feel like everyone else is much happier than we are, like we won’t be accepted by associates if anyone else knew the extent of our anxiety. It is so important to realize that this is far from the truth.

Everyone on your team is experiencing some degree of anxiety or mental hang up. You are far from alone. Don’t feel like you have to perform your tasks acting as if everything is okay when it isn’t.

Get Help if You Need it

Finally, if your anxiety is something you are having trouble dealing with on your own, then don’t! There is absolutely nothing wrong with reaching out to HR and even seeking professional help for this issue. Ironically, our society welcomes getting help for even minor physical ailments but acts as if doing the same for a serious mental issue is taboo.

Consider this, if you had the flu, you would most certainly seek the appropriate doctor to take care of it. Why would you not seek a doctor that is medically trained in alleviating mental health issues if you are dealing with anxiety?

There is help out there, get it if you need it!

The Connection Between Acceptance and Resilience

The Oxford Dictionary defines resilience as being able to recover from a setback. The definition of acceptance is the willingness to receive.  Life and wellness coaches tie these two definitions together by also describing the lack of resilience as negative willfulness.  With negative willfulness on one end, the willingness of acceptance is what connects it to resilience.

Negative Willfulness

Psychologists have identified negative willfulness as the underlying reason for non-acceptance. Negative willfulness involves:

  • Laying Blame
  • Avoidant Coping
  • Maladaptive Coping

Negatively willful people often lay blame for their situation on other people or life or fate.  Instead of accepting their role in a situation and accepting responsibility for their actions, they blame their misfortunes on anything but themselves.  People who don’t accept their part in how their life is, are not resilient to life’s challenges and obstacles.

Because they can’t admit they have control over themselves and then work to make changes, they have much less resilience than someone who accepts that their life and achievements are within their control.

Because non-resilient people give control of their life’s outcomes to others, they often avoid doing the things that would help them to succeed.  This avoidant coping style may keep them from disappointment, but it also doesn’t allow them the opportunity to learn, grow, and change their lives.  Avoiding coping is seen when a person doesn’t feel they are worthy enough to try for a new job, a promotion, or any other goal they don’t believe they can reach.

Acceptance allows a person to engage in activities and makes them resilient when they face obstacles because they know they have the power to overcome them.

A person who engages in maladaptive coping may use alcohol or other drugs to lessen their hurt and pain.  Because they don’t accept their ability to change, they look for different, maladaptive ways to cope.  Maladaptive coping is the opposite of resilience, with acceptance being the critical difference in a person’s perception.

acceptance

Characteristics of Resilient Workers

Resilience is a positive, healthy way to react to stress. Life’s challenges place stress on people and those who are resilient:

  • Focus on Control
  • Take Action
  • See Acceptance as Strength

Negative willfulness allows control to move from the individual to outside forces or other people.  The willingness of acceptance focusses on what a person can control, namely themselves, and directs their energy toward their actions and reactions.  Resilient workers recover from a setback because they accept the power and responsibility to make changes and improve their situation.

Resilient employees take action when faced with an obstacle or challenge in their work.  They research, plan, learn, and adapt so they can overcome life’s difficulties.  Because they accept this responsibility, they are resilient in the face of adversity.  Negatively willful people may blame and complain, but they don’t take action needed to change their lives.

Most people are taught not to let others push them around or stand in the way of their success.  Accepting that other people are not always kind and helpful is seen as a weakness.  Allowing someone else to receive a promotion or succeed instead of your is also seen as being weak, less determined, or less worthy.

But business leaders and relationship counselors say that teamwork, togetherness, and acceptance have greater benefits than only looking out for yourself. Accepting other people’s contributions and praising their accomplishments isn’t a weakness; it’s the strength of resilience.

Negative willfulness can also lead to the belief that fighting against others or competing with them is strength.  When everything at work is a competition, acceptance of the times someone else achieves more appears weak.

This attitude doesn’t provide resilience when a worker doesn’t succeed. Instead, it excuses their failure and blames others.  Acceptance allows a worker to gracefully cope with their setbacks and use their resilience to grow stronger and achieve more in the future.

Need Assistance Hiring Resilient Workers

If you need some assistance in recruiting and hiring more resilient workers in this uncertain labor market, contact Flexicrew Today.