A stressful work environment is an unproductive work environment. Help your employees battle stress with these tips to boost productivity.

How to Help Your Employees Battle Stress

A stressful work environment is an unproductive work environment. At least, it’s not nearly as productive as it could be if employees were working with clear heads and less anxiety. You might think stress is a part of work life – many corporations seem to think so. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Companies all over the world are helping their employees reduce stress, improve morale, and become more productive. And you can help your employees do the same. Today, we’ll talk about a few good ways you can help your employees battle stress.

Improve the Work Environment

The work environment can either add to your employees’ stress level or calm it down. So, aim to create a healthy work environment where your employees can thrive. Here are a few tips to improve the work environment and reduce stress:

• Have a “chill out” or “meditation” room where employees can go for 15-20 minutes to relax when they’re feeling overwhelmed by stress.
• Encourage employees to clean and organize their desks. We all know the stressful feeling of having a messy desk when you’re trying to get quality work done.
• Get some plants for the office – this has been shown to reduce stress, decrease humanity, and increase positive feelings throughout the environment.
• Add standing desks where employees can work from when they want a break from sitting down.

There are plenty of ways to improve your work environment. Try a few of these, and you’ll notice immediate changes to the look and feel of your office. Your employees are sure to notice and appreciate it.

Offer Remote Work Days

The act of actually coming to the office can be stressful even if there’s not heavy traffic on the commute. Then, sitting in the office for 8-10 hours a day every day can add a whole other element of stress. So, what if you designate one day a week as a remote work day, where employees can work from wherever they want? It can help them reduce stress, and also make them more productive. According to a Canada Life Survey, remote workers rank their productivity more than 10% higher than office workers. They don’t have the distractions that an office brings, nor the stress of a commute.

Create an Open Door Policy

Your employees want to feel heard – and when they don’t feel like they can be heard, it’s a huge source of stress. Small problems spiral out of control, stress builds up, and workers feel like they can’t share what’s on their mind or express their opinions. So, make it clear that you have an open-door policy. Tell your employees they can share those views and talk with you without being criticized or judged.

Encourage Teamwork

We’re social creatures – we like to work together and communicate with each other. So, encourage teamwork and provide your employees with structured opportunities to work together. This will help generate new ideas, build morale, and reduce stress. Just make sure that each team member has a specific responsibility. That way, everybody is accountable, and no one team member is stuck with the brunt of the work.

Have Out-of-Work Activities

Organizing activities outside of the workplace can be a fun way to reduce stress and make your team more cohesive. These activities can span from early morning yoga and basketball to after-work dinners and drinks. Try and schedule a fun out-of-work activity at least once or twice every month. This will give employees something to look forward to, and also make them more comfortable and connected with each other.

Reduce Multitasking and Distractions

Multitasking is one of the biggest causes of stress in the work environment. It cuts into productivity and makes it hard to focus. Encourage your employees to work on one task at a time, and try to reduce the distractions they face on a daily basis. For example, you could bring in a virtual receptionist to cut down on the amount of time that your employees need to spend answering the phone.

Help Keep Your Team Stress free

Overstressed employees are less productive, less happy, and make less effective decisions. But stress doesn’t have to be a regular part of the workplace. With the strategies listed here, you can help your employees battle stress and create a better work environment.