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A feeling of emotional or physical tension
Stress is a part of life, but too much can lead to negative consequences. For example, deadlines, workloads, and co-workers could cause stress at work. Employers and employees need to understand the stress the risk can pose to health and safety in the workplace.
Veteran Business Transformation Expert cum Astro Strategist Hirav Shah says, “An employer should monitor their workers’ high levels of stress and offer solutions such as counseling or personal time off. Employees should realize that they deserve a balance between work and home life since both are equally essential parts of their lives that will ultimately affect performance on the job. You can learn the correct way to handle such situations through effective training in the workplace conducted by experienced companies who provide such consultations.“
Highly stressed workers can harm the business
- It can affect the quality of work, which will reflect poorly on the business.
- It can lower morale and increase employee turnover rates.
Shah adds, “Employees should be aware that they have options available to them to help with stress management. For example, an employer could offer flexible hours or vacation time for employees who need it to take care of personal issues at home.“
If you think that you or someone you know is going through a high-stress situation at the workplace, here are some tips from Hirav Shah on handling it.
Tips to Handle high-stress situation
Support System
Make sure you have a great support system—this could be your boss, co-workers, or friends.
Having a good support group, whether friends, co-workers, or even an understanding boss, can make a world of difference when dealing with stress.
The following are some examples of stressful situations that an employee may be going through:
- Divorce or marital issues at home.
- Injury, illness, or death in the family.
- Lack of childcare coverage if needed during work hours.
- Harassment or bullying in the workplace.
As you can see, there is a wide range of scenarios where someone could find themselves stressed out and overwhelmed by what is going on around them, whether personal or official. Sometimes co-workers may be the best people to talk over an issue since they will better understand what you are going through.
Take breaks
Take breaks when required and give yourself time to decompress outside the office.
When we feel like life is falling apart, it is easy to forget about ourselves as well as those who rely on us. Making sure you take some time out for yourself every day will help keep stress levels under control and allow you to focus better when work resumes again. Taking a break and talking things out with a trusted friend or family member can help.
Taking time to relax and de-stress is important for everyone, but especially for those who experience high levels of stress on the job. This might mean taking some extra vacation time if you need it, either when work becomes overwhelming or at another point when they feel like their current amount is not enough. It is always better to ask than assume your employer will be okay with it (and plan ahead in case they say no).
Align with your feelings
Get in touch with your feelings—it is significant to know what’s going on inside of you.
Getting in touch with your feelings through counseling activities or other means can help. Practice deep listening of your thoughts and talking through what is going on with someone else or writing down your thoughts and feelings in a journal are both great ways to get everything out,
so you don’t keep it bottled up inside yourself, which could lead to stress-related health issues like depression. Plus, talking about your emotions is healthy for the soul.
Deal with plan
Create a plan for how to deal with stress before it happens
For employers, it is significant to create a plan of action about how to deal with employees who are under high stress. For example, if your employee is showing signs of depression, you should allow them time off to deal with it and possibly see a therapist or counselor. If the situation isn’t that serious, then maybe all they need is some time away from work for recuperation purposes; either way, there are many ways in which employers can help their employees come back refreshed after dealing with stressful situations at work. One thing that research shows us about how to handle workplace stress is not only significant to an employer, but also extremely useful for workers themselves.
Watch for stress signs
Keep an eye out for any signs that someone is being bullied or harassed at work.
Workplace bullying and harassment are very real and very serious. If you are being bullied or harassed at work, it is extremely important that action is taken to stop this from happening as quickly as possible. Even if the situation is not too dire, something should still be done about workplace bullying and harassment because these things can lead to other problems such as depression and anxiety. Not only does workplace bullying need to come under control, but employers also have a duty of care towards their employees, so they should do everything in their power to make sure all workers feel safe while working on site.
Report ASAP
Report anything suspicious immediately so everyone can feel safe and secure at their job
Any suspicious behavior by fellow staff members or by any other people should be reported as soon as possible. This is important because it can stop a potentially dangerous situation from getting even more serious and resolve the issue before anything bad happens at work.
Final Word
Hirav Shah concludes by saying, “Workplace stress can be a real problem for the company as well as the employee, and something should be done about it as soon as possible. Poor workplace safety can affect both the employees and employers in many ways, which is why it is important to make sure everyone feels safe at work.“
