Stress is one of the biggest problems in modern society. It affects a huge number of people and it can affect them for the long-term. As an issue, it is well researched and documented, and is nothing new. Yet so many employers don’t know how to deal with it, and more importantly, how to stop it affecting the mental and physical health of their employees.
Leaving stress to continue can only lead to further problems, as that employee suffers from fatigue, irritability and then even depression. In fact, if depression is a result of the stress the employee is feeling, as an employer you could be looking at a whole host of quite serious problems.
The impact of stress
They say stress can kill people and this is not far from the truth. We are not going to shy away from the fact that stress can be debilitating, and can bring on physical complications as well as emotional and mental difficulties. At the very least, stress can make a person irritable and vulnerable to losing sleep, and therefore not being at their best at work.
Putting aside the fact that you have targets to meet as an employer and that you also have to deal with the revenue that your company needs, these are human beings. It would be wrong for us to think that we’re talking about stress in any other context then helping other people deal with a problem.
In a recent report for the charity Mind, it was found that 49% of managers saw it as being a problem in the workplace, but didn’t feel that it was a priority for them. While this is obviously unacceptable, to some extent it is understandable. Plenty of stress is hidden, because people naturally cope with it to a certain degree.
Also, if you’re trying to run a business or manage aspects of a business there is pressure on you all the time. It’s understandable that you may find it difficult to accept that stress is something you should be getting on top of.
Not a problem you can leave
However, stress will affect your workplace if it is not dealt with properly. Not only could you potentially lose a worker or lose their capability at least, you can also affect a person’s life.
As a business owner, it’s up to you to take charge and develop lines of communication with your employees. We’ll look at ways to do this in future blog posts. For now, just remember, much of stress can be hidden, And remember that people’s lives are affected here, not just the workplace.
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