The month of April recognises stress awareness. According to (CIPD) estimates, stress accounts for 47% of short-term absences and 53% of long-term absences. The statistics become even more concerning when you consider that the average employee is missing 6.3 days per year, implying that stress, according to some estimates, costs the UK economy £6.5 billion each year.
Stress Awareness Month has been conducted every April since 1992 to promote awareness about the causes and treatments of stress.
What is stress?
Stress is a feeling of anxiety, tension, or worry generated by difficult conditions.
It is how our mind and body react when we feel frightened, pressured, or out of control, as well as the body’s response to stress chemicals like cortisol and adrenaline.
Weight gain, headaches, issues with memory, and hair loss are all examples of symptoms that can have emotional, mental, and physical consequences for the body.
The way we respond to, and handle stress can have a significant impact on our general well-being and health; if the body reacts badly to chronic stress, we may develop burnout.
How to reduce stress in the workplace?
Offer extra support
- Healthcare benefits
- EAP programmes – help support with wellbeing.
- Give them tools, resources, and guidance.
- Foster a positive workplace culture.
- Support with employee development
Recognise signs and symptoms
- Be irritable, angry and/or tearful.
- Feeling of worry, anxious or scared
- Overwhelmed feeling
- Headaches
- Skin reactions
- Feeling dizzy, sick, or faint.
Communicate with your staff
- Make sure employees are taking breaks during work.
- Return to work meetings.
- Keep track with workloads.
- Encourage your staff to discuss any concerns that they have with you.
If you are looking for any advice on how to support your employees with stress whilst at work, then please contact our Nockolds HR consultants on 0345 646 0406 or email enquiries@nockoldshr.co.uk.