April is National Stress Awareness Month and according to statistics work is one of the biggest causes of stress with 79% of people saying that they frequently feel stressed due to work. With this in mind Managing Director of HR consultancy Cream HR and firm believer that your employees are your biggest asset Anthony Sutton has some advice for businesses on how to help reduce work related stress.
Anthony says: “A recent study by the HSE found that stress, depression, and anxiety accounted for 17 million days lost work in 2021/22. With this in mind I feel it is vitally important that employers take care of their staff’s well-being and support them. And this shouldn’t be something we focus on for just one month of the year but should be an on-going concern.”
Top tips are:
- Firstly, where possible give your team some flexibility around how and when they work. Having little or no choice around when they work or how work gets done has been associated with poorer mental health. Even minor changes to employee autonomy can improve health.
- Make sure you have enough employees – long hours and taking on additional work can take a big toll on employees’ health and stress levels. Don’t let your team burn out.
- Be aware that each person’s needs may be different. For example, female workers with children may have different priorities to those without children or their male counterparts. Research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) shows that after the birth of a child, 13% of women leave work, even when they are the higher earner of the couple. Of women who continue to work, there is a significant reduction in working hours (a fall of 26% on average). In contrast we see little or no reduction in the paid hours of fathers – even where they earn less than their female partners before their child is born. This causes stress for both women and men – it shouldn’t be forgotten that many men may choose to work more flexibly once having a child but stereotypes of gender roles may prevent this.
- Encourage an open, compassionate, and understanding office culture, where people feel they can talk about not only their successes but also their struggles. Celebrate failure by seeing it as an opportunity for people to learn rather than a source of unnecessary anxiety. Create an environment where they know that they will be listened to and supported.
- Remember that support will look different for each person but some things to consider are offering a flexible working pattern, enhanced sick pay or even a sabbatical leave to allow people to take a break from work without having to leave all together.
Anthony is keen to practise what he preaches and continues: “At Cream HR I have introduced a 4-day working week for the whole team. They get the same pay, but their hours have been cut by 20 percent and it has been working really well. The team now have extra time to do what they like or need to do whether that be relaxing, spending time with family, attending appointments or getting their car fixed. It has really worked well for us and if anything, it has improved productivity and creativity. I also try and ensure that we have an environment where everybody is comfortable sharing their ideas and feels listened to. Not only listened to but actually heard and confident that their suggestions will be considered and taken onboard regardless of what their role is within the company.
“With 914,000 workers in 2021/22 in the UK reporting work related stress, depression and anxiety in the UK compared to 823,000 the previous year this is a real issue that needs to be addressed if people want to ensure they have a happy and healthy workforce”
www.creamhr.com
