Managing stress in the workplace

Improving your emotional intelligence

Stress management: Part 1, Part 2

Stress in the workplace You were promoted or you set up your own company/business and suddenly, or over time, you may have found yourself in charge of a team of people. Stress management in the workplace and employee burn-out were probably the last thing on your mind.

You felt great! You could do the job, run your own company, expand your business, manage that team, even if you felt apprehensive at first.

You became familiar with the systems and processes, if you weren't already.

So, when someone knocked on your door to ask for advice, that felt good. Until perhaps you realised what was actually expected of you.

I have on my site a number of articles with information on communication skills. Reading these and those on depression, stress, anger and many others will help to increase your emotional intelligence. The information will help to equip you to provide for this aspect of 'duty of care' - great, particularly if you have struggled dealing with employee burn-out, 'nervous breakdowns' and depression in the past.

If you have not 'struggled' with employee burn-out, have never given it a thought, could not care less, just read this article - in case you are turning into another Ralph or the results of a Canadian study, so that you appreciated how much sickness absences is due to mental health problems. Of course you could have landed on this page, because you do care. Great! Happy workers are more likely to make happy partners and more considerate parents, friends, carers, etc - you name it. Your care will create a ripple effect of positive energy. I know - I work for a large organisation.

You may also be interested in: Interpreting body language.

Stress management in the workplace

I suspect it did not take long for you to realise that your qualifications and the fact that you had been judged/or judged yourself suitable for the role, had not prepared you for dealing with 'people problems' and managing their stress (let alone your own!).

Workplace stress management That person knocking on your door, asking if they could speak to you, may not have wanted to discuss their workload, colleagues, systems and processes.

They sat down and, probably without much of a warning, burst into tears (yes ... men too!). You may even have had to deal with this during a staff/performance appraisal.

Suddenly you are confronted with a story about what a partner/spouse or boy/girlfriend is doing, what a wayward teenager has been up to, how a visit to the doctor or specialist suddenly changed a life, how their depression is getting the better of them, or worries about heading for a nervous breakdown. (See: Causes of stress)

If your employees do actually break down in your office, you are actually doing well - even if you feel out of your depth. If your employees never present themselves with their personal problems, you need to worry - they are more likely to ring in sick, feel miserable at work, are less positive and/or productive.*)

Read on for the essential background information and then turn to part 2 of stress management in the workplace for the detail on how to deal with the issues, including dealing with staff with suicidal ideation. To further improve your emotional intelligence, you will also find the information on body language signs and advanced listening skills helpful.

Questions about hypnosis? See: Hypnosis online FAQ.

Where do you go from there?

You may be well aware that life throws 'stuff' at us. However, you may not necessarily have been prepared to handle your personnel's issues.

Another scenario is that you have arrived at a department and, unbeknown to you, you have some 'difficult' people on your team - or so you are told, nudge nudge ...

All in all - managing stress in the workplace is a skill that can mostly be learned - at least some of it. If you know that you are 'lousy' at people's skills, then do yourself and your employees a favour - appoint someone who is an expert.

Managing people with stress and depression

Dealing with 'life'

Your team members/employees maybe dealing with some difficult issues in their lives, which doesn't particularly make them 'bound into the office' in the morning. However, give them a few months, whilst they are dealing with whatever has affected them, and they are back to their old selves again.

Depression

You may have the odd person (or two, or ...) on your team, who perhaps is on antidepressants, perhaps long term. They may even talk about 'their' depression. Perhaps they have a tendency to see a glass half-full. Depression can fall under 'severe mental health problems'.

(Personally, as a professional counsellor, I think it is worrying if someone is on antidepressants if they have not been given/or taken an opportunity to discover other ways of getting well again.)

If someone, who is normally the life and soul of the office, suddenly becomes quiet and withdrawn, it may be a warning sign of depression. Don't panic though - ensure extra attention, if appreciated.

Read my pages on depression to increase your own emotional intelligence. Your knowledge and understanding will make you more approachable and better able to deal with your employee appropriately. Believe me - it will make a huge difference when it comes to keeping them at work and remaining a productive member of your team.

Anxiety

You may also have someone, who is normally happy-go-lucky. However, all of a sudden, their productivity has gone down, they are not talking much, their sick leave has gone up and they may seem generally anxious. You are left wondering what is up and how you are going to handle that.

Then there are people who have 'trait anxiety' - a genetic pre-disposition to be anxious about all sorts. They need lots of reassurance, even to the extend that you and their colleagues get 'fed up' with constantly having to acknowledge that they are doing OK. Or, thinking how on earth you can tell them that they need to do better, without it turning into a major drama. However, in the right role, they can make an enormous contribution to your team or company - they figure out what can go wrong!

'Nervous breakdown'

You can also see an employee or team member slowly 'go downhill'. Bit-by-bit life seems to become more difficult for him/her. If they have problems at home, be that relationship problems or other, you can expect problems at work. Part of your role with regards to stress management in the workplace, is to offer support. This is absolutely vital particularly in this situation. The right actions can prevent long term absenteeism due to an employee having a 'nervous breakdown'.

When someone presents with a mental breakdown, it may be the result of work-related stress too. Employee burn-out, caused by the pressures put on someone in your name, could get you into trouble under health and safety law. You have a duty of care for your employees. However, it makes moral and economical sense to look after your staff - they are the most valuable resource you have! Make it your business that your employees don't suffer from burn-out - there is much that you can do.

Fine-tune your relationship and lift your spirits!

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You may also be interested in:
Problem solving strategies Problem solving techniques How to deal with criticism Signs of a nervous breakdown Signs of depression Anger management tips