Tips for creating a stress-free work environment

There are countless reasons why employees might feel stressed in the workplace.

“People are stressed at work due to the people and the tasks,” explained Dr. Olivia Rose, director of the Rose Health Clinic and medical advisor at Remedy Review. “This includes work colleagues, who may be difficult to get along with or who don’t pull their weight and challenging bosses. The demands and pressures are high. There’s competition and tight deadlines to adhere to, which all leads to stress.”

Thankfully, business owners and managers can mitigate some elements of employee stress consciously in several ways.

1. Create a safe work environment.

Dominic Harper, founder of Debt Bombshell, said a safe working environment isn’t just a place with top security equipment, such as closed-circuit television and access control systems. A safe environment should also extend to employees’ mental health.

Harper recommends using a “safe word” to give employees a tool to de-escalate a crisis. “Make sure employees have a safe word they can use to prevent chaos from escalating in the workplace,” Harper advised. “If an employee feels unsafe or is mentally stressed about something, they can [say] this safe word, so others will know that someone is feeling mentally unsafe.”

When a crisis is de-escalated and employees remain respectful of each others’ boundaries, it becomes easier to navigate a solution in a calmer environment.

2. Advocate for wellness.

An employee health and wellness plan incorporating healthy options and initiatives can help prevent fatigue, illness and workplace burnout while showing how much you care for your employees.

“Managers should advocate for workplace wellness,” recommended Dan Ni, CEO of Messaged Inc. “The environment is the top contributor to stress and should be revamped by managers.”

One component of workplace wellness is a reasonable paid time off policy, which reduces employee turnover and shows your team how much you value them. A remote work option can also be a part of a workplace wellness initiative if you have an engaged remote workforce.

“Remote work with flexible hours should be advocated as a viable option as it increases productivity and reduces worker pressure,” Ni noted.

Managers can also demonstrate and advocate for self-care in a physical sense…[MORE]