As I sit here, reflecting on April being ‘Stress Awareness’ month, I wonder what benefits the month has brought to employees across the country and whether it has really increased their knowledge of the subject not only as an individual navigating life, but also as an employee working for an organisation that has a ‘duty of care’ to them and their wellbeing.
The situation at work
If I consider situations relating to ‘stress’ that I have been involved in (in a HR capacity) over the last 12 months, it seems that the majority of people are aware of stress, however understanding stress, anxiety, pressure, motivation and the relationship between them all is another thing. It’s complicated!
Throw into the mix people’s differing opinions on what causes stress, what levels are acceptable when it comes to ‘the job’ and whether you should be able to ‘just get on with it’ and it’s no wonder that some employers hope that if they simply ‘put up a poster’ on the subject then that will be sufficient when it comes to dealing with it.
From an employee’s point of view, understanding what you are feeling, whilst undertaking certain parts of your job description can also be misunderstood.
For example, my job description says part of my role is to write blogs.
I know I have a deadline to hit for the blog and I’m working towards it…. so am I motivated, am I under pressure or am I both? I enjoy writing blogs so I believe I am motivated however my colleague constantly reminds me that I have a deadline to hit – are they being helpful or are they making me feel stressed? They tell me ‘I hope it’s going to be a good one’ – am I now stressed or am I feeling anxious??
I get the blog completed on time – the external deadline ‘pressure’ is gone and I feel ‘happy’ and no longer ‘stressed’, but I wonder if people will think it’s any good and I worry that not everyone will agree with my content. Am I anxious? Should I be concerned about what others think?
Stress and Anxiety
Stress is a feeling. If it is primarily a short term, physical response to a situation (it can be referenced as the fight or flight mode response) then it should pass, once the situation has passed – such as hitting a deadline. It can be a positive, focusing an individuals efforts for completion of a task, however if anyone ever tells me they are stressed, then it is almost always meant in a negative way.
I see Fit Notes being presented with the reason for sign off as ‘work related stress’ generally indicating that the demands on the individual exceed their ability to cope. This can be due to a number of different reasons; heavy workload, lack of clarity in expectations, tight deadlines and so on however if stress passes when the situation passes, is the best way to deal with this by sitting down with the Manager or a HR representative to look at how to resolve this rather than being away from work concerned about the ‘work related’ issues being there when the individual comes back in?
Is this word thrown around too freely without any true understanding?
Anxiety however is an emotion. Internal and persistent. At work, it can be due to an ongoing worry or nervousness about job performance, job security or even people interactions. If stress is persistent and feels uncontrollable then this constant pressure can trigger anxiety. Coping strategies can help and working on ways to reduce anxiety in the workplace should be a focus however doing so often requires the involvement of the Manager or business itself and getting that support is key.
Ultimately, it comes down to clarifying with the individual themselves, what they are experiencing and how they are feeling. Questioning to establish such things as, is this something that is a short term response, nerves, or an ongoing internal fear.
There is definitely no ‘one size fits all’ approach for a business; this is a complex subject. However the key has to be talking and ensuring these conversations are open and honest.
At the recruitment stage, talk thoroughly through the job description and ensure that it is fully understood. Talk about the expectations of the Manager, the business AND the employee.
During onboarding, ensure the employee receives good quality training, understands the focus of the business, where they and their role fit in to this and why they are important. Ask them if they have any concerns.
Motivate, set clear objectives, manageable workloads, realistic timescales and give the employee regular 1:1 time to talk with the Manager. Not to simply be talked ‘at’.
If you see a change in an individual, whether that be cognitive, emotional, physical or behavioural then instigate a conversation. Everyone has off days, however an ongoing change often highlights an underlying issue.
This area of wellbeing continues to grow and as an organisation, if you have high turnover of staff, high levels of sickness, individuals not taking all of their annual leave, working long hours or a sullen environment then this may well be an area that needs reviewing.
Far too often, rather than talking to the team, really listening and taking positive action, I hear the words ‘well we did put a poster up’.
If you want further information on how RBC can help you with Employee Wellbeing, get in touch with Julie by emailing Julie.hughes@ruthbadger.com or drop us a message.