Reducing workplace stress has become a top concern for many managers, as problems will eventually hurt the bottom line. A recent study from Metlife UK found that stress in the workplace is rising, as 57% of employees say their job is more stressful than a year ago.
Among the findings was that 52% say being understaffed is creating stress. Roughly the same percentage complained their colleagues can’t perform their jobs properly. Related to that, 40% say recruiting inexperienced staff contributes to stress.
That’s the bad news. Now take a deep breath and realize you can play an active role in finding solutions. You should have the motivation, as stressful conditions in the workplace can:
- Increase turnover
- Cause business values and best practices to be ignored
- Create a culture where departments and teams look out for themselves, as opposed to an organization’s well being
Let’s focus on some of the top complaints from the study and offer some actionable solutions:
Reducing Workplace Stress By Assessing Your Team
Have periodic meetings with your staff to gauge their performance, as it relates to their training. This is a smart move, as often employees inherit tasks over time and some of those may be on the edges of comfort zones or skill sets.
While additional training may carry an unexpected price, the investment may make sense if it reduces mistakes and improves retention.
Let’s say the meeting identifies a great employee who is perfectly trained for the job. Can you identify what’s led him or her to the success and can that process be shared with others?
Have a Hiring Process Timeline
Good employees may leave and you need to think strategically about how long it will take to hire a replacement. Today, hiring an outside candidate will likely take longer than expected, as low unemployment may limit your pool of applicants. Background checks and drug tests may also slow the hiring process.
It’s very likely you will be understaffed for several weeks. Take some time to think about those who are asked to pick up the slack. There’s a big difference between helping out for a few days, versus a few weeks or months. That’s where a lot of workplace stress develops.
Meet with those who are bridging the gap and see if there are reasonable ways to reduce their increased workloads during the hiring process. Some activities don’t have to be performed all the time but employees may not bring them up because they feel complaining about them will be seen as a sign of weakness. So they suffer in silence and employee stress goes up.
Does an Internal Hire Reduce Employee Stress?
An internal hire can help in that you’re promoting a known quantity and that person will likely be on the job faster than an outside candidate.
The key is making sure you don’t mistake familiarity for competence. A promotion may involve a jump in responsibilities and you need to make sure he or she has the skills to perform the tasks well.
While a learning curve is to be expected, have you identified the needed areas of growth and created a training plan?
Otherwise, you’re likely setting up the person for failure and creating stress for colleagues, who find themselves affected by mistakes or subpar performance.
Don’t Use Being Busy as an Excuse
Often for leaders, workplace stress is rooted in being busy. The rush to get a new employee on the job and fill a vacancy, can result in little time for training or the hiring of a candidate with potential but minimal experience.
Do you metaphorically want to build a home with a strong foundation or rush through construction and make lots of repairs later on? If you feel like you’re too busy to train new employees properly, you’re likely creating problems down the road.
Is your training process:
- Defined
- Consistent
- Repeatable
Also, you don’t want only one person able to train new employees, as that person might one day leave your business.
Yes, more robust training takes more time but consider it an investment that will pay off by reducing workplace stress.
