Just about every job, in just about every industry, comes with a certain degree of stress. However, there are a lot of things that business owners can do to make sure that the people they manage do not suffer unnecessarily when it comes to pressure and its effects.
Among the things that managers and business owners can do to ensure that their staff are not subjected to too much stress are firstly protecting staff from undue pressure from stakeholders and clients (for example, by setting realistic expectations around when projects will be completed), making sure that workloads are managed effectively, and providing support and a good framework for staff who do feel that they are under too much stress.
By doing this, companies will almost always see the following benefits.
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Better Staff Retention
One of the things that can give a business a competitive advantage over its rivals is its ability to attract and retain the best talent. Staff who feel that they are well supported and do not feel that their managers place them under too much pressure, or expect them to do the impossible, tend to be less likely to seek employment elsewhere. Due to the cost of recruiting staff, being able to project that your stuff will stay with your company for a reasonable amount of time can be a big boon to any business.
Increased Productivity
It has been reported in a lot of news and medical journals, such as Capital OTC, that stress can be responsible for many lost man-days every single year, at a cost of billions to enterprises. Stress-related illnesses can be long or short-term and can create problems within the workplace when they require staff to take time off sick. Stress-related health issues can even lead to lawsuits if the person affected feels that the company they work for is responsible for the serious health negatives they have experienced during their employment.
When you reduce the stress in your workplace you should see attendance and productivity rise, and this can only be a good thing when it comes to delivering to your clients.
A Better Working Culture
A third benefit to having a workplace that prides itself on keeping stress levels down for its personnel is higher worker morale. When people feel that they are listened to by management and can approach the owner or their own line manager should they be experiencing problems as a result of stress or pressure, they tend to feel like an important part of the company and enjoy their working experience more. This fosters a healthy and pleasant working environment, which is also welcoming to new people brought on board as the company expands.
Do you feel that your company currently does enough to prevent workplace stress? If not, how can you go about changing things so that your team can feel more comfortable? The more improvements you make, the more your business can reap the benefits we’ve discussed here.