Seven ways to reduce stress at work

06/10/08

Many employers today are focused on fostering a healthy workplace, even with all the campaigning for employees to eat right and exercise, there’s still one factor that might be working against you – job stress.

Stress on-the-job poses a health risk to individual employees as well as the company as a whole. A recent daily tip from BusinessWeek, focused on ways we can all reduce stress in the workplace.

When stress lingers through an extended period of time, “the body is kept in a constant state of activation, creating increased wear and tear to biological systems.”

Common causes of job stress: corporate culture, interpersonal relationships, roles and responsibilities on the job, how work tasks are designed, career concerns and environmental conditions.

Ways to combat employee stress at work:

• Ensure that an employee’s workload fits their capabilities and they have the resources to complete their tasks.
• Design jobs and tasks that give meaning, stimulation and opportunities for employees to demonstrate their skills.
• Make sure employees’ job responsibilities are clearly defined.
• Allow workers to participate in decisions and actions that affect their jobs.
• Provide opportunities for social interaction.
• Be sensitive to employees’ demands and responsibilities outside of work and mold work schedules to fit those demands.
• Pay attention to your employees’ state of mind from day to day. Recognize symptoms of stress and encourage employees to take a break from time to time.