Stress Awareness Month: Why employee wellbeing should be a priority

April is Stress Awareness Month, a great chance to reflect on stress and its impact on our lives. These reflections start in the workplace.

Although stress is crucial in human function, chronic stress can seriously affect our teams and businesses. The UK is in the midst of a long-term sickness crisis. With record levels of people unable to work due to chronic illness, the growth rate of this economic inactivity is rapid. With two-thirds attributed to chronic depression and anxiety, it's time to ask what more we can do to buck the trend.

Workplace stress is a growing concern for those still able to work. Absenteeism and presenteeism are on the rise, and burnout is becoming a serious reality for many. Employers and managers must create a safe and supportive workplace and provide resources to help staff effectively manage work-related stress. Still, many workplaces go the extra mile with employee assistance programmes, additional benefits, and flexible time off to help their teams when needed.

Does chronic stress lead to burnout?

Constant stress is the quickest way to reach the point of burnout, no matter what is causing it. Recent stats indicate that 79% of people often feel stressed at work. So, how much stress does it take before burnout sets in? The short answer is that it's different for everyone. Knowing the signs in others (and yourself) is the off-ramp to recovery.

How to tell if your stress is taking you on the road to burnout

Physical symptoms: General unwellness indicates something is going wrong in your body, but these signs are easy to ignore. Although the logical answer is to keep a journal of how you're feeling, but when you don't feel well, you don't have the energy to do extra paperwork.

Look for changes in sleep patterns and appetite, flare-ups of skin conditions, low immune responses to colds, or even if small injuries like cuts or scrapes take longer to heal.

Emotional symptoms: You're just not feeling like yourself. Minor inconveniences may make you want to fall apart, even if you internalise them.

Look for feelings of lack of motivation, cynicism, mood swings, being overly critical of yourself and others, loneliness, and general dissatisfaction.

Behavioural symptoms: You feel your coping mechanisms aren't performing at their best. These are how you externalise your emotional symptoms. These will often be how others spot there is something wrong, or how you spot them in others who may need help.

Look for withdrawal, reduced productivity or indifference, changes to dynamics with other team members, microaggressions, and even signs of using substances to manage through the day.

Burnout is late-stage chronic stress. It is worth investigating if any of these symptoms resonate with you or someone else. Speak to a trusted friend, doctor, or healthcare specialist; they can further advise and assist you in planning to manage your circumstances around work.

The rise of stress-related leave

Almost one in ten people in the UK have had to take short-term stress leave because they feel overwhelming pressure at work. This data, paired with the ever-rising long-term illness figures mentioned earlier, there is no doubt that many people are close to breaking point, and this is as bad for businesses as it is for each individual impacted.

Poor mental health costs UK employers an estimated £51 billion per year, with presenteeism believed to be the biggest culprit. Presenteeism occurs when an unwell employee attends work and performs at a reduced capacity. The cost of living crisis and inadequate sick pay often force people to work during periods of illness as they can not afford to lose their income. In many cases, people also feel that their workload is too great and taking time off will lead to greater stress on their return.

Managing workload stress

It is no secret that excessive workloads and climbing pressure are major contributors to workplace stress. Being overwhelmed can quickly lead to a dip in job satisfaction. Hence, managing workload effectively is crucial to keeping your team healthy and happy.

Workloads can be effectively managed with:

• Open and regular communication
• Creating realistic deadlines and checking in with staff throughout projects
• Regularly reviewing workloads
• Regular, informal check-ins with staff, rather than intimidating periodic performance reviews.

How managers can support employee mental health

As mentioned, employers and managers play a crucial part in developing a workplace culture that supports staff wellbeing.

There are many ways to help alleviate workplace stress, such as:

• Creating a genuine culture of work-life balance that values family, rest and the pursuit of hobbies and interests.
• Lead by example and encourage staff, especially managers, to do the same.
• Provide mental health training to management, giving them the tools and ability to spot anybody who may need support.
• Offer and be open to flexible work arrangements.
• Provide leave options that go beyond statutory requirements, such as wellbeing days.
• Sign your team up for an employee assistance program so that they have access to resources, such as counselling. This could eliminate significant financial and emotional burdens at a critical time.

Creating a culture of wellbeing successfully

Stress Awareness Month is an excellent opportunity to assess the impact of workplace stress and strive to make a better impact. Stress doesn't stop when the workday is over; it trickles into all parts of life.

Being an effective leader means juggling many things. Still, plenty of great resources and initiatives can lighten the load. Starting with open communication and a genuine desire to create a healthy workplace, you will find it easy to build a wellness-focused workplace.

Tackling stress head-on with proactive policies, readily available resources, and recruiting and training great managers who share your vision will yield wonderful returns on your investments.