Less Stressful Workplaces: What We Can All Do

By Saty Sandhu

Many of us spend the majority of our time at work, so it is important that our workplaces are mentally healthy.

We know that for many of us, work is a primary cause of stress. We can all relate to feeling stressed at work due to a deadline looming, too many tasks to cram in and sometimes, fear of making a mistake.

But reducing stress within the workplace is possible and we can all do something to help. Here are some top tips for you to help yourself and for employers to help manage stress:

5 Tips for Avoiding Stress at Work

1. Sleep Make sure you pay attention to how much sleep you need and prioritise good sleep when you face busy periods at work.
2. Breaks Use the breaks you have in your working day and try to get away from your desk/work area.
3. Diet A lot of us run to caffeine, alcohol or junk food when we are up against it. If you are starting to feel overwhelmed, try and eat healthy meals and increase your water intake.
4. Exercise Try and get some exercise in your day, even if it’s just a walk round the block between tasks.
5. Relationships Take time to be with people you care about and who you can vent to. Friends, partners and family are often happy to let you vent.

5 Tips for Employers to Create a Workplace Free of Stress:

1. Have regular face to face meetings with your team. Make sure you are fully present and take time to ask people how they are.
2. Know what your organisation can do to help. If you have details of support inside or outside your workplace you can give people information they need to reach out.
3. Practice compassion. Try and understand the challenges people face and guide them to solutions.
4. Think about your working style affects others. If you like working long hours, your team may feel inclined to do the same.
5. Practice self-care and self-compassion. If your own stress levels are affecting your wellbeing you won’t be able to help your team achieve the results you need.

For more information or if you need to discuss this please email on info@cloverhr.co.uk or call us on 01905 824051