24 Tips For Reducing Stress At Work

There are lots of things you can avoid that can help you reduce stress at work, don’t drink too much caffeine, don’t overthink the things that are stressing you out, and avoid triggers. But what if work is a trigger, and the only way to avoid it is through time off?

This is the case for many employees, with over 11 million days lost at work in the UK each year because of stress, according to HSE statistics.

That's a huge number of people suffering from work-related stress in the UK.

If stress is a problem in your workplace, ignoring it won't make it go away. To tackle the problem, you can make changes to reduce stress levels at work.

Managing stress at work doesn't just have to be about avoiding things. Sometimes taking action and combating stress head-on can help you to take back control.

The things you do can be just as important as the things you don't do.

Often, it's not just one thing that causes work-related stress. So action might be needed in multiple areas to reduce anxiety and stress levels for your team.

And by fixing the problems with work-related stress, your workplace can become happier, healthier, and more productive.

Here are 24 tips for reducing stress at work across demands, control, support, relationships, roles and change management.

Demands

For employers

1. Match staff skills and abilities to the job and its demands
2. Match salaried hours of work to targets and productivity demands
3. Ensure work facilities (workstations, lighting etc) are adapted for individual's needs so they can get work done

For employees

Prioritise demands. Work demands often cause stress. If your workload demands are too high, prioritise. And remember, if everything is a priority - nothing is a priority.

Seriously, make a list from most important to least important. And get the big demands done first, the ones a the top of your list.

If there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done that needs to be done, then you need assistance. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

Managing demands will help you keep a good work-life balance. Don’t let work take over your life.

Control

For employers

4. Give staff a say in how their job is done
5. Develop staff skills and knowledge
6. Encourage staff to use skills and initiative
7. Consult staff on work patterns and breaks

For employees

Take back control. Feeling in control over your day-to-day activities can help reduce stress. If you feel like you could do things better another way, or could be made easier for you, make a suggestion.

Come up with some ideas on how your tasks or activities at work could be better achieved.

• Could things be streamlined?
• Are there other ways the work could be done?
• Could cost savings be made?
• Could productivity be increased?

Coming up with ideas could benefit both you and the business, and feeling in control is a great way to beat stress at work.

Support

For employers

8. Provide information and support to staff
9. Have support policies and procedures
10. Encourage support between colleagues
11. Ensure staff know about support resources available
12. Provide support with career progression
13. Provide regular feedback and encouragement

For employees

Accept support. Sometimes, it is hard to ask for help, or even take help when it is offered. However, most jobs are made easier with teamwork, and even just encouragement from colleagues can give you a boost.

Use the resources available to you in the business, from management and colleagues.

Relationships

For employers

14. Promote positive behaviours and fairness
15. Minimise conflict and unacceptable behaviour
16. Share information among staff to help with job delivery

For employees

Build better relationships. Poor working relationships are a common cause of work-related stress, and if you can create better relationships with your team, you'll gain a support network at work.

Unfortunately, we can’t always choose our boss or colleagues, so we might need to learn to like (or at least tolerate) those around us at work.

For people you have a difficult relationship with, try to think of one positive thing that they bring to the team and use their strengths to your advantage.

Roles

For employers

17. Provide clear roles and responsibilities
18. Provide information to help staff understand their roles and responsibilities

For employees

Define your role. We might start with a clearly defined role, but as we grow into a position, we can often end up taking on additional responsibilities. This a great way to progress but make sure if you now have multiple roles that they don’t conflict or cause issues.

Evaluate your role regularly, and make sure any changes to your role are recognised, and you have the time and resources to carry out your duties.

Change

For employers

19. Involve staff and consult on changes
20. Provide timely information on changes
21. Give staff opportunities to influence change proposals
22. Provide timetables and timelines for change plans
23. Give clear reasons for changes
24. Provide support and training to cope with changes

For employees

Manage change. The more stressful time can be during organisational changes, which can see roles, responsibilities and control go up in the air.

Managing and communicating the change process is an important part of beating work-related stress.

Uncertainty and worry can creep in. But asking questions, understanding the reasons for the change, and becoming part of the change can help reduce anxiety.

Bonus: Exercise

Get moving! Exercise can give you a real boost, both mentally and physically, helping to combat stress in all aspects of your life from work to home. Whatever you enjoy, running, swimming, hitting the gym, yoga or a brisk walk, you will be amazed how much better you feel after letting off some steam.

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If you don't manage stress at work, it can have a dramatic impact on performance. Causing arguments, increased emotional reactions, complaints and time off.

Stress can hit anyone at any level. Get the FREE stress toolbox talk for further information, and use it as a regular refresher for your team.