Top tips for relieving stress in the workplace

Whether you’re considering launching your own business or you’re simply interested in exploring online business courses, one of the first things you’ll learn is that for a business to be successful you need to take into consideration the well-being of your staff, namely the potential triggers for stress, and stress is a big problem in the workplace. Let it get out of control and you run the risk of employees becoming ill, leaving or struggling to meet their deadlines.

That is why we have created the following guide to help employees relieve their stress levels.

Step One: Examine your work schedule
One of the biggest triggers of stress is having too much to do and not enough time to do it. To help combat this, you need to work on your scheduling skills and learn how to efficiently manage your time.

For instance, if you’re prone to overrunning or spending too long on client phone calls, then all of this time loss will add up and will cut into your other activities. Instead, you need to sit down and prioritise your work. By recognising what tasks need completing first and acknowledging their deadline, you will gain better control of your time.

Tips:

• To do lists
• Harness CRM systems to help you manage simple tasks
• Calendar alerts

Step Two: Recognise when you need a break
You might think skipping breaks/your lunch will help you to stay on track; however, powering through and not resting will lead to bigger mistakes. REMEMBER: you’re not a machine. You’re only human. So it is important that you make time to rest.
More importantly, you need to maintain a healthy work-life balance, and remember to value your time off i.e. your weekends, so you don’t end up overworking yourself or harming your productivity.

Tips:

• Try to leave work on time
• Talk to your manager – this is especially true if you’re constantly working late as this suggests that you have got too much work for one person.

Step Three: Change your work location
Now, we aren’t talking about quitting here. What we mean is that you should try changing the location of where you work. This simple move can improve your mood and outlook as your brain won’t automatically associate your space with stress. Likewise, moving where you work can stop you from getting distracted, especially by gossiping colleagues and will enable you to complete your tasks more efficiently.

Step Four: Avoid social media
Social media is possibly one of the biggest distractions out there, as stopping yourself from scrolling is harder than you think, cutting into your time. For this reason, we recommend keeping social media out of the office, so you can focus on getting your job done. Similarly, switching your phone off whilst you’re at work can eliminate this temptation to look. Now, if you can’t turn off your phone because your team uses apps to message about work then you need to set clear boundaries between personal and professional use. In other words, you need ensure that your personal accounts aren’t easily accessible, and that your team have got realistic expectations on response times i.e. they don’t expect you to drop everything and read their message.

Step Five: Get a hobby
It is a good practice to have hobbies outside of work, as they will help you to unwind and stop obsessing about work tasks. Just make sure it is something that you find relaxing and that is completely different from your work life.

Step Six: Speak to your boss
Sometimes, these tips won’t be enough and stress will still get you down. In the event of this happening, it is important that you talk to your boss so you don’t end up burning out. Simply ask for a one-to-one and explain how you’re feeling. They will then be able to help you come up with a strategy for reducing stress and making your life easier. For instance, they may not have realised that they are overworking you. So be honest and be open about how you’re feeling, so that they can make a change to your work schedule.

As you can see, stress doesn’t have to gain a prominent place in the workplace. Instead, by adopting the above steps, you can ease the strain and ensure that everyone is happy and stress free.

For more tips on managing stress and a business, take a look at our online business courses.