Page 24 - PA_Enterprise_May-2024
P. 24
PAE
Anthony said “with time off work due to The first thing to do is to simply get the
struggles with mental health reportedly costing conversation started and begin to break down
businesses in the UK £28 billion per year it’s the stigma that sadly still surrounds stress and
worth all business leaders looking at ways mental health.
they can support their staff, not only during Lots of people will be wary of discussing their
stress awareness month but all year round. mental health concerns due to fears that it will
Budgets are tight for lots of people at the
moment but making the work environment impact their career prospects. It needs to be
less stressful doesn’t have to be expensive. made clear that this isn’t the case.
Whilst booking big team away days or huge The starting point could be something as
Christmas parties can be great, it’s actually simple as regularly checking in on how people
the smaller everyday changes that will have are doing. This is the first step to developing a
the biggest impact on stress levels.” supportive workplace culture.
Lead by example Be transparent
Rates of work-related stress are high but it To give the best support to employees it’s
isn’t a problem that the employee should have important to be clear and open with them.
to solve alone. Managers and leaders play This means being honest and acknowledging
an important role in combating work-related times of uncertainty whether that’s caused
stress by the behaviours they model. by events like the pandemic, rumours of
redundancy or any difficult situation that might
Change has to start at the top so it’s
imperative to lead by example. Be vocal impact your team.
about your own stresses and how you manage Be clear with your expectations. This can
them. Educate people in your business about include things such as expecting employees
spotting the signs of stress and how they can to have clear boundaries when working
address them. from home or expecting deadlines to be
met (if extensions haven’t been discussed).
Where managers lead, the organisation will
follow. Something as simple as this can reduce
employee stress.
Develop a supportive workplace culture Finally, be transparent when it comes to
A workplace where people can talk openly their goals – make sure they’re clear and
about their struggles and stresses or other achievable.
aspects of their mental health, whilst feeling
safe and free of judgement can have a Reduce concern during times of change
huge impact on managing stress within the Change happens all the time and the
workforce. workplace is no different. It’s important not
to underestimate the effect change can have
That’s not to say that developing this type of
culture doesn’t have its challenges especially on the well-being of employees. Things that
in businesses where there hasn’t been a focus might be considered small changes can still
on well-being before. impact morale and stress levels.
24 May 2024
