Managing stress and increasing resilience

Healthy work is work without persistent stress. Too much work, not enough work, work that’s not challenging enough, colleagues who don’t get along, unclear rules and agreements – and trouble on the home front, of course. Any of these are factors has the potential to undermine employees’ ability to keep going. Focusing on stress prevention and increasing resilience help ease the pressure.

Is stress unhealthy?

Stress has a bad reputation, but it’s actually a kind of superpower. Body and mind become intently focused on exceptional performance. This isn’t unhealthy, provided that the possibility is there of getting away from the pressure. Because persistent stress without relaxation definitely is harmful. It can lead to a variety of complaints and ultimately increases the chances of burnout.

Sources of stress

Organisations where stress is never encountered – do they exist? Probably not. Where organisations do differ is in how that stress arises. Crucial in managing stress is striking a balance between the pressures of work (tasks, expectations, deadlines, etc.) and resilience (knowledge, support, etc.). If what is asked of employees exceeds their capacity, the result will be work-related stress.

The way the work is designed, organised and managed may have an impact on your employees’ mental wellbeing. These working conditions can be factors:

• excessive workload and time pressure

• conflicting demands

• lack of clarity about the employee’s role

• ineffective communication

• poorly managed changes in the organisation

• lack of support from managers and colleagues

Calm and balance in your organisation

Did you know that stress can also be converted into energy? Sorry? Yes, that’s right! As an employer, you can actively help ensure less stress and more job satisfaction. We can develop an approach for you – tailored to the organisation, team and individual – to achieve just that.

Take your employees’ mental and emotional resilience into account. A good work-life balance that recognises the need for relaxation is an important part of this.