3 essential tips to eliminating stress in the workplace

Unfortunately, stress is a part of everyday life, especially in the business world, and according to statistics from The Huffington Post, its rising at an alarming rate. Consider a survey conducted in 2012, by Harris Interactive, on behalf of Everett University, where over a thousand workers were contacted by phone, and 73% of them reported being stressed out at work. Just a year later, in 2013, that figure rose to 83% and Captain Obvious reports that’s a whopping ten percent rise in just one year.

John Swartz, Regional Director of Career Services at the Everett University, as a spokesperson for the survey, he stated, “More companies are hiring, but workers are still worried and stressed out after years of a troubled economy that has brought about longer hours, layoffs and budget cuts.”

He offers some encouragement when he continues, “Americans have plenty of reasons to be optimistic, but anxiety amongst employees is rooted in our working lives, and it is important to understand new and better ways of coping with the pressure.”

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Both management and staff need to work together towards solutions to this epidemic in the workplace to benefit both the business’ bottom line and the health of employees. Reducing stress will maximizing employee potential, increase productivity and ultimately raise the bottom line. Here are three methods that provide both relief for the worker and benefits for the boss:

 
#1 – Physical Stress Relief

Here’s one that I noticed during a recent visit to my doctor’s office for a routine check-up and reminds us that stress isn’t necessarily mental. Physicians and staff alike recognize the health-hazards of being stuck behind a desk all day for some of these employees.
 
They are now utilizing “standing” desks, by placing computer monitors on an adjustable wall-mounted device. This method allows the employee to quickly and easily slide their screen to accommodate different seating arrangements, from sitting to standing, even kneeling. By changing positions throughout the day, this improves circulation, increases productivity, reduces neck and back pain, while at the same time, these work stations take up much less space than traditional seated desk arrangements.

 
#2 – Social Media Networking

While many employers are disallowing, even blocking access to social media at the workplace, they’re missing the boat on this practice. I’m not saying you should let your employees go hog-wild on Facebook anytime they feel like it, wasting all day at work checking their favourite social sites, but instead companies should consider allowing their employees access that is work-related and very beneficial for marketing purposes.
 
For example, they can blog about industry-related topics, post relevant business trends on Facebook, monitor and respond to Twitter activity. Rather than hiring a social media manager, companies can basically hire from within. For smaller companies, a single person can manage the task by dividing social time up to a certain amount daily, and for larger firms individuals can be selected to monitor a certain chosen platform, one can tweet while the other is promoting your business on Facebook. In the long run, employees are happily playing on social media during a portion of the day, while the company is marketing on these valuable venues online.

 
#3 – Encourage Outside Events

Offering employees the opportunity to socialize and play outside of the work environment will help them to work together as a team and communicate better within their office space. Softball leagues, bowling tournaments, picnics and other playdates, will facilitate camaraderie, engage better interaction with their peers and reduce stress inside the workplace.
 
Utilizing any or all of these stress-reducing strategies, both inside and outside of the workplace, will benefit both the employee and the business. Staff members will ultimately live longer, more productive, happier and more stress-free lifestyles, while supervisors will see better results in both productivity and profits.
 
 
About the author: Nick Rojas is a business consultant and writer who lives in Los Angeles. He has consulted small and medium-sized enterprises for over twenty years. He has contributed articles to Visual.ly, Entrepreneur, and TechCrunch. You can follow him on Twitter @NickARojas, or you can reach him at NickAndrewRojas@gmail.com.

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