In this article I am going to look at how to manage stress in the workplace. I will consider what are the common cause of stress in the workplace, managing your mental state at work. I will also help you self-coach yourself through stressful work situations! This will require you to take some time to reflect on the questions I have posed and do a little self-discovery.
Common Causes of Stress in the Workplace
According to the CIPD, Health and Wellbeing report in 2021 the common causes of stress in the workplace include:
- Non-work-related factors such as health issues (mental health and physical health) and relationship and family issues.
- Poor work-life balance – See my blog post on “Burnout and the Right to Disconnect”
- Lack of responsibility or autonomy – This is where you are more controlled by what others do, think, and feel, and adapt accordingly.
- Relationships at work- There may be a clash of personalities on your team, and you may not get on with your manager and leadership.
- Lack of recognition – You may feel your work is not being recognised for what it is worth.
- Workload and volume of work – You may not have enough work, or you may not be able to cope with the amount of work you have.
I am going to give you an opportunity to self-coach yourself. Here are some reflective questions that might help you with some of the stress you are under.
Relationships at Work
“I work harder than everyone else”.
Question:
- How can you ensure that work is allocated fairly?
“I feel ‘left out of the loop’ or overlooked by my manager, senior leaders or stakeholders.
Questions:
- How can take the first step to re-establish communication?
- How can you keep those communication channels open?
“I find it hard to relate to managers, senior leaders or stakeholders”.
Questions:
- What common ground or interests do you and your colleagues share?
- What can you do to make that connection?
Workload and Volume of Work
Questions
- Is there any one colleague you could ask for help?
- Could you speak to your manager or leadership?
- Are there any opportunities for you to delegate to another colleague?
- If yes to above, how could you do this in a way that you can get what you want?
Lack of responsibility or Autonomy
Questions
- What can you do to ask for more responsibility or autonomy?
- What special initiatives could you offer to take on?
- What new initiatives do you have that you feel the organisation might benefit from?
- What can you do to share them?
Lack of Recognition
Questions
- How could you ask for feedback from your manager? (Ask for specific detail and suggestions for improvement)
- What initatives do you feel might benefit from a de-brief?
- How can you encourage that?
Way to manage your mental well-being at work.
Plan for the future – Where possible try and predict the crunch times or stressful at work and plan for them.
Manage your distractions – See a link to a magazine article I wrote on managing distractions in the workplace. LINK
Play to your natural rhythm – There will be time in the day where you are at your most productive. There will be times in the day where your energy slumps. For a week, take note of your energy throughout the workday. Where possible schedule your most complex work when your energy levels are high. Perhaps schedule some administrative tasks when you know your energy levels are going to be low.
Schedule deep productive breaks – If you are doing deep focused work, be sure to schedule some deep breaks. A deep break is about 10 minutes in length. A deep break should not turn your attention to social media. Take a walk-in nature, do some meditation, or even sit in silence.
Break it down – Use the “pomodoro” technique where you have a complex task. Work for 25 minutes on the task then take a break. In other words, work for 25-minute chunks.
Here are just a few ways to manage stress and to look after your own well-being in the workplace. If there are more specific issues you would like support or coaching with, please reach out contact me for a free chemistry call here.