What do you do if your team is overwhelmed by stress and pressure in a fast-paced work environment?

Stepping outside of the work environment for a couple of minutes to grab a quick cup of coffee and actively listening to the concerns, struggles and emotions is vital to understanding, validating and managing the situation and finding the root cause of the discomfort and stress. Having an open line of communication has proven to be effective in overwhelming situation.

There are two types of stress. Good stress is the kind that inspires you to do your best work and is vital. Bad stress is the result of feeling a sense of a lack of control or influence. In this case I would ask two questions: How can you focus only on what have control over? How can you gain more control of the outcome? Remember that stress is your very best friend because it is the feedback you need to make a difference. Philippe

It is important to validate the emotions and concerns of the employees sooner than later. Having 1:1s to assess the situation and figure whether the cause is external or internal. If it is internal, within the reach of team leader, conduct a brainstorming session to come up with possible approaches to get out of this situation. Few options : explore load balancing the tasks among team members, explore prioritizing the tasks. If the cause is external, i.e outside the team's purview the leader must prepare a strategy and workout plan to get out of the situation based on the culture of the organization.

First thing to do is active listening. Dedicate time to discuss both in private and as a team with all members using empathy and understanding, without judging or dismissing any of their concerns. Use your energy mostly for encouraging the team to openly express their feelings and less for finding an immediate solution. Keeping a positive attitude and showing respect will help the team open up and talk about what is troubling them.

As the team leader you are responsible for enabling your team to do their work. If they are overwhelmed by stress and pressure in a fast-paced work environment it is an indication that you as their leader have failed to communicate clear goals and timelines, prioritize important tasks from all the non-value adding busy work, delegate assignments for others to lead, and provide feedback that is empowering and building trust.

One approach you can take is to prioritize tasks and set realistic goals. Help your team focus on the most important tasks and break them down into smaller, manageable steps. This can help prevent them from feeling overwhelmed by a large workload. Additionally, consider implementing time management techniques such as setting deadlines, creating to-do lists, and using tools like project management software to help your team stay organized and on track. It's also important to encourage your team to take breaks and practice self-care. Remind them to step away from their work periodically, have a cup of coffee, or engage in activities that help them relax and recharge.

One of the most common challenges I see in my experience of leading teams is the team not being fully resourced to properly meet its objectives. This results in team members regularly working overtime, and makes this an accepted team culture. Doing so at peak times is acceptable, but if its regular and part of the team's DNA, then most often, the team is under-resourced. In this case, whatever else you do, the source of the stress remains. Regularly checking team aims against requisite resourcing is critical for leaders.

If all team members are feeling overwhelmed with the workload then there is likely to be a capacity & resourcing issue. It is very important to run a department properly by understand what capacity is needed & how you are going to allocate your team. 1. Understand the tasks performed by the function & map resources needed for deliverables required. 2. Total time estimates based on how long it takes to do a task & on volume demands. 3. Hire the resources needed to fix current capacity issues and forecast the demands that will be experienced in the future. 4. Track tasks & team workload to prevent issues in the future.

Make sure to communicate the timelines well in advance and let them know that you are there to support them and not the one who creates the mess. Simplify stuff, cut down the clutter and acknowledge their hard work

I have them write everything on a piece of paper that they have to do so they can see it. From there I ask them to circle the 1, 2 or 3 most important items that must be completed by the end of the day. Once they see it visually they can choose powerfully and get some control over the situation. Giving your brain permission to work on 1 item at a time allows you to complete the task much easier because you eliminate all the noise, overwhelm, pressure, and worry so you are freed up to complete your work faster. I also tell them if it is a personal issue to take the day off to resolve it and come back tomorrow refreshed. When employees are happy and see you care they do better work. Also, streamline processes to eliminate unnecessary work.

This is an issue for many staff especially in mission driven organizations or where pressure is high. We’ve spent the past year rolling out a series of ways to tackle stress and burn out. One is a wellness drive to give staff the tools and knowledge to manage stress. Exercise, a plant and high fibre diet, gut health and meditation can all help people improve their immune, become more resilient and manage stress. As a leader, lead by example and communicate the importance of mental and physical health.

Escuché en una conferencia sobre innovación que debemos enamorarnos del problema. Ante esta situación debemos enamorarnos a tal punto que podamos identificar la causa raíz de esta y con base a nuevas estrategias que permitan salirnos de esa zona de confort de tal manera que el equipo se sienta comprometido

In my career my entire responsibility has been the rescue mission, the facelift and the total transformation guru. As such resilience and adaptability are necessary ingredients. It is not without its challenges. In my experience one of the biggest fears we encounter is fear of change. Why? Often times change can threaten our livelihood, i.e. what if I get laid-off/replaced/forced to resign? Knowing this can help you prepare to address the root cause with the appropriate levels of reassurance and empathy necessary to build trust. When people feel safe, seen, understood and trusted they can then learn and it is in learning new systems, processes, and skills that we adapt which automatically enhances our resilience. Reiterate and repeat.

It’s important to appreciate that my organisation doesn’t exist in a vacuum. There is an established competitive community, in which my organisation exists and to stay relevant and survive requires adopting this approach. Most importantly the organisation has the opportunity of learning new ideas and methodology of development and growth.

Incentive sua equipe a ver os desafios como oportunidades para desenvolver solu??es criativas, e estabele?a um espa?o onde os membros da equipe se sintam seguros para compartilhar preocupa??es e buscar ajuda. é importante encorajar o autocuidado e a gest?o do tempo, para que os membros da equipe possam recuperar-se do estresse diário e manter um equilíbrio saudável entre trabalho e vida pessoal. Resiliência n?o é apenas sobre resistir ao estresse, mas também sobre aprender com as experiências e crescer a partir delas.

Help them prioritize. Often the fast pace is because of too many projects or tasks to juggle. Giving them guidance on what to focus on can relieve stress and give them more meaningful experiences, rather than spreading themselves too thin. Most important: it builds trust, helping them know you’re there when it gets tough and that you see their pain points.

Foster trust and engagement within your team as the fourth step. Establish a shared vision and realistic goals, involving them in decision-making and empowering ownership. Cultivate a sense of belonging through social interactions and recognition. Demonstrate respect and appreciation with honest feedback and acknowledgment of contributions. By prioritizing these elements, you nurture a positive work environment where team members feel valued and motivated to contribute their best efforts.

Start by establishing a continuous feedback loop to gather insights from team members on stress triggers and effectiveness of current strategies. Through open communication, identify root causes of stress. Utilize collaborative brainstorming to generate solutions tailored to the team's needs, supported by SMART goals to ensure effectiveness & progress tracking. Emphasize the importance of work-life balance, encouraging timely breaks, effective task prioritizations & boundary setting to prevent burnout. Regularly acknowledge & appreciate each team member's contributions, fostering a sense of belonging & motivation despite challenges. This can promote a healthier work dynamic, empowering the team to navigate stress and pressure effectively.

In the realm of fostering trust and engagement, I firmly believe that one word encapsulates what employees truly need: transparency. When companies adopt a transparent approach with their workforce, it imparts a sense of being well-informed, trusted, inclusive, and a potentially having a voice in decision-making processes. While there are undoubtedly instances where confidentiality must be maintained for business operations or legal reasons, any form of transparency remains vital in upholding employees' confidence. After all, employees invest a significant portion of their time and reliance in the company, making transparency a cornerstone of maintaining their trust and commitment.

Fostering trust and sparking engagement in your team turns your workplace into a thriving hub where everyone feels they belong and their input matters. Clear, open communication is key, make sure goals are understood and everyone’s in sync. Celebrate the unique talents and achievements within your team, showing how each person contributes to the bigger picture. Create chances for team members to collaborate and connect, not just on work projects but in building a community. This not only boosts morale but also lights the fire of creativity. Trust and engagement are the secret ingredients that bind your team together, making every challenge a shared adventure and every success a group victory.

Monitor Progress: Regularly check in with the team to assess their progress and well-being. Be proactive in addressing any emerging issues and adjusting strategies as needed.

Sending surveys during high pressure periods can be counterproductive. Especially if the team feels like the problems are obvious and self explanatory. Talking to the team and reflecting the situation together and during 1-2-1 discussions works well for getting the pulse.

As we are under constant pressure and stress during our peak hours, we focus on observing our team. We have roles that are less stressful that we can rotate team into if their overwhelmed. We also try to find the right amount of responsibility for each team member. Those that can handle more get more, and often become leaders. Then we schedule multiple leaders in order to spread the stress of a day among multiple people. We also try to recognize when team members are at a breaking point and pull them off the line for a break. They can talk to us during that time if that helps, or they can just sit and breathe. At the same time some people are not cut out for this, and have hard conversations for them more than the business.

Continuously monitor the well-being of your team and evaluate the effectiveness of your support strategies. Regular check-ins and feedback sessions can provide valuable insights into areas that may require additional attention. Be proactive in addressing issues as they arise.

In this step the balance between accountability and feedback must be dynamic especially if it centers around creating new programs, policies, procedures, products, services or teams. Inspect what you expect. Depending on how much of a shift in paradigm you are required to lead the intensity should always start higher and then once you see that your team has learned down to a nuanced level what you truly expect delivered you can begin to taper accountability and inspection measures but never fully let up. Once in a while you have to revert to the original intensity to ensure a high quality level if being the best matters to you. It’s called work for a reason. Holding yourself accountable for quality control will ensure success.

Reaching out for external support is a smart move, not a setback. It’s about tapping into the vast pool of expertise out there to give your team an extra edge. From stress-busting workshops to efficiency experts, these resources offer new insights and targeted strategies that can make a real difference. It’s a way to show your team that you’re all in on supporting their success and well-being, ready to use every available tool to help them shine even in tough times. Bringing in outside help is an investment in your team's potential, a step towards turning challenges into triumphs and ensuring everyone feels supported and valued on their journey.

Seek External Support if Necessary: If the situation persists or escalates, consider seeking external support such as counseling services or consulting with HR for additional resources and guidance.

There are times when we lack the exposure to handle some situations. This is when we should step up and ask the right questions to collaborate with the right people who can also be external to the team. This will bring in a border perspective to what you've been thinking or assuming. A third perspective to any situation is always a great way to discover unseen opportunities.

Addressing the root causes are essential to change the game. While the other steps build resilience and skills within the team, dealing with the root causes will shift the organisation and will value people and teams in a different way. Seeking the other external help is vital for some of the team that require professional help or support from outside the team or team leader. it can also be helpful to bring in external support as a leader where the team dynamic needs that external, independent intervention.

Your workload is like your desk. You can only pile on so many things. What can you outsource? Find another desk that you can trust with the tasks and give them to them. If you find that you continually offload certain tasks, consider hiring more help for that role. Part of your job as a leader should be to free your time from smaller tasks that someone else can handle so you can focus on bigger tasks that only you can handle. Constantly replace yourself.

Sometimes we get so focused on the tasks at hand we don’t give people a break to allow their neural pathways to rest and reconnect. There is symbol to having a party or an event to take the day-to-day pressure off into actually enjoy and acknowledge the accomplishments made so far and what we need to do to keep moving forward. As we have heard this statement many times and it is a cliché and since it is a cliché, it is true all work and no play make John a full boy and Jane a full girl. Try breaking the work up with something fun try breaking the work up with something different and then get back to it. You’ll find your team is more engaged.

Are the right people doing the right tasks for their Skillset, experience and qualifications? If not this is where overwhelm and stress comes to the forefront and in some cases forces a micromanagement situation to occur brought on by lack of confidence and know-how. To overcome this, consistency in training and development of talent is a must. Also management must have the courage to move employees into more suitable tasks and not try to fit a square peg into a round hole.

O fen?meno de equipes emocionalmente esgotadas pode ter diversas origens. Uma delas é a falta de prioriza??o. Quando n?o há clareza sobre quais s?o as prioridades e como elas se alinham com os objetivos, as equipes acabam enfrentando um excesso de retrabalho. Outra quest?o comum é o excesso de reuni?es improdutivas, sem um propósito claro ou agenda definida. Acomodar "egos e gerenciar relacionamentos" também consome muito tempo e energia. Quando as dinamicas de equipe s?o prejudicadas por conflitos n?o resolvidos, competi??o desmedida ou falta de comunica??o eficaz, as tarefas cotidianas podem se tornar mais desafiadoras, contribuindo para o estresse. Portanto, é preciso ir além do band-aid. Daquele SOS que alivia, mas n?o cura!

One thing that is absolutely necessary is for the leader to be willing to act quickly and intentionally in a given situation. It might mess up the plan, but ensuring the well being of the team will bring huge benefits in the long run. I've seen it go both ways where I work. A leader taking too long to make a decision that would support the team member causes the team member to either buckle under the pressure or leave the job. Then I've seen a leader listen intentionally, express empathy, and act quickly, and the whole team is stronger because of it. Listen, empathize, act!

In my experience it is important to realize that give our teams a chance to stop, refresh, reflect and recharge which will help to provide better outcomes. It is easy to put the blinders on and keep going, but we have become blind to the things we are not doing. Taking a pause will not cause the process to stop, in fact when we truly look back on it, we probably made the process stronger.