Does Work Stress You Out?

Stress at work is a serious matter. It contributes to stress-related illness, mental health challenges, a decrease in the quality of work, and higher employee turnover. However, workplace stress remains a complex topic to discuss because we prefer to normalize it as part of the typical work experience without addressing the source or consequence to human capital.??

What was your answer to does your workplace stress you out? Was it yes? Because you are not alone, 83% of US workers also say yes to work-related stress, and 25% say their job is the number one stressor in their lives (stress.org). When we ignore the subject, we continue to suffer the consequences. This article will look at stress at work and three steps to identify and address it.?

First step: Recognize the cost of stress at work

Next to money, work is the leading cause of stress in the country, followed by the economy. The total cost of stress at work in the United States is about $300 billion annually because of absenteeism, reduced productivity, and accidents. While we all will experience stress from time to time, the issue is when we begin to prioritize stressors and neglect well-being.?

Did you know:

• Depression and anxiety cost the global economy approximately $1 trillion in lost productivity.
• An estimated 1 million workers are absent every day because of stress.
• Over five work hours are lost weekly to employees thinking about their stressors. (stress.org)

A culture that normalizes long working hours and neglects mental health is much more likely to see the impact of stress amongst its people. Chronic stress shows up as high blood pressure, heart disease, migraines, depression, and anxiety- and it's emotionally draining. Burnt-out employees don't just call out but disengage from work and the organization's long-term vision.?

Stress and burnout doesn’t have to dismantle your workforce.

To better understand the risk and to help cultivate a culture that supports mental health join our immersive upcoming free webinar: How to Manage Stress in the Workplace 12.14.22 at 6:30 PM EST: Save Your Virtual Seat.?

Second step: Identify the sources of stress?

To stop the bleeding, you must understand where it's coming from or why to relieve the pressure and craft sustainable ways of working. As I think about the clients who have graced my couch as a psychotherapist in the last year alone, work-related stress was a driving force behind their anxiety and depression.?

If you were a fly on the wall, you would understand: If you're overworked in response to the pressure to keep up, you'll be stressed out. You'll be stressed out if you're in a job that doesn't provide opportunities for skill development and advancement. You'll be stressed out if your team leader can't communicate empathically, and you blame yourself for every demeaning interaction. If you don't feel like you can take a day off without falling behind or being scrutinized, you'll be stressed out. If you're part of a minority class that has been passed over for promotion five times and remains underpaid despite being an "asset," you'll be stressed out. You'll be stressed out if you are dealing with potential layoffs and uncertainty.

Usually, the response is to send stressed-out employees to HR, and connect them to EAP or therapy. However, not everyone is taking that offer, with only 41% of people receiving help. As a therapist, I can tell you that even when they attempt to engage, the mental health crisis is such that we don't have room to see everyone. That means those innovative and talented (but burnt-out) people are still coming to work with you and spending half their day disengaged and googling for new jobs.

Yet, many organizations have not pivoted to provide mental health training and support at work, especially from a perspective that reflects the diversity of their staff, and we want to change that.?

Third step: Have a conversation about the issue

Are you having conversations about the issue of stress and burnout? Please consider if stress and other mental health concerns are part of the ongoing conversation within your organization. It can't just be a flyer on the wall, an occasional internal memo, and an event once a year for Mental Health Awareness Month.

Are you having conversations with your team about their concerns? Are you fully aware of the stressors of your team and their soft skills to navigate their experiences? Are your leaders even equipped to have conversations around stress and emotional well-being??

To answer these questions, you need data to have effective conversations. The right questions get to the heart of the issue and quickly identify what will make a difference.?That is where the unique perspectives of an outside entity assessing the quality of your workplace culture through a mental health lens can be the most effective.

Fourth Step: Be willing to back up findings with action. This is the hallmark of an intentional culture that is courageous enough to act on the feedback of its team members to drive systemic change. Culture is what motivates people to stay and grow their careers.?

Later this week, we’ll discuss approaches to fostering a healthy office culture through a mental health lens so you can reduce stress at work and promote systemic development, wellness, and growth.??

AUTHOR: Amanda Fludd, LCSW-R, Psychotherapist and Corporate Mental Health Consultant. Our?Mental Health Consultant Team?can support you in your journey to promote workplace well-being and raise mental health awareness. ?#mentalhealthawareness #corporatementalhealth #mentalhealthspeaker