This month is Stress Awareness Month

At Starfish People HR, we know that stress and work can, unfortunately, go hand-in-hand, which is why Stress Awareness Month is especially relevant to us. As a business owner or employer, it's your responsibility to identify and reduce elements of excessive stress in your business to protect the mental health and well-being of your people. However, we know that this is not always an easy task. Often, the signs that someone is dealing with stress are not evident until it's too late, which is why 40% of work-related illness is caused by stress.

The good news is that there is a lot you can do to limit the stress your people have to deal with every day. To start, we recommend training all your managers in stress awareness. This will enable them to spot the early signs of stress and address any issues before they become major problems.

At Starfish People HR, we believe that communication is key to reducing stress. That's why we advise you to make sure everyone in your business understands that you and their direct managers are always available to talk if anyone is facing unmanageable stress. A problem shared is a problem halved, after all.

It's also important to understand that stress can be caused by various factors beyond just workload. Things like tight deadlines, lack of training, or disagreements with colleagues can all contribute.

Encouraging everyone in the business to take breaks, get away from their desks, and make healthy choices for lunch can go a long way in creating a healthier body and mind. Additionally, physical activity is a great stress reliever, which is why we recommend arranging group exercise classes for your team, subsidizing gym memberships, or setting a group challenge for people to get involved with (if they wish).

If you offer any support or benefits to employees, we recommend making sure they are aware of them and can access them when needed. However, it's important to note that your managers should never take on the role of a mental health professional where a situation requires one. In such cases, your managers should have the contact details of suitable mental health support to pass on to employees instead.

At Starfish People HR, we understand that navigating stress in the workplace can be challenging, which is why we're here to help. If you need further assistance or advice on dealing with stress in the workplace, please feel free to contact us.

Call direct on 01243 967961, or [email protected]

#StressAwareness #WorkplaceStress #MentalHealthAtWork #MentalHealthAndWellbeing.