Managing Workplace Stress

An effective workplace is where every employee feels safe physically and mentally. An employee will only be able to put up his best work when he's comfortable in his working environment. To ensure grade-A work from the company, the employer and employees need a well-documented guideline to identify, prevent and manage stress at work.

So, how do we identify stress? Stress can be induced by a variety of factors which may include immovable and non-negotiable deadlines, restricting work culture, and unapproachable and rude colleagues. During induction to your company, they have already set a list of rules and regulations that you need to follow when working for them. An effective member would not only look after themselves but also speak out when he sees stress amongst others. The simplest way to identify stress is when you feel unmotivated, feel over-worked, and tasks start to seem daunting.

Four groups of workers are usually at a higher risk :

    1. culturally and linguistically diverse workers

    2. migrant workers

    3. young workers

    4. labour-hire workers

We need to be well aware to prevent stress at work. The best way is to approach your manager about your workload and ask for feedback. A proper consultation can lead to a lot of ease. As an employer, you should be taking the initiative to reduce your employees' exposure to the risk factors. This can be achieved by having regular meetings with each department and going through organisational factors - like deadlines, role clarity, and working procedures and relationships; environmental factors - like air quality, room lighting, and noise pollution. A supportive workplace can also be ensured to allow everyone to be comfortable in sharing their views in a safe environment.

The best practice to manage stress is to get on top of the matter before they become a hazard to one's health. The company should host social events to help reduce stress among employees. A program should also be established by the employer where, via consultation, factors are identified, assessed, and controlled. Regular reviews of these controls and training modules can help everyone to be well aware.

Nowadays most workplaces are very fast-paced and the overload of information creates a huge risk of causing stress. To be effective in what we do, being aware of stress management can help us carry on these without inflicting damage to our mental and physical health.