Now that you know what causes stress and how to identify it; what can you do in the workplace to help reduce stress for your employees and/or co-workers?

Use some of these tips to help manage stress in your workplace:

• Encourage employees to take care of themselves:  create weight loss/ fitness competitions, offer discount gym memberships, encourage group participation in local walk/runs
• Communicate any changes immediately and effectively:  if major announcements have to be made, make sure everyone is told at the same time; make sure all communications are done so in a positive tone; live by the motto that no one in your organization can keep a secret, if you tell one person everyone will eventually find out and what they learn may not be the truth which can cause stress and turmoil
• Provide financial counseling: many financial advisors will come into your organization and provide complimentary counseling because they are hoping to get clients but they are still providing invaluable advice that can help employees whether they hire the advisor or not; when workers are not concerned about how they are going to pay their bills or provide for their families, they are more likely to be focused on their jobs
• Manage employee responsibilities:  if a position is being eliminated and the tasks are being reassigned, carefully assess whether the individual receiving the assignment will be able to handle the additional responsibility; don’t just assume that the new worker can handle it
• Maintain a positive working environment:  don’t allow negative people to dominate your work environment; nip any bickering or infighting in the bud the moment it starts, don’t assume that the situation will work itself out; you have to set the standard for behavior and let employees know that negativity will not be tolerated
• Keep it simple:  make sure you break large projects into small manageable pieces and encourage managers to delegate to capable employees
• Maintain a team mentality:  when possible, allow employees to have a opinion about the way things are done; they often have insight that you don’t because they are “in” the trenches
• Be consistent:  if you are going to talk the talk, you must walk the walk – be encouraging, communicate positively, be helpful when possible and listen

Everyone gets stressed from time to time.  Unfortunately, some people don’t handle dealing with prolonged stress very well and they can become a danger to your organization.  Learn how to identify the causes and symptoms of stress in the workplace then help to alleviate stress whenever possible for your staff.