In this insightful article, I discuss how stress impacts the modern workforce and how the benefits of stress management training and senior management training can help combat such detrimental issues.
The benefits of Stress Management Training
The word ‘stress’ is more commonplace than we think it is. The feeling of not being able to fit everything in one day, demanding family responsibilities, and financial and physical well-being can become daunting very fast.
Stress at the workplace is another concern affecting individuals across the globe.
The prevalence of the hustle culture, poor work-life balance, soaring inflation rates, and the constant pressure to stand out cause havoc to both productivity and mental health, leading to a phenomenon called ‘Quiet Quitting’.
A report by Gallup suggests that employee stress at the workplace remains at a record high, even with increased job opportunities worldwide.
I am Ritu Singal, a life coach and certified trainer with experience in different domains ( manufacturing, finance, education, women empowerment, child abuse, HR etc ), and I have helped thousands of individuals cope with stress and lead happier and empowred lives.
In my experience, some of the indirect impacts of workplace stress that I have seen individuals face, include:
- Lack of focus and inability to get anything done
- Lack of patience with others
- Always feeling overwhelmed and anxious
- Bouts of depression, sadness, and lack of control
When the job market opened up post-pandemic, we saw high resignation rates.
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Many companies today have incorporated stress management training in their mandatory policies for employees and have also started focussing on senior management training to cope with such detrimental stress conditions.
In this article, I will delve into the benefits of stress management training at the workplace and how senior management has a crucial role to play in this area.
Stress Management Training and its benefits
I have often seen people consider stress management as a taboo.
However, the real goal of stress management training is to be alert and responsive to stress triggers and develop proactive measures for handling stressful situations.
In my experience, the benefits of stress management training that I’ve personally seen are as follows:
Increase in employee engagement rates: The concept of ‘quiet quitting’ is a phenomenon where people tend to feel lost, less focused, and demotivated at work. Even though they are logged in, most of the time they are either unsure of what needs to be done, or suffer from lack of opportunities.
Many employees even fail to discuss such scenarios with their supervisors or peers, suffering in silence and detaching themselves from social circles.
I have helped people over the years with strategic coping mechanisms and a dedicated support system that helps to boost productivity.
Less absenteeism and reduced employee turnover: Employee turnover is a serious problem impacting companies post-pandemic. Hiring talent is becoming difficult day by day because employees have come to realise the importance of a lifestyle beyond high pay alone.
These include work-life balance, job security, paid leaves, and hybrid benefits.
Lesser workplace conflicts: I have seen people engage in conflicts with seniors and colleagues that are often perceived as harmful. With a dedicated person certified and trained in counselling, the employee feels a lot more secure and confident and approaches daily matters objectively.
Role of Senior management in employee stress management:
The role of senior management in handling stress is often underrated. These are the people who are regularly interacting with their subordinates and are responsible for closely monitoring their performance and well-being.
A positive manager-employee relationship can go a long way and prove to be helpful in the following ways:
- Smooth career growth
- Clarity of work purpose and directed efforts towards getting work done.
- Understanding employee bandwidth, thereby reducing stress and excess workload.
- Growth aspirations, fair increments, and timely promotions.
- Stable work-life balance and mentorship at work
Some of the ways by which senior management and senior management training can help manage stress among team members are listed below:
Frequent 1 on 1’s – With work from home culture taking prevalence, it has become all the more important to engage in frequent 1 on 1’s with team members.
This helps the supervisor understand employee aspirations and career growth, any important issues they may be dealing with, such as a hateful comment or an unprofessional colleague, and many other issues often kept under wraps.
Managers are often considered trying to ‘get back’ to their employees during appraisals or promotions. As humans, at times, emotions creep in and impact fair assessment.
With senior management training, I help managers objectively assess their subordinates, build on their strengths and provide feedback when needed.
Develop a comprehensive training program around stress management –
A stress management program that is mandated for all employees in a collaborative atmosphere helps individuals understand stress triggers and cope in times of crisis and overwhelming family and work responsibilities.
Implementing recognition programs – Recognition programs that keep track of employee progress and compensate performing individuals , often act as energy and stress boosters.
As a corporate counsellor, I have designed various recognition programs and helped to break the news of a significant promotion or critical feedback to an employee.
Open Door policy – There is often a disconnect that is seen among supervisors and team members because of a ‘holier than thou’ attitude or simply because the manager is less approachable and/or adorns a sense of pride and unreasonable authority.
This is often seen in corporate environments where employees feel insecure and often face fear of job security.
Having an open door policy, where employees can walk up to and discuss their work or personal problems and brainstorm solutions with their trusted mentor, can easily become a stress booster.
The famous quote that says ‘ Lead by Example,’ is also something managers should consider. Trying to impose norms and work expectations from subordinates that they don’t follow creates mistrust.
Senior managers need to motivate team members through their knowledge, experience, and value systems, not by imposing work norms that kill creativity and undermine the flexibility of operations.
How does a stress management consultation help?
Chronic stress needs to be treated without delay. Instead of turning to negative habits like smoking, drinking, shopping, stress eating, and other forms of unhealthy coping mechanisms, it is vital to seek professional support.
For the longest time, I, Ritu Singal, have seen individuals feel stressed and anxious before an interview or a crucial promotion and feel intimidated by an overpowering personality or by a colleague who throws an attitude.
As a provider of corporate counselling services, I first try to understand the challenges confronting your company through focus group discussions, analysing current requirements and prevailing market trends. Once these issues are identified, I tailor plans to help your organisation navigate and overcome these challenges.
A stress management consultation program helps identify the underlying causes of stress, be it workplace or personal, and suggests mechanisms tailor-made for an individual’s specific needs and traits. However, choosing the correct mentor, who keeps privacy and empathy as a top priority, is the right way to go.
Most people think that stress is manageable and will go away on its own.
But it doesn’t.
To conclude, smart individuals who care for their well-being before anyone else’s can easily combat life’s unforeseen stress and stay motivated and mentally healthy through professional help.
How are you coping with everyday stress?
If you are one of those, who has stayed under the wraps for too long and hoping to break free from this pattern, finding a suitable program and seeking help is the way to go!
