What was the most voted cause of stress in the workplace?

Most of us will know what it is like to feel stressed, and each person deals with stress in their own way. However, there are commonalities between everyone as to what triggers our stress.

National Stress Awareness Day takes place on the first Wednesday in November each year and provides people with an opportunity to think and talk about stress, its triggers and the best way to deal with it. In line with this, we wanted to help employers understand what causes their employees the most stress in the workplace.

Here were the results:

• 37% said colleagues or members of staff in the business was the main cause of their stress;
• 25% said their personal income and financial worries was their biggest stress at work;
• 12% said their own health or that of a family member was their main stress;
• 12% said the stability of the company was the main cause of stress; and
• 4% of the votes were personal relationships, childcare issues and a lack of managerial support.

Although the highest voted cause of stress in the workplace is something which occurs in the office, it’s clear to see that some causes of stress are actually things happening outside of it.

Here are our suggestions on how employers can help minimise stress in the workplace:

Colleagues or members of staff in the business

Most of us spend a huge amount of our time in the office with our colleagues and we don’t always get to choose who we work with. With the added pressure of daily work on top, it can test the relationships in the office. As an employer, getting to the core of the problem is key to fixing these relationships. There is also team building to help colleagues understand how everyone works differently or courses to train employees to be more aware of how their words and actions can affect others.

Personal income and financial worries

You may think that as an employer you can’t help with your employees’ personal financial worries. But that is not the case. Financial education programmes for your employees can provide a level of understanding to help them make better financial decisions. Just having a financial plan which aligns spending, savings, budget and goals can instantly reduce a person’s stress.

Their health or that of a family member

No matter how big or small, health problems can be a concern for anyone. But there are many things you can offer your employees to reduce their stress in times of need. These can include; private medical insurance, employee assistance programmes, healthcare cash plans, eye care vouchers or even flu jabs. This list really could go on and some of these benefits can even be extended for family and relatives. Just remember, its great to have these benefits but you must communicate them effectively to your employees so they can make the most of them.

The stability of the company

Some employees worry more about job loss than others but its fair to say that in times of uncertainty, we can all worry over what might happen if the company we work for was to collapse. Communicating with employees is really important, as leaving them in the dark can cause a huge deal of stress. Regular updates as to how the business is doing and what employees can expect next if the business is in trouble, can set people’s minds at rest. This can also go hand in hand with helping employees have a financial plan. For those who worry that little more about loosing their job, a savings plan can provide that comfort blanket should the unexpected arise.

No matter what causes stress to your employees, there is no doubt having happy healthy staff can lead to improved performance and more productive employees. But, don’t forget, always look at the bigger the picture. Just because someone is stressed in your workplace, doesn’t always mean it’s related to work.

To find out how Secondsight can help support you with Financial Wellbeing and Employee Benefits for your employees, contact us today.

Secondsight is a trading name of Foster Denovo Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Information correct as of 05/11/2019