Around 70 percent of primary health care visits are directly related to stress. Since so many people are under stress, employers have begun taking an active approach to reduce employee stress. Each year over $200 billion dollars are lost due to employees that experience stress. If you are tired of paying extra money for sick leave, lost production costs, and healthcare costs, you need to find a way to help your employees reduce stress.
Employees under stress lower productivity, reduce the quality of consumer products, and increase the risk of on-the-job injuries. When one employee is under stress, they tend to radiate this stress to their co-workers and before you know it, you have a whole staff that is under stress and experiencing employee burnout.
Here are some easy ways to reduce stress in the office:
- Offer flexible working hours. Some employees have family commitments and it would be nice if they could come in an hour later or work an extra hour if they need to drop off their kids at daycare. Flexible working hours also allows for extra time to hit the gym and get in a nice workout.
- Provide an office that is comfortable and pleasant. When your employees are in an attractive environment, it boosts their spirits and this helps to reduce stress. Make sure they have plenty of natural sunlight because this helps to boost spirits.
- Give your employees the option to decorate their own cubicles and offices. This can boost their morale and provide many of them with the stress relief they need in the middle of a hectic day.
- Offer a quiet break room for your employees. This room should be free of distractions so your employees can get in a quick power nap if they need one. Set the quiet room apart from the busy areas of the office so your employee can feel like they have escaped from the work-life if only for minutes.
- Give your employees more responsibility. People like to make decisions, especially when they know it will impact their job. Giving them a little more responsibility makes them feel like they have power and this helps to reduce stress.
- Reward your employees for their hard work. Purchase gift cards, and hand them out to your employees when you notice they have been working hard. Make sure this is random and that you find a time to thank each employee individually.
- Purchase new chairs that are comfortable or give them the option of using exercise balls over chairs. Employees need to be comfortable at their desks and you can help this by simply replacing a chair.
- Make sure all the equipment works that your employees need to use. There is nothing more frustrating than a broken phone, outdated equipment, and broken furniture. If you can’t afford new equipment yet, let your employees know you are working on it and you will get new equipment once you have the money available.
- Provide employees with time to exercise while they are at work. Exercising is great for the body and it is one of the best ways to reduce stress. Create an on-site exercise room or offer passes to a local health club. You may even consider offering yoga classes in the afternoon, this is a wonderful way to reduce stress and it helps to get your employees in shape.
- Offer massages or purchase some massage chairs to put in the break room. Massages help to reduce stress and lower anxiety levels. Even relaxing for 15 minutes in the middle of the day can give employees the chance to rejuvenate their bodies and work harder.