From promoting healthy work-life balance to encouraging collaboration on the job, you can address common workplace stressors without making a major financial investment.
This article is part of our Wellness in the workforce content series, focusing on the mental health of employees. Explore how you can make a difference—through work experiences, financial education, and access to benefits.
While job-related stress has always been an issue worth addressing, the choice to do so is clearer than ever, as we gain understanding of its impact on work performance, absenteeism, and our ability to focus on tasks.
Here are four ways to reduce stress in the workplace.
1. Ease workloads.
Do you or your company’s leadership team have a pulse on how busy team members are? Taking initiative to review responsibilities and redistribute or reprioritize tasks can go a long way in easing stress and burnout.
If you find there’s not a lot of room to give, consider if there are ways to work smarter, not harder. That might mean automating repetitive work or tapping into the power of artificial intelligence to lighten workloads.
According to Principal® research:
80%
Eighty percent of employees say an excessive workload negatively impacts their mental health.
1 in 4
More than one-quarter of employees say they’re feeling “burnt out” in their current role.
2. Increase flexibility.
According to eight in 10 employees, it’s more important than ever to offer flexibility
- Allowing employees to adjust their start and end times.
- Giving employees the freedom to step out for appointments or family emergencies.
- Allowing employees to compress their workweeks (for example, working four 10-hour days).
- Expanding your paid time off policy (and encouraging employees to use it!).
- Allowing flexibility around where employees work.
- Overall, tracking productivity rather than days or hours worked.
Not only does this sort of flexibility promote healthy work-life balance, it also communicates trust.
82%
Eighty-two percent of employees say flexible work schedules could help improve mental health. Looking at just millennial and Gen Z employees, that number grows to 87%.
31%
Thirty-one percent of employers say they may add the option of a four-day workweek within the year. Along with mental health and wellness programs, this is a top benefit to help combat burnout.
3. Add or expand physical health perks to manage stress.
Companies have gotten much better at building infrastructure around physical health (think: organized employee walks or gym access).
If an on-site exercise space is beyond the scope of your office, consider providing access to or discounts on fitness classes. You could also encourage walking meetings, install treadmill workstations, or provide bike storage to promote activity.
Physical activity is proven to help manage stress.
4. Encourage collaboration on the job.
Sometimes an employee just needs a trusted work friend or mentor to motivate them or help reconcile a stressful day. If camaraderie isn’t happening naturally at your workplace, foster it by encouraging collaboration: creating ad-hoc project teams, employee resource groups, or a peer mentorship program. These points of connection aren’t just good for morale; they inspire productivity and teamwork in problem-solving, too.
5 practices of a psychologically healthy workplace
The American Psychological Association names five practices as the foundation for a psychologically healthy workplace.
- Employee involvement: Empower employees and give them autonomy.
- Work-life balance: Job flexibility helps support personal responsibilities.
- Employee growth and development: New skills and experiences boost job motivation and satisfaction.
- Health and safety: Training, safeguards, health screenings, and more help protect workers and businesses alike.
- Employee recognition: Compensation and other affirmations drive employee engagement.
What’s next?
Visit our small business resource center for additional content, webinars, and tools. Or contact a Principal financial professional to work through your business needs one on one.
