How to promote employee health by reducing stress in your business

There is no denying that the world of business can be a stressful place. Almost everyone who works has a job that has some amount of stress involved in it. However, it has become apparent that employees who are constantly working under stress are more likely to succumb to serious medical problems. This has made it imperative that employers look for ways to reduce stress in the workplace. Savvy employers will find ways that allow their employees to complete their jobs without unnecessary stress. Here is what you need to know about how to promote employee health by reducing stress in your business-

- Know what the symptoms of workplace stress are-Employers need to be educated on the signs and symptoms of workplace stress. Many times employees who are dealing with to much stress will be extremely irritable, have reduced productivity, feel anxious, be fatigued, withdraw socially, and have headaches. In addition, many employees will deal with workplace stress by abusing alcohol or drugs. As the stress progresses many times these symptoms will get considerably worse.
- Find the source of the stress-If employers are serious about reducing workplace stress they will need to make an effort to determine the real cause of it. Keep in mind that certain jobs will have an inherent amount of stress but other types of businesses will be able to moderate the amount of stress that their employees are under. Savvy employers will take the time to find out firsthand how much stress their workforce is dealing with on a daily basis. There are a number of different factors that can be causing increased workplace stress. This can include but is not limited to:
1. Layoffs or just the threat of workforce reduction.
2. An increase on the workload demands of the employees.
3. Financial difficulties of the business that threaten its survival.
4. Project deadlines that are difficult or even unreachable.
5. Unusually high expectations from management or from the employees themselves.
Once the employer has determined the source of the stress then steps can be taken to reduce or eliminate the cause of it. One of the first steps to take is to meet with your employees and begin a dialogue about how the stress can be better dealt with. Keep in mind that often a small change can bring about a significant reduction in the stress. Whether you can change a process to make the job easier or simply allow your employees to blow off some steam reducing the stress in the workplace can go a long way to improving employee health.
- Change the way things are done-The culture that is within a business often has a lot to do with whether or not it is stressful in the workplace. However, the good news is that this company culture of stress is not unchangeable. Employers who find that their employees work under a great deal of unnecessary stress can take steps to reduce it and change the culture of their business. There are a number of beneficial ways to deal with employee stress that don't cost a lot of money but can have a highly beneficial effect on the health of your employees. Some of these methods are-
1. Allowing flexible scheduling or telecommuting where appropriate.
2. Giving comp time to employees who have worked extremely long hours to finish a project.
3. Giving day passes to spas or other forms of relaxation to show your employees how much you appreciate their efforts.
4. Reassigning workloads in order to help spread the workload that is stress inducing thereby minimizing the stress.