Remember the good old days when your parents would tell you about coming home from work at 5pm? Or sharing stories about workplace adventures that can only be seen in government offices today? Back then in the absence of mobile technology and 12-15 hour workdays, there was no undue stress at work.
As we celebrate International Stress Awareness Week (2nd to 6th November), we share the importance of managing stress brought on by being overworked. Stressed employees are more likely to smoke, drink, be inactive, eat poorly, have relationship issues, and get sick more often. All of this results in decreased productivity. But, it is possible to manage stress easily and effectively.
Organizations are stepping up their wellness programmes. Dipali Goenka, the CEO of Welspun India, was seen dancing with her employees in a video that went viral in February. And such additions of fun are not just restricted to a one-time activity. Many companies are building dedicated spaces for employees to relax and rejuvenate. But don’t keep your stress management limited to your workplace activities.
Here are some ways to destress yourself at work effectively.
5 Ways To Take Care Of Your Mental Health At Work
Staying positive at work is not just an individualistic goal, but should be a team agenda. A happy, appreciated and satisfied team performs better. Here are a few ways you can take control of your own mental health while you’re at work, and support those around you too.
1. Work As A Team
Preventing employees from working in complete isolation helps create a healthy interpersonal dynamic between peers. Group projects and team assignments are a great way to build camaraderie and connections at the workplace. This way, you can keep checking in with each other if someone appears reclusive, upset, emotional, depressed, or overworked and overstressed.
2. Set Realistic Workloads
An equitable and manageable workload spread across employees and teams with realistic deadlines should be established. If there’s too much to do in a very short time, you must speak up and encourage others to voice their concerns to the management.
3. Create A Positive Workplace
Fostering positive interpersonal relationships with colleagues and superiors is crucial to one’s well-being. Conflicts and inappropriate behaviour must be properly managed where you work out your issues with a person through conversation one-on-one, instead of harbouring feelings of resentment. A well-functioning Human Resources team should be able to assist with this.
4. Give Due Credit
Positive reinforcement by drawing attention to past accomplishments and accentuating the value of the employees to the team at large are immensely valuable methods of boosting morale and raising self-esteem. On a personal level, always take time to acknowledge and express praise to a colleague or team on a job well done.
5. Lend An Ear
Lastly, simply listening to each other, engaging with feedback and providing concrete solutions is a very valuable practise in the workplace. Employees can offer their own strategies and solutions to deal with mental health at the workplace. This way they become more committed to participating in the solution.
