‘Tis the season to be stressed?! Research tells us that not only is workplace stress the No. 1 issue that employees report, but seasonal changes can add even more stressors. Crammed calendars, extended work hours, lack of employer feedback, job insecurity, shift work, and increased work demands are all factors in organizational stress. Add to that seasonal stressors that occur outside of work over the coming months (such as longer commutes due to weather changes, back to school, packed family schedules, year-end financial issues, and holiday planning), and you have a recipe for plenty of stress.  

Proactively manage stress in your workplace:

• Consider how your workplace adds to employee stress. In order to address this issue, we need to understand both organizational and personal stress. The National Institute for Safety and Health (NIOSH) affirms that, “A combination of organizational change and stress management is often the most useful approach for preventing stress at work.”
• Make the most of your Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Does your EAP marketing include examples of the help they can provide? Do your EAP providers offer any lunch ‘n learns on resilience, financial stability, caregiving, healthy sleep, or other topics? Read The EAP Gap for tips on how to promote your EAP.
• Be informed; find out the resources you already have in place that can help employees handle stress. Does your workplace offer any programs or referrals on eldercare, childcare, breastfeeding support, tuition reimbursement, financial planning, or flex time? Do you have training for managers on how to identify and reduce workplace stress? Have ongoing conversations with employees to find out what they need. 

“In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers.” ~Fred Rogers

We’d love to hear what your organization does around employee stress. Add your comments in our Health@Work LinkedIn group to share and learn from others.

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Click here to read this month's E-tips titled "Got seasonal stress?" 

To share these E-tips with employees:  

• Email the E-tips document to your staff as an attachment. 1) Click the link to download and save the E-tips to your computer. 2) Add your organization's logo in the bottom left corner. 3) Then send it as an email attachment to staff. 
• Or print the document once you've added your organization's logo and post it in a common area in your workplace.
• Or copy and paste the text into your organization's newsletter.

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