Since 1992, every April has been celebrated as National Stress Awareness Month with the aim of bringing more awareness to the effects and preventative measures of stress. Originally set up by the non-profit group the Health Resource Network, it is seen as a key opportunity to really think about how stress affects our lives, in the short and long term. The theme for this year is #LittleByLittle, which refers to the transformative impacts making small changes in our daily lives can have on our physical and mental health. Whether that be trying to switch to a healthier diet, doing more exercise or trying to reduce workplace stress, encouraging healthy micro-changes has proven to be successful at improving employee wellbeing.  

The most common cause of stress globally is work-related stress, but if we break that down into specifics, financial instability and a lack of work-life balance undeniably hinders employee wellbeing. Over the last decade, employees have been getting increasingly more stressed, with 44% of them saying they experience a high level of stress every day, according to Gallup’s State of the Workplace 2023 report. The key elements of workplace stress include a toxic workplace culture, inflexibility, disengagement, job security and low wages, which often leads to employees ‘quiet quitting’ (or quitting altogether). This is what happens when someone psychologically disengages from their job, despite being physically there. In fact, the majority of the world’s employees are doing this. For employers, quiet quitting is a huge organisational risk; there is more of a chance of a high turnover, or those that do stay will not be as productive or motivated in their role. Not to mention that poor output and high absences result in amounting business and economic costs.  

The biggest cost that stress has, though, is to our health. Due to stress often stemming from psychological factors, the most prevalent effect is mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety, or cognitive issues like a loss of concentration or memory. In physical terms, stress has been found to cause cardiovascular illnesses and raise blood pressure, and even increase the risk of substance misuse. Stress is now a chronic workplace issue and is the subject of much employee health research to help employers tackle the issue head on. Whilst there are solutions for both sides, it is the collective effort of everyone to shift the way we work that will really change the tide on how we prevent and manage workplace stress.  

As much as employees can do the myriad of wellbeing tips and tricks to try and reduce the amount of stress they experience, it’s no good if all other aspects of work continue to be stressful. This is where the employer can really step up. One of the main topics of contention in this area at the moment is helping achieve a healthy work-life balance by providing flexible working arrangements, such as hybrid or remote working. A report by Cisco even found that 78% of employee respondents to their survey claimed that hybrid and remote working structures greatly improved all aspects of their wellbeing and made them prioritise their own health. The best thing to do when dealing with a stressed workforce is to implement preventative measures before it becomes a huge organisational problem. As we explored above, long-term, chronic workplace stress can lead to a disengaged and unmotivated workforce. In a widespread study conducted by The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, it was recommended that stress is reduced best through management practices, such as promoting open communication, supportiveness and appreciativeness-that is, recognising and communicating the value of each individual employee. A good way of measuring stress levels is performing regular 1-1 wellbeing check ins with everyone in the workforce, which will also help to foster a positive workforce culture.   

Stress is always going to be there-it's a part of life. But in the workplace, it’s about trying to minimise its negative effects as much as possible and the most effective way to do so is to make it a main concern of a wider approach to tackling mental health and general wellness in the workplace. At Your Work Wellness, we combine all aspects of health in our employee wellbeing programmes that are designed to combat stress at home and in the office, to yield solutions for both the organisation and employees.  

Ian Bannister is a professional engineer, CEO of Your Work Wellness and leading voice for operational effectiveness and leadership for the purpose of employee health and wellbeing. Ian has over 30 years working on the frontlines and as a senior director in a range of industries, including nuclear operations and commissioning, - medical, defence, security and aerospace - manufacturing of high integrity components. Throughout his extensive career, Ian has worked in managing large scale operations and teams, leading him to develop a people-centred approach to management.