When It Comes to Building Engagement, Take Stress Out of the Workplace

You have to go to work tomorrow.

Does thinking about the upcoming workday fill you with a sense of impending dread? Are you worried about your never-ending to-do list? Are you feeling anxious? Do you want to call in sick?

While feeling a little bummed Sunday evening came so soon again is completely normal, having a panic attack about going in to work is not. Suffering from the symptoms listed above does not necessarily mean you are Disengaged in the workplace; rather, it could be a sign that you are suffering from job stress.

According to HR Solutions' National Normative Database, comprised of 3.3 million employees from 2,400 organizations, stress in the workplace has been on the rise since 2009. In 2009, only 60 percent of employees believed they suffered from job stress, compared to 66 percent of employees in 2010. Two items that affect job stress also suffered. In 2010, only 52 percent agreed there were enough people were available in their work group to accomplish the necessary workload. In addition, only 83 percent of employees stated they had enough authority to accomplish their work.

The recession is very likely to blame for the increase in job-related stress. Since many organizations are short-staffed, employees are often asked to "do more with less." Employees may also feel stressed because they are worried about losing their job. This ongoing stress can take a huge toll on employees, their family life, and their productivity.

Stress can have a detrimentally negative impact on one's physical and mental health. Physically, stress can cause high blood pressure, suppress the immune system, and increase the risk of stroke and heart attack. Stress can also affect one's body weight, as stressed individuals often do not eat right or hit the gym, both due to stress itself and a perceived lack of time for these activities. Mentally, stress can lead to anxiety and depression.

In the workplace, stress has a negative impact on Employee Engagement levels. Even the best of employees can quickly go from Actively Engaged to Ambivalent to Disengaged after suffering from ongoing job stress. This drop in Engagement levels can lead to decreased productivity, decreased profitability, increased absenteeism, and ultimately an increase in turnover.

What can organizations do to manage stress?
Managers should take initiative to ensure their employees are not stressed due to an overwhelming workload. There are several best practices that managers and leadership teams can follow to help reduce stress levels in the workplace:

- Conduct "Stress Check-in's": Regularly meet with employees to make sure their workloads are manageable. These meetings will help employees feel comfortable talking about stress and seeking help when over-stressed. When possible, attempt to rearrange responsibilities among the team.

- Balance workloads: Managers have a tendency to rely too heavily on their star players because they know these employees will do a great job every time. However, managers often do not realize until too late that their best employees have been worked to the bone. To avoid burn-out, make sure that responsibilities are spread evenly throughout the team.

- Give employees the reigns: When employees have a sense of control over their workload, it can help to reduce their stress levels. To increase employee control, allow employees the autonomy to set their own deadlines and manage their own projects whenever possible.

- Create wellness programs: Exercising can actually reduce stress levels because it relaxes muscles and triggers the release of endorphins. Unfortunately, stressed individuals tend to avoid going to the gym, exercise tends to actually reduce stress levels because it relaxes tensed muscles and triggers the release of endorphins. Having a wellness program with incentives to participate can help to encourage employees to naturally reduce stress levels. Organizations can also offer other wellness-related programs besides gym memberships. For example, HR Solutions recently gave free massage gift certificates to all employees as recognition for their hard work. "After getting my massage, I could feel the stress melt away as my muscles relaxed," said Gabi Muftic, Account Executive at HR Solutions. "Since all our lives are overbooked and overstressed, it is important that we take a moment to just be quiet, turn off our brains, loosen our poor, hunched shoulders and relax. Management that understands and truly wants to remedy their employees' stress will result in more appreciative and engaged workers."

- Fun in the workplace: Studies have shown that laughter relaxes muscles, lowers blood pressure, and speeds the flow of oxygen through the body, which ultimately reduce stress levels. In addition, both smiling and laughing release endorphins into the brain. Offering fun activities at work can help employees see both of these benefits. To learn more about the advantages of fun in the workplace, please see the article "Fun Linked to Engagement."

The responsibility for stress management should not fall entirely on the shoulders of the management team. Employees need to take the initiative to go to their managers when they are facing a heavy workload that is a little too hard to handle. In addition, employees can take control when they learn to effectively manage their time. Staying organized, creating and following a detailed to-do list every day, and setting appropriate deadlines can all help to reduce stress levels.

Following these tips will help to create a happy, healthy, and stress-free workplace environment. When employees know how to take control of their stress, thinking about work should not cause worry or anxiety. Instead, employees can once again feel the excitement for work they felt their very first day on the job.