Q&A: Why businesses should help manage employee work-stress
Dr. Gina Di Giulio, Director of Psychology at Medcan, talks about the importance of stress management in the workplace.
This month, we chatted with Dr. Gina Di Giulio, Director of Psychology at Medcan, to discuss why employee stress management should be a priority for every business.
1. What are the common causes of stress at work?
Stress management is the number one reason people seek psychological services from Medcan. There is a lot of stress in employees—primarily in executives. There are a number of reasons for this, and could be any of the following in no particular order:
- Low salaries
- Job insecurity
- Excessive workloads, with employees feeling that they don’t have enough time to do their work
- Few opportunities for growth or advancement
- If their work isn’t engaging enough or challenging enough, or where an employee feels that the demands of the job don’t match their capabilities or their strengths
- Lack of social support at work
- Not having enough control over job related decisions
- Conflicting demands or unclear performance expectations
- Difficult relationships at work such as difficulties with other co-workers or having a difficult boss
2. How does employee stress impact business?
Stress is really the number one factor that will determine whether or not employees miss work.
For example: 500,000 Canadians will miss work this week due to stress related or mental health related issues, according to The Mental Health Commission of Canada. Elevated levels of stress can also cause or worsen health related issues such as depression, heart disease, or diabetes.
If employers are not proactive in helping to manage their employees’ stress, then they’re going to have to deal with the additional effects of stress that can directly impact their profitability, such as disengagement from work, absenteeism, or turnover.
Three out of four short-term disability claims are due to workplace stress or mental health related issues at work. The economic cost of this to employers is $51 billion annually in Canada, according to the Government of Canada. The cost of not recognizing this is astronomical.
3. What are some methods that employers can use to encourage stress management in their employees?
First and foremost, lead by example. It’s important for managers and team leaders to manage their own emotions and stress so that they can model positive health and wellness behaviours to their employees. Things like exercising during lunch, or during a time when your employees can see you doing so. Make sure that they take vacations, go offline on weekends and evenings, and more.
I think one of the things I hear from my clients the most often is that their managers or their bosses communicate with them after work hours, and they set up this expectation that they’re going to be available 24/7. That causes an insurmountable amount of stress. Go offline. Don’t communicate with your employees after hours. It’s one of the most important things that employers can do.
It’s also important to keep lines of communication open so that employees are encouraged to speak with someone if they feel stressed or if they feel overwhelmed, as opposed to having to hide it or deal with it on their own.
4. What ways can stress management change a company’s culture?
All of us experience workplace stress from time to time—it’s normal. But some people feel like they’re the only ones who are experiencing it and therefore are less likely to talk about it.
If you recognize the early warning signs, you can stabilize the experience of stress, and encourage employees to act early. Additionally, it can also encourage employees to ask for help if they need it. It can create a heightened sense of community within an organization—one of care and concern where employees are looking out and caring for one another.
