According to a recent survey conducted by Deloitte, titled Global Human Capital Trends 2015, 65% of corporate executives reported feeling anxious and stressed due to the always connected work environment they function in.
Here is how line managers can reduce stress at the workplace, thereby ensuring that employees are able to perform optimally:
1. Changing the work environment. It is important that employees are allowed to ‘disconnect’ from their surroundings for a few hours daily. This will enable them to work with single-minded focus, which is especially important for projects that require creative thinking or meticulous calculations. It is the supervisor’s responsibility to ensure that the team’s time is spent on completing deliverables in time, instead of spending hours in meetings, follow-ups and correspondence.
2. Simplifying organizational systems. The Survey identified ‘unnecessary paperwork and approval requirements’ as the two main reasons that cause work delay and stress. HR managers as well as department heads need to understand the value of their employees’ time and learn to delegate operational decisions, instead of requiring a documented approval every time a task has to be completed. An organization that has successfully done this is Adobe, where several steps in the performance appraisal process were eliminated, saving time and allowing managers to focus on strategic planning.
3. Developing social support systems. Many international and a few local organizations have included organizational counseling, mentoring and buddy systems in their company manual. These practices provide a confidential and interactive forum where employees can voice grievances without fearing a backlash, while getting much-needed guidance in how to complete assignments.
4. Providing customised benefits. Standard Compensation and Benefits Programmes are no longer effective in keeping employees motivated and committed to their work. Managers need to understand the priorities of their subordinates and then tailor the benefits plan for each one. For instance, an on-site day-care facility will outweigh monetary increments for a mother, while sponsored vacations and flexible timings will incentivise a young, new hire.
By Zeeshan Lakhpaty. The writer is a professional corporate trainer and international speaker.