Employee stress has always been a concern for business leaders, as stress can lead to low productivity and high turnover. However, managing employee stress has become more important than ever before. Use these strategies to help reduce stress for your team members.  

Create a Stress Management Resource Center  

Work with HR to provide resources on stress management, self-care and mental health. This can be housed on your employee portal, or if you don’t have a portal, it can be sent out via email. When choosing resources, make sure to use authoritative sources only like the CDC, The National Institute of Health (NIH), The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and your state’s health department.  

Work Closely with Your Health Insurance Provider  

Health insurance companies have expanded telemedicine and other resources for subscribers. Talk to your benefits administrator about the features of your employee benefits program that could help employees deal with stress and uncertainty. It is likely your provider has a resource center on their own website that you can share. 

Communicate Changes in Expectations  

There was a time when a screaming child in the background of a conference call was considered poor form. There was also a time when people working remotely were expected to adhere to their regular working hours. It’s likely that your company has relaxed many of those norms in the wake of lockdown, but some employees may not know (or believe) that you’ve changed those expectations.  

Be clear about work that must be completed on time but also make it clear that the company understands that it can be impossible to sit at a desk for eight straight hours when you have a house full of people. Consider sharing some of your own work-from-home mishaps to illustrate that you understand their struggles.  

Talk about the Future  

One of the biggest stressors for employees is the worry about the future. They may be concerned about the safety of working onsite, they might worry about the future of the company and their job security. Be transparent about where things stand and what your plans are as things move forward.  

It will be extremely important to talk about workplace safety as more people begin to return to work. If you do not have a plan in place, now is the time to work with HR to get one laid out. Then, communicate your strategies for workplace safety clearly and give employees the opportunity to ask questions. No one can predict the future, but it is much less stressful for people if they can picture what that future might be like.  

Stay Fully Staffed  

Many companies had to reduce staff in early 2020, which is leading to burnout among remaining staff. You can help reduce stress by leveraging short-term contract professionals to help ease the burden. If you are looking for full-time or contract engineering or technical talent, PEAK Technical Staffing can help. Contact us today to learn more.