According to the American Institute of Stress, job-related stress is the number one source of stress for adults. It reduces productivity, increases employee turnover and causes health problems. So you want to keep it in check at your company. The five tips below can help.
- Improve time management. Many employees feel overwhelmed by the huge amount of work they need to do. Simply keeping a running list of top priorities for the team or holding a 15-minute meeting every morning can help everyone focus rather than feel as though they’re flo undering all day.
- Allow pets at the office. Cats and dogs can lower blood pressure and reduce depression. Since most employees enjoy having them in the office, pets also improve employee interactivity. Before allowing Fluffy or Fido at your company, just make sure no one has pet allergies.
- Offer a yoga class. Practitioners of yoga feel calmer and more relaxed. Since yoga teachers abound in the Bay Area, finding one to teach at your office a couple of times a week should be easy and relatively inexpensive.
- Have fun and Improve Collaboration. Go on a field trip to a museum, attend a sporting event or visit a comedy club with the team. It will relieve workplace stress and help build camaraderie. It’s important to note that improving collaboration in the office is important. In order to improve collaboration start to think about the lay out of your office. Switching to an open floor plan from a cubicle model could help. Or you can adopt a hybrid design that allows for private work spaces interspersed with open areas for collaborative work.
- Provide healthy snacks. When we are stressed, we usually reach for the sugary treats, salty snacks and soda cans. Stock the kitchen with healthier choices, like fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, filtered water and unsweetened tea.