Managing Stress at Work
Employee stress is a growing concern for businesses today. According to the American Institute of Stress, stress in the workplace can lead to: Mistakes and lack of concentration Decreased productivity, especially with absenteeism and “presenteeism” Disengagement and turnover Inflammation and chronic disease There is a lot that business owners and managers can do to help address stress in the workplace, but don’t wait for your employer to tackle it. Take your mental health into your own hands. Vacation First, take your vacation! According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, the US has the lowest number of vacation days in the world (and some of the highest stress levels, according to a Gallup World Poll), and we don’t even use all of our vacation. How many of us carry over vacation days? Or worse, have colleagues who brag about how little vacation they have used? It might end up impacting their health and well being. Recovery for Peak Performance Still not convinced to take that vacation time? Even top athletes know that peak performance is based on using periods of rest and recovery to counter the days they exert more (aka stress). Recovery is an important element of peak performance. Vacation days are part of that recovery. Self-care is also part of building in that recovery day in [...]