Why You Need More Stress Awareness In the Workplace This Stress Awareness Month
It's no secret that we're living through a modern-day stress epidemic, and more stress awareness in the workplace is needed. Actively finding ways to help people deal with stress at work benefits everyone (more on this later).
The World Health Organisation define workplace stress as:
“the response people may have when presented with work demands and pressures that are not matched to their knowledge and abilities and which challenge their ability to cope.” They expanded on this definition: it can also be caused “by poor work organization (the way we design jobs and work systems, and the way we manage them), by poor work design (e.g., lack of control over work processes), poor management, unsatisfactory working conditions and lack of support from colleagues and supervisors.”
Stress in the workplace isn't just that annoying email chain that won't die. It's like a rogue houseplant, slowly taking over your desk, sucking the joy out of everything. April is Stress Awareness Month and I want to bring your attention to the largest minority group in the world: disabled people. For disabled people, this rogue houseplant comes with extra thorns.
Would you feel comfortable talking about your stress-related or mental health health issues if you’ve already experienced situations of mistreatment, discrimination, bullying and harrassment? Ableism can make disabled people feel extra vulnerable in the workplace when it can often feel difficult and vulnerable to talk about their disability in the first place.
So why is more stress awareness in the workplace needed, and how can you put people, health and wellbeing at work first? This blog will help you plan an intentional Stress Awareness Month 2024!
The Latest Research on Stress and Burnout
Stress in the workplace is a huge epidemic right now. Mental Health UK published The Burnout Report in January 2024, sharing some (not so) shocking statistics.
The report found that:
Nearly half of the workers (49%) said their employer doesn’t have a plan to spot the signs of chronic stress and prevent burnout in the workplace.
Just 29% of people knew what plans their employers had in place.
A staggering 1 in four (24%) said they felt ‘unable to manage stress and pressure in the workplace’
1 in five working adults (20%) needing to take time off work due to poor mental health caused by pressure or stress in the past year.
The above shows that this is a problem that affects everyone. Your employees aren't stressed because they need kale chips and guided meditations. They're stressed because of work.
If your employees feel ‘unable to manage stress and pressure in the workplace’ or need to take time off caused by pressure or stress in the past year, it’s time to look at what you are or aren’t doing to support them.
So where you can start when tackling stress in the workplace feels like a huge mountain? Two words. Psychological Safety. According to Forbes, 'psychological safety is the ability to bring your full self to work, take risks and allow yourself to be vulnerable without fear of negative consequences.'
US surveys carried out since 2021 show that it's lacking in the workplace today and recent UK research does not show much difference regarding the current impact of stress and lack of psychological safety:
Many employees experience burnout, but lack of comfort in discussing it hinders support. 50% of UK employees report experiencing burnout symptoms due to greater job demands and expectations, lack of social interaction and lack of boundaries between work and home life (MHFA England), yet over half (58%) are uncomfortable discussing mental health at work (The Harris Poll). More open communication about mental health in the workplace is needed, as are better support systems for employees who are struggling.
Presenteeism is a prevalent issue, with employees working while unwell. Nearly half of employees (46%) admit to going to work despite not feeling well enough to perform their duties (CIPD), highlighting the issue of presenteeism and its potential impact on productivity and overall health. How can you create a culture where it’s ok for employees to take time off when they are sick?
Many organisations lack mental health initiatives, despite their potential benefits. Almost 1 in 5 or 20% of organisations have no initiatives in place to address employee health and wellbeing (CIPD), despite evidence of a £5 return in reduced absenteeism and presenteeism on investment for every £1 invested in such interventions (Deloitte). This suggests that there is a need for more awareness of the benefits of mental health initiatives, and for more support for businesses to implement them.
All in all, if you put the mental and emotional health of your employees first, and find ways to encourage psychological safety, you'll gain a competitive market edge (simply because not enough businesses focus their efforts on actively saying no to stress and burnout).
Stress Awareness in the Workplace: The Disability Edition
On top of the usual stressful situations it naturally brings, the workplace can be a challenging place for disabled people, bringing a considerable amount of extra stress. It’s not so much the being disabled part, but more the being in the workplace, where there are often barriers and ableist beliefs and attitudes.
It's not just physical inaccessibility, though that's often present in the form of stairs without ramps, narrow doorways or inaccessible bathrooms. There are layers of cultural assumptions, implicit biases and a lack of understanding about diverse needs.
Communication hurdles can arise from neurodivergence, hearing impairments or reliance on assistive technologies that colleagues might not be familiar with. Mental health conditions might necessitate flexible work arrangements or accommodations, met with confusion or resistance. The pressure to prove competence and overcome stereotypes adds another layer, often leading to exhaustion and feelings of isolation.
This is all against the backdrop of a system that often prioritises "one size fits all" solutions, leaving disabled employees to constantly advocate for their inclusion and accessibility. It often requires immense resilience and resourcefulness, just to reach the starting line on equal footing with non-disabled colleagues.
Part of the problem is that not everyone has this awareness of the barriers and an understanding of ableism, and therefore diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are not necessarily at the top of the priority list. It’s going to take more conversations for awareness to grow, and more action implemented for change to happen.
All of the above create a perfect recipe for mental health problems in the workplace, that don't only affect people and their quality of life, but also your bottom line. Think about the results you would get if people were working more from a place of happiness, health and increased emotional stability, with less or improved work-related stress, depression and anxiety.
How Are You Planning to Ditch the Performative Wellness Fluff and Do Something Real?
If your employees are constantly stressed, the responsibility lies with you. Unrealistic deadlines, micromanagement and a lack of support and empathy are the real stress triggers, not a lack of lavender oil diffusers.
Happy, healthy employees are productive, loyal and engaged. Stressed-out robots? Not so much. The good news is that stress management for disabled people also works for all people.
Ask your employees about what's causing them stress. Listen intently to the answers and actively make adjustments for them.
Respect boundaries. No late-night emails, period.
Offer flexible work arrangements. Options like remote work and flexible hours are associated with better mental health and wellbeing for employees (CIPD). Let people breathe outside the office. Flexibility benefits everyone.
Promote healthy communication. Encourage open dialogue, not just a "yes-man" culture.
Recognise and reward good work. Don't take dedication for granted.
Invest in mental health resources, like on-site therapy or employee assistance programs.
Build trust by being open and honest about your own experiences with mental health and stress.
Encourage breaks, light exercise and/or anything else that might reduce people's stress.
1 Hack For Tackling Workplace Stress in Your Organisation (That You Can Do Right Now)
Have a sense that someone is struggling? If you're noticing the signs of stress in one of your employees, schedule a chat and let them know it's just to check in with how they're doing or feeling. If you want to go a step further with tackling workplace stress, get workplace well-being one-to-one sessions booked across your whole organisation, and create a personalised workplace well-being plan for every employee. Show them that you're 100% committed to making their work life (and in turn, their life) easier, tailoring support to the individual.
When you invest your time and resources in well-being at work for all your employees, you might be surprised at the positive outcomes this generates for your business.
Of course, offering free meditation apps is great, as long as that’s not the only thing you’re doing. The foundations of effective stress management in the workplace are needed before adding the extra tools and resources.
Need Expert Support?
Are you feeling overwhelmed by the whole "stress-free workplace for everyone" thing? Is it figuring out how to talk about accessibility without it feeling awkward, or worrying you'll get it wrong? Setting up mental health resources that work? Or maybe just getting your team comfortable with more open communication?
Whatever it is, I'm here to help build a plan to help you become a more inclusive employer, offering a blend of lived experience as a disabled person, years of project management experience and a strategic, personalised approach to your business.
If you're not sure what you need, check out my Work With Me page where you'll also find the projects I've worked on, and scroll down to open the form and get in touch! Not ready to work with me yet? Have a read of my blog on access and inclusion initiatives to plan into your workflow.