Let's face it, stress at the workplace is inevitable, from that one co-worker who won’t stop giving you their work to complete, to that customer who has a problem so big and complex it seems impossible to solve. 

You might be thinking to yourself if stress is inevitable, I should just learn to live with it. Well, that is not ideal as stress can cause problems varying from health-related issues and work-related issues. 

• Stressed employees are more likely to take up smoking and drinking to cope with the stress 
• Since they have a lot of work to do, they most probably won’t have time to exercise or prepare home-cooked meals, which will result in them eating unhealthy food and living an unhealthy lifestyle 
• Stress leads to sickness - weakened immune system, stomach aches, high blood pressure, and headaches – and this will lead to your employees calling in sick more times than you’d like 
• The work your employees produce while stressed? It most likely won’t be up to company standards as they would have done it in a rush to get it over with 

So, are you ready to see how you can help your employees in managing and reducing their stress? 

• Encourage mini-breaks

Employees can’t be expected to sit at their desks all day and not get up. They need time to take their eyes off the screens and stretch, which is why it is important to encourage short breaks throughout the day. They can be anywhere between 5 to 15 minutes, short enough that your employees can do something other than their task at hand, but not long enough that it will disrupt their work life. 

• Provide training 

If your employees don’t undergo the proper training prior to starting a project, they won’t be equipped with the tools needed to produce quality work, or, they won’t know where to start, leading to more stress and chaos. 

Here's what we do at Centrecom: Train our employees prior to the start of the project, provide them with manuals and guidelines they can reference during their day-to-day work life, and offer support and guidance in the form of Team Leaders who are always available to help the team. 

•  Open communication 

If you don’t talk to your team, how will you know when they’re stressed and overworked? It's important to hold meetings with your employees on a regular basis to give them a chance to discuss any issues they may be having. 

Stress comes and goes, what’s important is you know how to help your employees during their stressful periods, and if you’re currently feeling stressed out and looking for something that will help, enjoy this 4-minute video of adorable puppies!