Whilst it’s always a good idea to speak to your manager about your specific struggles at work, there are a number of things you can do to reduce work-related stress and promote general wellbeing.
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Maintaining good working relationships
An open, authentic and supportive workplace culture is key to keeping people happy at work. Working in a toxic environment is one of the key contributing factors to sickness absence, extended sick leave, and resignation.
To feel comfortable at work, it’s important that you feel everyone is treated with equal respect and consideration. Whenever that isn’t the case, it’s equally important that you feel comfortable in raising any issues or concerns (whether they’re related to how you’re being treated or how you have witnessed others being treated), and that your employer acts accordingly, not tolerating bullying or discrimination.
For more information and guidance on how you can foster strong relationships at work, and what to do if you feel you’re being discriminated against, visit our ‘Relationships at Work’ guide here.
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Being clear on your role
A lot of workplace stress can be related to lacking clarity on your role and what’s expected of you, or being asked to carry out tasks that are unrelated to your role.
If this is the case, consider approaching your manager and requesting a meeting to discuss your job role, responsibilities and expectations, so you can be sure everyone is on the same page.
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Communicating when things are becoming too much
For a lot of people, the go-to response when their task board is overflowing or things are becoming overwhelming at work is to bottle up their stress, keep their head down at work and then vent to friends and family members about how stressed they are when they get home.
But bottling things up can lead to bigger problems, including loss of motivation and, potentially, unintentional outbursts later down the line when the emotions become more difficult to manage.
Your employer can’t make changes or provide you with the support you need if they aren’t aware of what needs to change. Communicating honestly as soon as you start to feel stressed will help your employer to take action faster and prevent things from escalating to an unhealthy point where you’re having to take time away from work or considering leaving your job.
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Pursuing training and development opportunities
Investing your time into personal and professional development opportunities is another great way to maintain good mental health both inside and outside of work.
Without a clear pathway for progression, we can end up feeling stuck and might even begin to question the purpose and the value of the work we do.
Setting out a clean plan for your professional development will give you something to work towards, which can increase your motivation and boost your passion and performance at work.
If training and development isn’t something that’s been discussed with you, try setting up a meeting with your manager to talk about your ambitions and the opportunities that will help you to achieve them.
