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How to Help Employees Deal with Common Workplace Stressors

April 8, 2022

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During these difficult times, when the world is recovering from a global healthcare crisis while facing new geopolitical issues, concerns about the future are also growing. In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic alone triggered a 25% rise in the prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). While 90% of countries surveyed by the WHO said they will include mental health and psycho-social support in their COVID-19 response plans, not all companies seem to be aware of the risks. Unlike governments, companies in the US and abroad probably have a much narrower understanding of how the pandemic, current political problems, and other issues can add to common workplace stressors and disrupt employee well-being. 

It’s true that workplace stressors exist now, just as they existed long before the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, these recent issues can deepen existing problems, creating even more uncertainties for workers everywhere, and fueling anxiety and depression among them. Furthermore, while HR managers can do nothing to solve global problems like the pandemic, they could develop new ways of solving existing problems, and help employees deal with common workplace stressors. Let’s see what are the best ways of helping workers navigate through common workplace problems and maintain happiness and productivity.

Understanding the problem

According to a recent study, workers in the US reported, during January 2022, feeling stressed (66%), burned out (56%), overwhelmed (57%), and angry (44%) at work. Almost half of the employees questioned (46%) also reported that issues related to mental balance have impacted their ability to do their job to the best of their ability in 2021. This goes to show that one of the most important issues HR professionals in the US are now facing is determining which employees are suffering from mental health issues and providing them with effective solutions to cope with and surpass those issues.

Personal finance concerns and mental health challenges were among the common workplace stressors listed by the 3,000 full-time American employees questioned as a part of the study. In fact, 55% of the workers reported they worry about their personal finances daily, while 4 in 10 workers reported that their mental and emotional health is just okay, fair, or poor. Other common stressors are heavy workload and/or long hours, unrealistic demands, structural change within the company, poor interpersonal relationships, and harassment.

Helping employees deal with stressors 

Helping those in need is not an easy task, and it may be even more difficult for HR professionals who fail to identify employees who are dealing with these issues. One of the most common mistakes many HR managers make is not addressing the stigma associated with mental issues in time. The truth is that recognizing a problem is the first step toward resolving it, but mental health issues can affect employees and go unnoticed by others, especially within an organization that fails to address stigma. So too can other common stressors appear and go on unnoticed, like workplace harassment. 

While ensuring that an organization fights against the stigma associated with mental health and other issues is an important first step, HR managers can also implement other effective measures. According to the study above, most employees questioned (73%) said they had hoped their employers provided them with more resources to help manage their finances. While many companies are indeed paying employees to get their financial lives in order, other companies seem to simply ignore this issue and the link between financial problems and workplace stress. HR managers’ actions may be vital when addressing the stigma associated with mental issues, but also when providing workers with the benefits they want and need.

Changing the future

HR professionals are well aware that they cannot change the world with a single action, nor can they solve global issues that increase anxiety and depression among workers in the US and abroad. However, acknowledging that stress already exists and that many workers are already facing mental and financial challenges may be critical when constructing a better future. HR departments can not only recognize these problems, but also provide the necessary resources to employees who are in desperate need of solutions. 

Like governments around the world that made mental health and psycho-social support part of their COVID-19 response plans, so too can organizations make financial and mental health support a part of their plan for building a better future.