Top 10 tips to handling employee stress

As we’ve just passed February 2 and the running joke was, haven’t we been living our own Ground Hog Days – get up, get to work, get to bed, except often we haven’t left the house. Here we are, almost a year into most of us working remotely and each day has basically been the same – except no Bill Murray, no Punxsutawney Phil. And life is not a movie. 

In this, our fourth in a series of articles on managing in the new working-from home paradigm, we look at stress and how managers can help teammates with stress.

We are experiencing an epic case of “cabin fever”. To varying degrees, we are all experiencing depression, isolation, demotivation, anxiety, and irritability. We normally associate “cabin fever” with a limited timeframe of only a couple of weeks, usually occurring in mid-winter, not the year-long version we are quickly heading towards. Compounding all of this, COVID continues to add fear, anger, cynicism, and resentment to the mix.

The combined effect of all of this is an astounding level of stress that is accumulating, not dissipating. We are now looking at the possibility that up to 20% of the population may come out the other side of this pandemic with symptoms like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Stress, if managed usually in short bursts, has its benefits. Adrenaline junkies, as an example, thrive on stress. However, prolonged and uninterrupted stress creates problems. In addition to emotional issues, it can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and high blood pressure. It can even lower the immune system’s ability to fight off viral infections like the flu and, ironically, COVID19.

A more practical concern for managers of remote workers, is that stress impairs short-term memory creation, memory recall, the ability to multitask, and make decisions. These are significant issues which can affect an employee’s productivity.

When you look at your staff during your virtual meetings what are you seeing? Do you still see the same bright, engaged individuals from last year? Do you see hope and optimism? Or do you see resignation and uncertainty?

Managers must be able to identify the signs of stress in their remote workforce and try to help employees navigate this difficult time. Here are some easy tips that managers can share with their teams that can help manage stress:

1. Set an alarm at the end of the workday that helps establish a work-life balance so that work does not blend into much needed down-time.
2. Eat healthy, an unfortunate by-product of the pandemic has been weight gain, which can lead to self-image problems and increased depression.
3. Exercise regularly, even if it’s a short walk, as exercise causes the release of “feel-good” hormones.
4. Keep a routine sleep schedule.
5. Set a weekly calendar invite to connect with family and friends virtually, while not as effective for relieving stress as a physical presence, doing it virtually is the next best thing.
6. Set small attainable daily goals, for example – get outside everyday.
7. Reflect on the things in life that create contentment, such as children, pets, hobbies, etc. and write them down to remember.
8. Limit your time with news feeds, it’s important to remain informed, but it’s also important to take a break.
9. Practice box breathing as it’s a quick way to reduce stress and increase focus.
10. Remember this is for now, not forever, remind teammates to go easy on themselves, they are not in this alone, and there is no shame in expressing their feelings.

Remember, our current circumstance only seems endless. We will get past this. Those managers who show their staff empathy now and yet can still get optimal productivity from them will reap benefits now and beyond the pandemic.