According to the Harvard Business Review, stress among employees in the workplace can cause low creativity and innovation, burnout, and high turnover. Obviously, this is what companies would like to avoid. Below are a few tips on how to create a work environment that will reduce stress and promote productivity.
1. Set Goals. When managers make time with each employee to set attainable goals and provide a clear path of achieving them, this creates a sense of psychological safety. When your employees feel safe to express their ideas or concerns, it will increase creativity and innovation in the workplace.
2. Take Regular Breaks. The human brain can only focus for so long before it needs to rest, especially with the amount of screen time we face today. It’s essential to get up and reset your mind a few times throughout the day. These can be short breaks, just 20 seconds of taking your eyes off the computer, or longer breaks to go on a short walk. Getting up and moving around is an excellent way for the body to feel recharged.
3. Be Transparent. Studies show that when company leaders communicate to their employees with clear intentions of their roles, employee engagement rises. Employees want insight on the company\'s status and to understand how their role directly correlates to the success of the organization. Some information might be too confidential to share, but give employees enough information, so they feel safe and secure in their job.
4. Give Recognition. People want to know that their efforts are being noticed. Recognizing hard work and contributions in the workplace will allow your employees to feel valued and connected, and ultimately decrease turnover. This doesn’t mean you have to go all out, but a simple “you’re doing a great job” goes a long way.
5. Develop A Sense of Purpose. Make sure your
employees are motivated by more than their paycheck. This idea can relate to
goal setting, as mentioned above. When you set goals with your employees, see
what intentions they have outside of the workplace and learn how you can help
them get there. Connect the daily tasks of the workplace to the outside world.