All employees have to deal with stress, but some are better than others at handling stress in the workplace. In South Africa, with factors like a weak economy, and the rise of traffic congestion on the roads, employees are living in stressful times. Stress can result in various physical symptoms like headaches, increased blood pressure, and trouble sleeping. While pressure at work can be unavoidable due to the demands of the modern work environment, the following are things you can do to reduce stress in your workplace.

Encourage workplace wellness

Encouraging your workers to exercise and to have a healthy diet is one of the best things you can do to lower stress in your office. Exercise not only improves people’s moods, but it can also take employees’ minds off of daily stresses. You can encourage your workers to take walks during lunch breaks, or you can bring a yoga instructor into your office regularly. Providing your employees with healthy snacks in the office is also a huge perk. A study reported that a huge percentage of employees felt very happy when their employer regularly provided them with healthy snack options. A few companies offer their employees massages at least once a month, which helps towards tension release and general workplace enjoyment.

Revamp your office space

The work environment is a great contributor to work-related stress. Look into every aspect of your office space and how it affects the wellness of your staff. Simple things like the quality of your internet connectivity, the height of the cubicle walls, or office lighting can contribute to the stress levels of your employees. Revamp your office with a calming colour scheme, a relaxing social space, or additional TV screens. If your space allows you to, consider getting a ping pong or football table that will allow your staff to take their mind off stressful tasks for a few minutes. Any office updates that provide  employees with a space to take a breather will leave them feeling less stressed.

Introduce flexible hours and remote working

Allowing your employees to work from home and giving them flexible start and end times is great for office morale. This policy lets employees know that you have enough confidence in them to do their jobs well and in a timely manner — which is what you hired them for. Let them prove this. Your office shouldn’t feel like a strict, controlled environment, but rather a place that facilitates getting a task done. Your staff should know that their job is defined by the quality and timeliness of their work, and not when they clock in.

Create a quiet space

It’s vital to have a quiet space where your employees can take a break. You can have a small room or an outdoor bench where employees can have the opportunity to take stress-free breaks from the chaos of the day. It can be a room where they can take a nap or have a quiet lunch. 

Encourage social activity

Employees spend a large portion  of their time together at work, and the more comfortable they are around each other the more they’ll be able to rally around each during stressful times. You should have social activities that give coworkers an opportunity to get to know each other. This ensures that communication barriers are broken down, making it easier for employees to interact in the office environment.

There you have it, try and implement any of these five stress relieving techniques into your work environment and you’ll notice the difference in stress levels. Your employees will be much less stressed at work.