Stress Awareness Month: Actions and Resources

Being Aware of Workplace Stress Is One Thing.
Taking Action Is Another. 

As Stress Awareness Month comes to an end, I want to share some information and resources with you.

First, the data:

• Over 50% of Americans are kept awake at night due to stress.
• The American Psychological Association has labeled Generation X (born 1965-1979) as “the most stress generation in the United States.”
• According to the American Institute of Stress (AIS), “numerous studies have shown that job stress is far and away the major source of stress for American adults – and it has escalated precariously over the past few decades.
• Numerous research studies have shown that workplace stress is a negative factor for optimal decision making.
• 89% of full-time employees say they have experienced burnout over the past year, according to research by workforce analytics firm Visier.
• 42% of women feel uncomfortable talking to their immediate boss about burnout, as do 30% of men.

AIS estimates that over 120,000 people die every year in the U.S. as a direct result of work-related stress! That’s 10,000 people each and every month. Businesses need to start becoming accountable for this.

It is little wonder that research from AIS shows nearly half of workers say they need help in learning how to manage stress and 42% say their coworkers need such help. This is a clarion call that organization leaders need to start taking action. But where to begin? Here are some ideas.

Actions You Can Take

1. Implement organization-wide training on coping, controlling, and managing stress.
2. Train leaders and managers in recognizing the signs of burnout.
3. If your organization doesn’t provide such training, reach out to me for individual or group coaching on identify the signals of burnout and how to help team members cope with stress.
4. Destigmatize burnout within your organization.
5. Recognize burnout as a true mental wellness issue and encourage individual mental rest or mental refresher days.
6. Normalize the use of stress-reduction techniques in your workplace, including: purposeful breathing, mental refresher breaks, leveraging Mother Nature, and meeting management best practices.
7. Encourage leaders and managers to openly discuss burnout and to be proactive in talking with individual team members exhibiting signs of stress, exhaustion, and burnout.

Resources

I have a range of resources to help you in these endeavors:

Brain Health Video Series – 10 short (5-8 minutes each) videos on Building and Maintaining Long-Term Brain Health based on my award-winning book Better Decisions Better Thinking Better Outcomes. Stress is a major negative factor for long-term brain health.

Impact of Stress on Decision Making – a 50-minute virtual webinar on how stress impacts your decision making and the steps you can take to overcome this.

Brain Health Articles – every month I post links to valuable articles on brain health, decision making, and stress management on our Recommended Brain Power and Brain Health articles page of the Caliente Leadership website.

Better Decisions Better Thinking Better Outcomes – a full-day classroom workshop or four 2-hour virtual sessions on tips and techniques for managing workplace stress and making more optimal decisions.

Being aware of the negative impact of stress on productivity, employee engagement, workplace conflict, decision making, and brain health is one thing. Taking action is another.

I can show you how to start taking appropriate action today. Let’s talk: https://calendly.com/stevenhoward