strategies for managing stress in the workplace

Stress significantly impacts our physical and mental health and wellbeing, and in the workplace, can impact both productivity and revenue. This course will give professionals, managers, executives and those interested in personal development valuable strategies for managing stress in the workplace.

Our Certificate of Stress Management will give you insights into the psychological, emotional and physiological aspects of stress to boost your self-awareness and help you develop techniques to reduce its impacts — in the workplace, but also in your personal life.

In this stress management course, you will learn to identify the physical and emotional signs of stress and implement lifestyle, relationship and career management strategies to minimise it. You will also learn how relaxation and nutrition can enhance wellbeing and reduce the impacts of stress.

Learning Outcomes

Outcomes achieved by studying strategies for managing stress in the workplace include:

• Learning about body changes
• Exploring stressors
• Gaining an understanding of the symptoms of stress
• Studying fight or flight response
• Examining health and wellbeing
• Understanding stress and the immune system
• Attaining knowledge of lifestyle and stress
• Gaining insights into anxiety and stress
• Learning about self-image
• Exploring relaxation
• Gaining an understanding of exercise and hobbies
• Studying how to control stress
• Examining acupressure
• Understanding alcohol and other drugs
• Attaining knowledge of self esteem
• Gaining insights into stress and perfectionism
• Learning about altering perceptions
• Exploring the body and self esteem
• Gaining an understanding of social support
• Studying how to build self-esteem in others
• Examining career management
• Understanding work satisfaction
• Attaining knowledge of standing out at work
• Gaining insights into self-assurance
• Learning about self-analysis
• Exploring decision making
• Gaining an understanding of strategic thinking
• Studying nutrition
• Examining balanced diets
• Understanding healthy eating
• Attaining knowledge of weight management
• Gaining insights into anger management
• Learning about personality and stress
• Exploring personality types
• Gaining an understanding of the ideal self
• Studying personality traits
• Examining genes and personality
• Understanding personality disorders
• Attaining knowledge of personality index
• Gaining insights into personal inventory styles
• Learning about introversion and extraversion

And more!

Workplace burnout statistics – Australia 2021

First, let’s clarify what the word “burnout” means. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), it is an “occupational phenomenon” that results from chronic workplace stress. WHO describes symptoms of burnout as “energy depletion and exhaustion, increased mental disturbance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism and cynicism related to one’s job, and reduced professional efficacy”.

As the effects of the pandemic wear on, workplace burnout rates continue to rise across Australia. And it has serious consequences for businesses as well as employees. Statistics gathered by the Australia and New Zealand Autonomy of Work Index 2021 found that “92% of serious mental health concerns in the Australian workplace are attributed to work-related stressors. Alongside the individual impact, these conditions cost businesses $10.9 billion per year”.

The report also found that fifty per cent of respondents said they were overworked (a key factor of burnout), with one in three saying they aren’t able to disconnect from work. The pandemic has also affected this second factor, with enforced remote work blurring the lines between home and work life.

The report also suggests that the pandemic has fast-tracked the digital workplace. Employees are now switching between multiple apps, multiple times a day. This constant shifting can lead to several issues, including impeding ability, disrupting focus and depleting concentration. 

Signs of workplace burnout

Career burnout can build up quite slowly over time, and the very nature of it can make it mentally and physically challenging to draw on the energy you need to address it. Signs of workplace burnout include:

• Depletion – feeling drained, not sleeping well, lacking focus and energy and becoming sick.
• Detachment – not enjoying work anymore, isolating yourself, feeling pessimistic and being critical and cranky with people around you.
• Ineffectiveness – being less productive, missing a sense of satisfaction, feeling apathetic and becoming snowed under at work.

Common causes of burnout

Everybody’s experience of workplace burnout is different, but some of the common causes are:

• Poor work-life balance
• Lack of support
• Mental health challenges
• Feeling constantly overwhelmed by your workload
• Expectations of working longer hours
• Taking on more work than you can handle
• Not taking breaks/leave when you need to

8 ways to reduce burnout

In terms of strategies for managing stress in the workplace, small steps can encourage positive changes without you feeling overwhelmed, including:

1. Identifying the sources of burnout. Try to work out where your stress is coming from — make a list. Then identify one thing you can do to address pressure against one or more of the things on your list. A good tip is to start small and work your way up to more significant actions when you are comfortable.
2. Asking for help. Keeping things to yourself can often make you feel worse and limit opportunities for recovery. Find a trusted friend, leader, manager or colleague (perhaps someone in HR?) and speak to them about what you’re experiencing. Sometimes just verbalising your worries and issues can make a world of difference. Management may also be able to explore options that can help — for example, taking on additional staff, instigating training options, or allowing you to work from home for some portion of your working week. You can also make use of employee assistance programs, such as those offered by the Employee Assistance Professional Association of Australia (EAPAA).
3. Setting boundaries. Burnout can be overwhelming, so consciously setting boundaries and committing to saying no to any additional demands made of you can be a great start.
4. Knowing your workplace rights and responsibilities. Both employees and employers have formal rights and responsibilities under privacy, discrimination, and work health and safety legislation. Understanding these can help you keep your workplace safe through knowing what your obligations are and recognising if your rights have been breached in any way.
5. Switching off technology. We all need a break from work to de-stress and unwind. This is particularly the case with email use. None of us should be expected to receive and send work emails at all hours. Some tips around email use include:

• Not adding your work emails to your personal mobile.
• Don’t make checking work emails a habit or part of your routine outside of work.
• Don’t let late-night emails become part of your work culture.
• Try prioritising any actions if you have to check your emails during personal time.

6. Finding healthy ways to cope with stress. Seeking out positive emotions with wellbeing activities can improve your overall mental resilience. Some to try include:

• Finding a new hobby
• Learning something new
• Showing kindness
• Connecting more with family or friends
• Practising mindfulness
• Embracing nature
• Delaying any major life changes
• Resolving personal conflicts
• Managing your work-life balance
• Trying relaxation techniques

7. Taking care of your health. One of the important strategies for managing stress in the workplace is eating, sleeping and increasing your physical activity. Physical exercise stimulates the release of chemicals in our brains, such as serotonin and endorphins, which elevate our mood. Exercise also improves sleep which plays a crucial role in boosting mood. Your diet can also affect your mood. Research has shown that mental health is improved when people embrace a healthy diet full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fish, legumes and olive oil.
8. Understanding you’re not in it alone. Burnout can be extremely overwhelming; however, there are lots of external support services available, including from BeyondBlue and Head to Health.

 

Gain a comprehensive understanding of how to identify and minimise stress in your professional life by learning about strategies for managing stress in the workplace with our Certificate of Stress Management.