Keep a look-out for signs of stress

At Finnies we can advise on many of the issues you face. Here are some thoughts on reducing stress amongst your staff members...

With the cost to UK business of stress and stress related illness estimated at billions of pounds every year, it is clearly in your interest to nip any potential problem in the bud before it starts to impact on your bottom line.

Look for the signs

Telltale signs that an employee might have a stress problem include:

Health

Symptoms such as headaches, tiredness, indigestion, or unusual weight changes

Behaviour

Signs of uncharacteristic irritability, anxiety, or depression

Self management

Difficulty in managing time or in making decisions, seems to do everything in a hurry or be flustered by apparently simple tasks

Relationships

Becoming more or less confrontational, or more or less withdrawn

If you see signs of stress a quiet chat with the person concerned and/or with his or her colleagues is often all that is needed to identify the causes.

Aggravating factors

Very often the main causes are not work-related, but there might be aggravating factors in the workplace. Research suggests such factors include:

• Having to deal with excessive red tape
• Skills shortages
• Pressure to succeed
• Deadlines
• Constant interruptions
• Lack of support
• Poor communication
• Incompetent management
• Poor internal communications

Take appropriate action

A stressed mind quickly loses perspective and easily gets things out of proportion, and although any of the above might be cited by the individual as the cause of their problem, they are very often more perceived than actual causes.

Either way you need to take appropriate action because stress in the workplace is infectious and soon starts to eat in to your bottom line.

If you are looking for support and advice from a team of professional accountants and business advisers, contact Finnies.