Your employees are tough, but everyone has a breaking point. If you’ve recently noticed a change for the worst in your staffers, there’s a good chance stress is to blame. In addition to obvious stressors, such as a heavy workload, lack of training for the job and long work hours, many other factors can contribute to on-the-job stress, including the absence of meaningful work, lack of appreciation, and a poor physical working environment.
Stress can lead to burnout, poor performance, high levels of turnover and a myriad of serious health concerns, so it’s important to be cognizant of changes in employee behaviors. Warning signs often start subtly, eventually working their way up to a full-blown crisis; keep a close watch on your team and step in if you notice even a slight change for the worst.
If your employees exhibit any of these four common indicators of stress, take action to alleviate the situation immediately.
Frequent Illnesses
Stress takes a serious toll on the body. If the number of sick days your employees have been taking has recently gone through the roof, this is probably not a coincidence. Some people may actually be sick, while others are probably calling off because they need a “mental health day” away from their anxiety-inducing job.
Heighted Irritability
Things probably aren’t so pleasant around your office if your once fun and lively staffers now seem to be in a perpetually bad mood. Disagreements happen in every workplace, but constant bickering and backstabbing shouldn’t be a cornerstone of your company culture. Stress can bring out the worst in people, and this is a prime example.
Decreased Quality of Work
Happy, engaged employees care about the work they submit, but those under a tremendous amount of stress just want to get the job done. If you’re no longer impressed by the quality of work completed by your staffers, stop blaming them and get to the root of the problem. People don’t stop taking pride in their work for no reason, but stress can cause even the hardest workers to struggle.
Low Morale
Employee attitudes are a key indicator of their well-being. If your team used to be bursting with creative ideas and excited to share them in staff meetings, but now they have nothing to contribute and seem bored, something is up. Stress can zap the enthusiasm from even the most passionate employees, causing them to feel helpless and stop caring.
Partner with Barrington Staffing if you’re searching for top talent in Thousand Oaks, Burbank, Valencia, West Los Angeles or the San Fernando Valley. As a locally owned and operated company, we’re proud to offer our clients individualized staffing service, because we know a one-size-fits-all approach just doesn’t work.
