Everyone is adapting as best they can to a rapidly changing situation – ourselves at Gravitas included. So we, as employers, have a responsibility and a duty of care to our staff and ensure we keep an eye on how they are managing. We have put together below common signs where you can identify if the current situation is affecting any of your employees, whether they are working on site or from home.
Common Signs of Stress
- Becoming quiet and withdrawn.
- Standards of work suffering.
- Taking more sick days.
- Poor timekeeping.
- Becoming short-tempered or irritable.
- Physical complaints like headaches, nausea, tiredness or heart palpitations.
It would be quite easy to see signs of stress in an individual if they continue to work on site. But now it is likely that your staff are either working from home or furloughed. Therefore it is important to check up on them on a regular basis to ensure they are keeping in a positive mental and physical state. We are fortunate to be so advanced with technology. So whether you have to set up a video call, standard call, text or email – the differences it makes could be paramount, it would also do yourself some good.
As they say its always good to talk and share your worries. It can also contribute and help you work through them, and even overcome them. And there is more you can do. It is worth sharing the methods with your staff as well to ensure they are best prepared to cope with the mental demands.
Combat Anxiety
Firstly, its acceptable that you are worried and brushing this under the carpet. It is completely natural at a time like this. Some experts have even suggested setting aside time each day to allow yourself to worry – by letting your thoughts run wild for approximately half an hour preferably early in the morning. It helps to get the worry out of your system so you feel better for the rest of the day.
Some of the methods you could explore is meditation and practicing mindfulness, which is paying attention to the present moment and improving your mental wellbeing. Carrying out a simple 30 minute yoga excercise can help improve energy and boost morale. This results in an increased focus, natural relaxation of the mind and helping you sleep better.
One of the key elements to help is to limit the amount of news you take in. It is pointless watching the news and scrolling through constant news coverage which generally tends to be scaremongering – try to have a daily roundup if you must to stay informed about anything that affects you, your staff or your business. It is more important to control your own wellbeing and the people around you then anything further afield.