How managers can help a stressed workforce

17th April 2023

This Stress Awareness Month we sat down with Emma Mamo, our Assistant Director of Workplace & Business Development at SAMH, to discuss how managers and senior leaders can prioritise their own and their team's wellbeing.

Stress Awareness Month has been held every April since 1992 to raise awareness of the causes and cures for our modern-day stress epidemic. It’s a time when we have an opportunity for an open conversation on the impact of stress and challenge the guilt, shame, and stigma around mental health.

Stress and burnout

Most roles have an element of pressure, such as targets or deadlines, but stress is when you feel that what is being asked of you is more than you are equipped to deal with. You may have the sensation that the demands outweigh the resources and time you have. Stress can also relate to not feeling in control. In some cases, stress can affect our physical and mental health, and even lead to burn out. 

Therefore, recognising when the pressure is too great is key to being able to do something about it. Like taking a break or speaking to another manager or trusted colleague for support. It’s always okay to ask.

Burnout isn’t technically a diagnosis, but instead refers to a collection of symptoms. You may feel exhausted, have little motivation for your job, feel irritable or anxious and you may see a dip in your work performance. It can also spill over to impact your personal life.

Managing stress

Work is increasingly complex – what we mean by work, and by workplaces, has been changing rapidly in recent years due to advances in technologies and the creation of new types of jobs. Almost overnight, COVID-19 accelerated home and flexible working, which was welcome for some but has always been a paradox – it offers workers more control on one hand, but can lead to a blurring of boundaries between your work and home life on the other.

People are complex, and our mental health is too, so employers need to offer tailored solutions, which can only be achieved through managers having good conversations with their team members.

As a manager, you could try normalising conversations about mental health by weaving them into everyday people and team management processes. Here are some suggestions you may find helpful.

Individual support

You could explore developing a Wellness Action Plan with each member of your team. This should cover:

• what keeps them well at work
• any workplace triggers for poor mental health or stress
• early warning signs of poor mental health that you or others can look out for
• potential impact of poor mental health on their performance, if any
• what support they need from you, as their line manager, and what steps they can take

Team meetings

You could add a standing item to team meetings to allow people to talk as a group about mental wellbeing and stress. This will help embed positive attitudes towards mental health and normalise conversations on the subject

Team action plan

As a manager, you could ask your team:

• what they think a mentally healthy team looks like, in terms of values and behaviours
• what they think the team does well to promote good mental health, and how you can build on this together
• what they think is having a negative impact on the team’s mental wellbeing

You could then ask team members to group the issues that are having a negative impact under the following headings:

• what do we have control over?
• what can we influence?
• what issues are beyond our control or influence?

The factors that you have control and influence over can then become part of your action plan. For the factors that are beyond your control or influence, it might be helpful to discuss how to manage people’s responses to them. This might include sharing breathing exercises, relaxation techniques or how to practice acceptance.

Looking after yourself

Taking care of your own mental health is important, as you cannot pour from an empty cup. Also, by demonstrating self-care and prioritising your own wellbeing, you can show colleagues that it’s important – and acceptable – to make time to look after themselves, too.

This might mean setting clear boundaries by finishing work on time and not sending emails or work communications ‘out of hours’. It can also include making time to do the things that give you energy or give you a sense of purpose; the 5 ways to wellbeing are a good place to start.

It’s also key to understand your stress response – when you feel stressed or mentally unwell, do you feel anger or frustration? If so, then doing something calming will help. If you experience a low mood then find something that energises you. If you find yourself ruminating, try practising mindfulness.

All of this is very individual so take time to regularly check in with yourself and assess how you’re feeling. You can then take the most appropriate steps to look after yourself, so you can look after others in turn.

SAMH Workplace offers cost-effective solutions to support your organisation, regardless of size, and can offer virtual or in-person training. Please email workplacetraining@samh.org.uk to find out how we can support you. You can also check out our new Workplace Training 2023 catalogue