How workers have reacted to what has happened during the last year and a half demonstrated their high adaptability. Most companies had to adapt to remote work in record time, and their employees had to learn to balance professional and personal life. Although this transition has been successful for many organizations, some studies show that it has been a cause of great stress for a high percentage of employees worldwide.
Recognizing the symptoms is the first step towards prevention: stress can manifest itself almost imperceptibly. Some common symptoms are irritability, increased absenteeism, and lack of concentration, which can ultimately cause burnout, frequent errors when performing basic tasks, loss of enthusiasm, and an overall lack of commitment.
Although the pace and intensity of work are unlikely to change very soon, research suggests that some activities can help employees reduce their stress levels. Focusing on their development and growth would seem to be the best possible answer.
Give them some free time to focus on what makes them feel good. Remote work often requires our attention even outside business hours, but even the best need to rest and devote time to themselves. So make sure your people have time for themselves, their families, and their personal life so they can perform at their best during business hours.
Always Communicate. If you think your workforce might be stressed, the first thing you should do is ask your teammates for their feedback. Many are the reasons that could lead them to feel this way: the need for more social interaction, lighter workloads, or the need for more time to devote to themselves. Your job then is to listen to their concerns and find solutions that work for everyone.
According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, employees’ working day has increased by 48 minutes every day compared to before the pandemic. Managers should be aware of this situation and learn to evaluate when it is not appropriate to assign excessive workloads.
Normalize ‘monotasking’ to allow greater focus on individual activities. JoAnn Deak, a neuroscientist, educational researcher, and essays author noted how multitasking doubles the errors and the time it takes to perform a task. As a manager, you can encourage your colleagues to carry out one activity at a time, helping them to define clear objectives and priorities and defining goals that do not overlap.
Exercising kind acts is fundamental and showing empathy with your people increases their engagement and motivation. According to research carried out by the University of New South Wales, the ability of leaders to devote more time to recognize the goals achieved by their people, welcoming feedback, and encouraging collaboration would increase both business productivity and people’s motivation. Empathy and understanding are not just beneficial to your employees. They also benefit your business.
With the Light Pulse Plan you can promote business agility in your company by leveraging technology and data
Beaconforce is the only tool in the market with real predictive capabilities powered by Machine Learning algorithms that help organizations dramatically improve their agility and retain their best talent.
