Stress A Guide for Supervisors

Stress is a psychological hazard. In daily work activities, the employer's responsibility to protect employees from stress really falls to the supervisor. Overseas, legal cases where employees are suing supervisors for not helping them manage their stress are becoming more and more common.

It is also worth noting that there is a fine line between work and life stress. As a supervisor, you should aim to help your staff manage their overall stress level - not just stress related to work. Your staff will bring their life stress with them to the workplace and this will impact just as much on their ability to perform at work as will stress caused by the work environment.

So what can you as supervisor do to help your staff manage stress? Here are some basic guidelines.
1. Know the symptoms of stress and the signs of a workplace stress problem

Clearly in order to identify members of your staff who may be experiencing stress, a supervisor needs to know the common symptoms of stress. An appreciation that we all experience stress differently can also help you to recognise that all may not be well for a staff member.
One way to detect that a member of staff may not be coping is to look for any change in their personality or behaviour. For example, a relatively outgoing member of staff who over the course of a few days or weeks becomes very quiet or withdrawn, is an example of behaviour and personality change that could indicate that there is a problem. Similarly, a person who has always been motivated toward their work and becomes over a short period of time disinterested in work, perhaps missing deadlines, may also not be coping.

It is also important to be aware of the common impacts of stress in the workplace, and to keep an eye out for these in your workplace. Some of these impacts include:
A. increased absenteeism
B. increased illness and therefore use of sick leave
C. accidents
D. reduced motivation, satisfaction and productivity
E. poor communication and working relationships, and
F. increased turnover or posting requests from staff seeking to 'escape' the environment
2. Know the common causes of stress

Knowing the common causes of stress and knowing whether or not these are present in your work environment or in your staffs' lives can also help identify when someone may not be coping.
3. Talk regularly with your staff

No matter how much you know about stress, if you can't talk openly with your staff members there is going to be little you can do to help them manage stress. Effective communication in this sense is more about listening and empathy than talking and giving advice. If you feel that your communication skills could be improved, a training course that caters specifically for developing communication skills in managers might help. Your local Psychologist might also develop and run communication skills training for your work team.
4. Set an example

If you as a supervisor are seen to acknowledge when you are feeling stressed and to undertake activities aimed at personal stress management, your staff may be more likely to also act in these ways.
5. Create a positive work environment

Creating a positive work environment by identifying things in your work environment that people feel negative about and working to change these is another way a supervisor can help to manage workplace stress. Also, create a more positive environment by getting your staff involved in activities that encourage positive feelings, such as social activities.
6. Make sure your staff are trained in managing stress

One simple step you can take to help your staff manage stress is to ensure that they have received some stress management training. Tackling the issue of stress by having a section stress management training session can also help to create a work environment where people will admit when they are not coping.
7. Use referral options and resources

Psychologists can provide training in topics such as stress management, suicide awareness, and communication skills.