The Secret Weapon to Creating a Stress-Free Workplace

Stress may seem like an inevitable part of working life, but it doesn’t have to be. There are many techniques that can be used to help reduce stress in the workplace, but the one that has the biggest impact is flexibility. Since stress can have an adverse effect on productivity and your employees’ mental wellbeing, you really can’t afford to ignore it. It’s also now responsible for half of all unplanned absences in the UK, so it’s time you embraced flexible working to minimize stress’ hold on your workforce.

If you’re still not convinced, here are some of the ways flexibility is the ultimate stress-beater:

1. Balancing family life

Combining a full-time job with being a parent has the potential to create a lot of stress and mean individuals feel torn between these two important commitments. Allowing flexible working enables parents to give their full attention to tasks when they’re not distracted by their children. Firms can attract and retain the best talent by allowing them to work hours that are adjusted around school drop-offs and make it easy to see their kids’ plays or rework schedules when children are sick.

2. A better work/life balance

It’s not just parents that can benefit from flexible working, as a good work/life balance will allow all employees to explore areas outside of work. Activities like exercise or pursuing a hobby can offer a break from constantly thinking about work. Staff can then come back to their jobs feeling refreshed and better able to be creative and productive. Such breaks are vital for mental and physical wellbeing and can cut down on absences in the long run.

3. Job satisfaction

Flexible workers are more likely to be engaged and in turn generate 43% more revenue for the business than those who are disengaged. Flexibility not only offers the potential to adjust working hours, but also sees working environments being modified too. Individuals work best under varying conditions, with some liking background noise, others preferring silence and another subset enjoying a combination of both. Give them a certain amount of autonomy over such decisions and stress levels will fall.

4. Developing trust

Old styles of management that focused on command and control have been shifting for some time and are being replaced with trust and autonomy. This relatively new relationship across an organization’s hierarchy is key when it comes to flexible working. Employees who feel trusted are likely to experience less stress and have increased loyalty to the company they work for. They’ll be more self-motivated and aware that as long as they fulfil their roles fully, they can make their job work for their own lifestyle.

5. Cutting down on presenteeism

Presenteeism is a major threat to businesses and economies, as staff coming into work and doing nothing is no good for either the employee or the employer and can create a negative working environment. Research has also shown that HR departments have seen a trend that demonstrates high levels of presenteeism make stress-related absences twice as likely. Staff having the ability to manage their hours and make adjustments so they’re not showing up when they’re unable to work can combat this situation.