7 Important Tips to Diminish Anxiety at Workplace

Suffering from anxiety is a prevailing subject matter that affects millions of people all around the world. The reason can be anything; workplace problems, absence of support or acceptance, even tensions that might be an outcome of various factors… When it comes to workplace, anxiety can be observed in several ways, like feeling overwhelmed, having low self-confidence, and dealing with panic attacks. Obviously, anxiety impacts on employees’ productivity, work commitment, and general well-being. For this reason, organizations and employees should better take this subject seriously and implement some practical solutions to cope with anxiety at work. In this post, you can find some very useful and practical tips to build or reconstruct a healthier workplace by promoting open communication, supporting a solid company culture, enhancing flexibility, and offering self-development opportunities as well as giving a chance to manage with workload pressure, and appreciating successes and milestones.

ENCOURAGING OPEN COMMUNICATION

According to some research, one the main reasons of anxiety among employees can often emerges because of lack of clarity of responsibilities, deadlines, and expectations. Open and two-way communication is the key to address this problem. Setting regular meetings, feedback sessions, and 1:1 conversation with employees may facilitate healthy communication with employees, when allowing them to express themselves comfortably and have their questions answered. In this way, employees feel valued, supported, understood, and empowered that will lead to perform at their best.

CREATE A SUPPORTIVE CULTURE

Having a solid and employee-focused work culture is a major point when it comes to reducing anxiety and fostering well-being in the workplace. Being able to ask for help and support when needed, and relatedly feeling a sense of comfort, valued and safety will lead to increased productivity and satisfaction. There are some other things employers can accomplish to create a positive and supportive environment in which everyone would like to work at… Implementing employee assistance programs, cherishing work-life balance through you-decide-when schedules, taking some wellness initiative and ensuring fairness and equity among employees. Moreover, encouraging collaboration, empathy, and respect among team members can also value as crucial dynamics of a supportive workplace culture, to nurture employee well-being, reduce anxiety, and create harmonious work environment. Establishing trust and open communication channels, recognizing, and appreciating achievements, offering professional development opportunities, and nurturing a sense of belonging within the company are vital aspects of creating supportive workplace.

ENCOURAGE FLEXIBILITY

A rigid work schedule can greatly impact on anxiety levels of employees, as well as their overall well-being and productivity. However, there are some crucial arrangements employers can adapt that will be beneficial to provide flexible work place. Options such as designing flexible working hours in accordance with the intensity and nature of the work, implementing work from wherever you want applications, and enabling online meetings will allow people to spare time for themselves while also allowing them to adjust their work life balance. By being able to set the working systematics yourself, morale and job satisfaction will increase in direct proportion, and productivity and company loyalty will also improve.

PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

No matter how much effort a person makes in his/her business life, the uncertainty of his/her position, unclear future, or lack of opportunities can cause anxiety and anxiety. The training offered to the employee, development opportunities, and reasonable challenges will encourage the person to push his limits, gain skills, and increase his motivation with the support packages offered to him to overcome the difficulties in front of him.  Investment and encouraging actions to be made in practices that increase the skills and abilities of the employee; Seminars, workshops, training, mentoring programs, online courses will lead to the person's development and increased motivation, getting rid of anxious feelings, and subsequently the working environment to be more prosperous and peaceful.

INTEGRATED APPROACH TO PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

Mental and physical health are a whole and cannot be considered separately. Our holistic health is very important in the work environment where we spend an irreducible part of our lives. Within the framework of this awareness, it would be a huge plus for employers to include practices such as meditation and physical activity in their employees' daily work routines and even prepare the ground for this and prioritize the mental health of their employees. In line with this understanding, we can list some practices that companies can implement as follows; sports membership can be offered as a side benefit, participation in health workshops can be encouraged, meetings with nutritionists can be organized, mental health counseling can be added to the benefit package, organizations such as running, picnics and walks can be organized on weekends. Additionally, the physical work environment can be improved; common rest areas can be more customized, awareness activities on stress management can be organized, healthy snacks can be offered, and proactive steps can be taken to ensure the sustainability of this lifestyle.

HUMANIZE THE WORKLOAD

Life is already hard and heavy, and when the workload is more than we can handle, anxiety and worry are inevitable. Naturally, excessive workload cannot be expected to increase productivity. Employers rightfully aim to accomplish a lot of work in a short time. However, with some strategic moves, things can be done, and the employee can work more peacefully. So how? By making delegation efficient and reasonable, encouraging teamwork, and implementing studies that constantly increase the competencies and skills of people. Correct prioritization of obligations and responsibilities, placing the focus in the right place and correctly defining urgency will be other important actions.

SEE AND APPRECIATE

Who doesn't want their achievements to be seen and appreciated? Especially when you've put in so much effort. When setting employee milestones, seeing and appreciating them when they are achieved will make the person feel valued and seen. Not only personal success, but also team success should be equally recognized. While companies are aware of how important it is for the employee to feel a sense of belonging to the company, they have not yet normalized the need to see, support and reward the efforts of the individual and their team. Speaking of belonging, the added value an employee can give to a company he cheerfully goes to every morning and to a company he crawls to after snoozing the alarm 10 times is quite different. So, let us be determined to give credit where it is due and remember to recognize the hard work and dedication of our team members. Together, we can create a work environment that motivates and supports everyone, ultimately resulting in increased productivity and overall well-being.

BONUS

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A healthy and peaceful work environment is the right of every employee, and it is the employer's duty to provide and maintain it. Encouraging open communication, adopting an employee-oriented company culture, offering flexibility and educational development opportunities in working hours, sensitivity to self-care, mental and physical health, and providing a conducive environment will be very effective in coping with anxiety. Making the employee feel visible, appreciating their successes and constructive compensation for their failures will benefit the employee as well as the employer in the long run. For this reason, by accepting what we offer as a starting point, you can design wonderful working environments within the limits of your own creativity and become a company where employees come willingly in the morning.

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