Much of the stress that we go through in our daily experiences emanates from our places of work. Workplace stress can degenerate into full-blown anxiety or depression without timely intervention. Anxiety and depression can deal a massive blow to your office productivity and even affect your overall quality of life.
Therefore, employers must understand the tell-tale signs of anxiety and depression in the workplace. That way, they can take urgent measures to help the affected employees before matters get out of hand. This post looks at some of the top warning signs of workplace anxiety and how to relieve the condition, but first things first.
What causes workplace anxiety and depression?
First and foremost, it’s important to note that workplace anxiety can affect virtually any employee. However, owners or employees of new companies tend to be the most affected.
If you’ve recently launched a new business, it would be advisable to outsource a few services. You can also go for consulting services whenever the work demands. Implementing well-defined roles and strategies might set you back a few thousands of dollars, but setting accountability can help your employees clearly understand their responsibility. Plus, the company will help to reduce the stress employees have otherwise experienced without set goals.
Now, the most common cause of workplace stress is the pressure to meet deadlines and expectations. It applies to workers across various ranks. You can try smok 219 kit to reduce anxiety and for relaxing your mind.
Workplace anxiety may also emanate from working long hours. That often happens if there are no fringe benefits attached to it.
Other common causes of workplace stress include;
- Changes in duties or organizational structure
- Employee infightings
- Discrimination and harassment
- Job insecurity
- Limited opportunities for growth
- Overly-patronizing bosses
- Dull and uninspiring work
- Inadequate working space or lack of proper resources
- Traumatic events, such as an on-the-job accident or employee death
7 Tell-tale Signs of Anxiety and Depression at Workplace
1. Unexplained fatigue
Fatigue is a signature symptom of anxiety and depression. Reduced reflexes, slumped gait, and slow work speed are all signs of anxiety-induced fatigue. That’s especially if these symptoms show even before your employees have completed any potentially tiring work.
2. Sleepiness
Daytime sleepiness is almost always a symptom of insomnia. And insomnia shares a cause-effect relationship with anxiety. So, if you keep catching your employees napping on their workstations or yawning incessantly during routine staff briefings, then there’s a chance they’re anxious or depressed.
3. Mood swings
Mood oscillations are another hallmark of anxiety and depression. That’s especially if the moods swing between two extremes. Take note of that worker who laughs hysterically to a joke and then becomes inexplicably irritated the next minute.
4. Poor concentration
To err is human. But specific workplace errors can only result from stress and anxiety. While missing a comma in a sales document shouldn’t raise eyebrows, omitting the company’s tagline would be a glaring error indicative of an underlying mental problem.
5. Changes in communication patterns
An employee who always delights in submitting their reports in person suddenly chooses to do so via email. Or, an employee suddenly begins addressing you using informal and even slang words, and it doesn’t seem to bother them. Such inconsistencies in communication could mean the staffer is anxious or stressed.
6. Social withdrawal
Take note of your employees’ interactions during staff meetings or team projects that require active engagement. Socially-withdrawn workers will stand aloof and act indifferent to the situation. Instead of joining in on the action, they might choose to spend their time on the phone or stare blankly into space.
7. Changes in physical presentation
This workplace anxiety symptom usually indicates that the situation is slowly slipping out of control. Specific signs to watch out for include changes in dress code, unkempt hair, trailing shoelaces, etc.
Helping Your Employees Cope With Anxiety and Depression
As previously mentioned, anxiety and depression can affect an employee’s productivity. Without urgent intervention, the entire company could suffer.
It’s worth noting that almost one-third of employees don’t share their problems with their bosses. So, as an employer, the onus is on you to check for any evidence of anxiety by taking note of the above-reviewed symptoms.
Once you’re convinced that an employee is suffering from anxiety or depression, reach out to them immediately and get them to share their problem. You can invite them to a private session, either during office hours or after hours.
If you suspect that the victim may be reluctant to share their concerns with you (probably because they fear possible repercussions), you can delegate the task to another employee. Presumably, one with whom the victim usually interacts freely.
After finding out what’s stressing your employee, you can now adopt the right solution. The following are some of the possible solutions to workplace anxiety;
- Consider interdepartmental transfers
- Consider promotions or pay hikes
- Give your staffers more autonomy
- Give assurance of job security
- Actively support personal and career growth, such as by allowing your employees to pursue their education
- Address harassment and discrimination allegations immediately
- Schedule more staff bonding trips
- Hire professional help
The Bottom Line
Workplace stress is not entirely avoidable. However, there are numerous tips employers can implement to help their employees cope with the condition and possibly prevent it from degenerating into full-blown anxiety and depression.
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