Written by Clare Haynes, Managing Director, Wildfire 
Let’s get the depressing stuff out of the way – right now, we’re warned of large-scale redundancies to come. Outplacement (when the company helps staff make the transition from facing redundancy to new employment) is by its nature, not uplifting yet the outputs are often positive (when made redundant I had the most amazing career swerve through my outplacement so it’s a privilege to provide it for others). The fact is that during outplacement one of the most valuable assets is the time that people are given to be heard and to share worries.
Now, whilst your company may not be making redundancies, you’ll still be dealing with the stress people experience in the current climate and the effects upon productivity. They too need time to be heard and to share worries.
Here are 3 proven methods to reduce team stress, to support your staff and to save your time:
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The team meeting. Here staff can a) see how their efforts relate to results, b) get a feel for their role within the team and c) hear how they’re in the same boat as others. In only 30 minutes a week you can work wonders, you can delegate team meeting roles plus you’ll be more effective than sharing news by email. They get to talk and be heard and, with issues out in the open, often they know when to look out for each other without turning to you.
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Morale and a sense of community are higher when people eat away from their desks. Relaxed story-swapping reduces stress. Besides, reducing the crumbs on desks prevents germs from festering (the average desk is 400 times more infested than the average loo seat!) and therefore reduces the likelihood of sick days! A corner of the office dedicated to breaks/lunch will suffice and with breaks taken away from desks, they’ll be calmer.
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Do you give dedicated time to each staff member privately in a one-to-one on a weekly basis? Most managers would answer “no.” Many staff don’t experience routine one-to-ones. One-to-ones are invaluable de-stressors. If you give dedicated time (say 30 minutes) to every team member behind closed doors each week you could save at least twice the time for yourself. How? …through increased delegation, lower interruptions, being CCd less by email, receiving fewer questions, getting home issues out in the open, more accountability taken by staff and through direct analysis of workload.
So allow staff to talk, to share and to feel heard and see how stress levels slide.
For more information, please contact Clare Haynes at Wildfire on 0845 430 9101.
http://www.wildfirecoaching.com/
