Rachel Murray, Head of Employee Wellbeing at Bupa UK, shares ten tips to help check in with how what you’re coping with can affect you and what can happen if you put up with too much stress for too long.  

1.  Take care of the basics

You can cope with stress better when your body is well fuelled. So, when we’re feeling mentally and physically strong, our stress resilience levels are also likely to improve. This means taking care of the basics – eating a healthy balanced diet, sleeping at least seven hours each night and exercising regularly.

It may be tempting to lean on unhealthy coping mechanisms like alcohol or cigarettes when we’re stressed. However, these mechanisms will likely make you feel worse in the long run and can actually increase stress levels.

Instead, work to incorporate relaxation techniques into your routine, which you can lean on when under pressure. Breathing exercises, yoga and meditation can all be effective.

2. Don’t compromise on your work-life balance

Whether or not you’re a business owner, it’s important to maintain a healthy work-life balance. This means making sure you take your allocated annual leave, not working for longer than you’re contracted to and not neglecting your family and friends. In addition, think about the hobbies or commitments you have outside work that need to be a non-negotiable part of your week which bring you joy or relaxation.

The relationships and experiences you have outside of work can work as excellent stress-relievers, helping to reduce the chance of burnout and any other stress-associated illnesses.

3. Find the power of regular working hours

Sometimes working over your regular contracted hours is necessary for hitting a tight deadline or if a workplace emergency requires immediate attention.

However, flexibility is key in most modern working environments, so always note any extra hours you work and be sure to take the time back. Being asked to do more than is realistic during your normal working hours can lead to burnout and fatigue.

Working your regular hours and taking time back to refresh can increase your productivity. Taking a break refreshes the mind and allows you to reboot, ready for the following day.

Business owners have a duty of care to provide a safe working environment, including ensuring no one is working too many hours.

4. Make time for breaks

We’re not built to concentrate for hours at a time. Staying at your desk or within your working environment all day can be stifling and make work feel more intense. We all need regular breaks to help us feel refreshed to regain focus, and give our eyes a break.

Set a company culture that isn’t afraid of scheduling breaks. Research shows that the most productive employees work for fifty-two minutes, followed by a seventeen-minute break.

5. Learn to say no

Think about the last time you said ‘no’ when someone asked you to help them – if you can’t remember when that was, there’s a good chance you’re taking on more than you can do effectively. We can all occasionally be guilty of taking on more than we can manage but doing it too often can damage our wellbeing.

Start-up owners and their teams have a lot to manage; however, it’s important to remember that you can say no if you’re feeling the pressure. Lead by example and say no when you can’t feasibly complete a task to a quality, you’re happy with. This will reinforce to yourself and others that saying yes to everything isn’t realistic or achievable.

6. Time management strategies

Reflect on where you’re spending your time and consider if there’s better ways to manage this for you or your team. Work with your team to implement ways to better time management strategies. One useful tip to think about is goal setting. Making a simple list at the beginning of the week can really help you to better organise your time around what you need to achieve. 

Be sure to keep your goal list specific and relate only to the week ahead – if we have a bigger to-do list, it can be overwhelming and make us feel even more stressed. Within your to do list, include wellbeing goals like taking a proper lunch break and making time to do something you enjoy each day, like going for a walk or reading a chapter of a book.

By the end of the week, book in time for an informal catch up with your team to see what has and what hasn’t been achieved – these lists will be a useful reference to show what can be effectively managed in a week, and a good way to review if your current resources are practical for the job at hand. They’re also a good way of celebrating success together – recognition is an important element in combatting burnout.

The better you know your team and your colleagues, the more likely you’ll be to spot when they might be stressed or if they may need extra support too.

7. Be open

Regularly checking in with your direct reports about their workload can help you to better understand their current priorities, their stress drivers, and if there’s anything you can do to support them.  

Without this transparency, employees may be tempted to overwork themselves, which can lead to costly burnout absences – or employees still turning up to work when they’re not well enough.

Book in time for regular, non-negotiable one-to-one check-ins with your team where you can agree on fair and reasonable workloads, along with realistic timelines.

8. Connect with your colleagues

During the workday, we can get overloaded with tasks and often don’t feel like spending time having friendly conversations. But developing good relationships with colleagues in the workplace is important for managing stress and can stop feelings of isolation.

Colleagues who don’t trust each other will struggle to be productive; it can also contribute to a toxic working environment, leading to increased stress and anxiety.

Taking time for a coffee break, having lunch together or even simply asking how the weekend went can help build good working relationships and rapport.

Building rapport with your team can greatly impact how much you enjoy your job and give the whole workforce a sense of belonging, resulting in better teamwork and productivity.

9. Think about training and support

Everyone has a personal stress tolerance level, and your way of dealing with stress may be completely different to someone else’s. With this in mind, it can be useful to arm yourself with the skills to understand how you can encourage your team to thrive and combat whatever stressful situations throw at them in line with what they’re able to personally cope with.

Having a wider understanding of the effects of stress on your employees and business can help you make effective choices and implement relevant policies to help your whole workforce.

Continuing with the theme of transparency, make your team aware of the steps you’re taking to help reduce their stress. You could also consider setting aside resources to help support employees with resilience training.

10. Know when to ask for help

Workplace stress can affect our personal life, and personal stress can affect our work life. Whatever you’re going through, and whatever level you’re working at, don’t forget that you’re human – and there’s no shame in asking for support.

If your company already has business health insurance, make sure you’re making the most of the services available and that you’re communicating these regularly to your employees. Health insurance can help you access to health professionals quickly, getting to the source of stress and equipping you with coping strategies to change how you cope with it. 

Other outlets, like Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP), small business health insurance, occupational health can help make a big difference for colleagues struggling with stress.