Stress is one of the largest causes of work-related mental health conditions, and many corporate Australian businesses are recognising the need to be proactive in reducing stress in the workplace.

Studies estimate that mental health is the cause of around 6% of workers' compensation claims in Australia. Factors that contribute to workplace stress include high job demand, poor support, poor workplace relationships, poor environmental conditions and poor organisational change management.

Exposure to high or prolonged levels of stress may lead to depression and anxiety in the long term. Impact on the workplace is often reflected in unplanned absences including sick leave, staff turnover, withdrawal and presenteeism, and poor work and poor product quality.

As you may be able to predict, high-stress levels leading to mental health conditions are not only bad for productivity — they can also reduce profitability and growth.

There's no one size fits all approach, so focusing on an employee-centric environment should be the primary focus. Working to create a good match for your team will likely lead to a relaxed environment, while a poor fit increases tension and stress.

As managers, it's crucial we must look at ourselves and the environments we create for our staff. We need to make certain that our employees' definition of "not stressful" is more prominent rather than what we think looks good.

We have a few broad solutions that might help to reduce office pressure, but make sure they're tailored for your employees. Put these concepts into action, and keep in mind that leadership's example is often the catalyst for success.

Make healthy choices easy in the office

Leading an active and healthy lifestyle is easier said than done, but it's an important element of keeping staff happy and reducing stress.

As an employer, there are a few ways to help make healthy choices easy in the office:

• Offer healthy snacks such as fruit and yogurt
• Install a filtered water machine or SodaStream for sparkling water
• Encourage employees to go on a walk during lunch breaks
• Provide ergonomic office equipment like chairs, standing desks and computers

It may not seem like much but a little effort can go a long way! Showing that you value healthy lifestyle choices helps workers feel cared for and brightens up the day.

Encourage exercise and fitness activity

Exercise has been shown to improve your mood and decrease feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress. It's true that a healthy body creates a healthy mind just as much as a healthy mind can create a healthy body.

Exercising on a regular basis can help you decrease stress in your life and soothe your body. Here are a few ways you can encourage workers to get their heart rate up:

• Subsidise gym memberships
• Hold a steps competition among teams using smartphone trackers
• Have a yoga class in the office once a month

Try to find an activity that employees enjoy. Working up a serious sweat on a regular basis is therapeutic and nature's medicine for the mind. Your brain produces feel-good endorphins that act as mental medicine every single time you exercise.

Exercise also helps challenge and build resilience in a low-risk environment. Over time, you can grow to be more adaptable to the many changes that happen throughout the day, week and month. It'll help clear the mind, so you'll feel better and have more energy.

Allow for hybrid work and flexible hours

The way we work has changed forever due to the pandemic and working from home has proven to be a success. Allowing for a hybrid model split between working remotely and the office shows that you trust employees to do their job well and in a timely manner. Let your employee know that their job is denied by the quality and timeliness of their work, not when they log in.

Flexible hours is another way to help reduce stress. Allowing employees to set their own work schedule and dictate their own time frames will reduce stress levels because it proves that you trust them. Simply life tasks like picking kids up from school or leaving early for an important appointment shows compassion and the sense of freedom has a positive effect on office morale.

Promote social activity 

With so much time spent at work, having a great relationship with our co-workers can have a really positive effect. Spending time socialising together lets them get to know one another, reducing expectation and communication barriers and making future interactions natural and easier.

Get people out of the office for team building activities like bowling and mini golf which encourages social interaction or host team lunches to celebrate important milestones.

See what difference reduced stress in the workplace can make!

Developing a positive and safe workplace can have a host of benefits. With the right strategy, your organisation can work to reduce workplace injuries and accidents.

Are you interested in learning more about workplace health and safety? Gallagher Bassett is Australia's leading claims advisor and work with leading organisations to reduce their liability. 

Click here to learn more today!