Stress has been a part of life throughout history. And a little stress isn’t bad, but how do you deal with too much stress? I’ve noticed increased stress levels within organizations more frequently. Prolonged remote work, curfews, and other lockdown rules expose stress more quickly and require different or additional skills from leaders. In this article, you’ll learn about:
- Recent facts about stress;
- 7 Causes of stress in times of crisis;
- How to measure stress in your organization;
- An interesting offer.
The importance of taking stress signals seriously is highlighted by the most recent factsheet from TNO:
- 1.3 million employees in the Netherlands experience burnout symptoms;
- 37% of employees cite workload or work-related stress as reasons for absenteeism;
- 44% of all employees believe measures are necessary to address work-related stress.
What is stress?
There are many definitions of stress. One very clear definition is: “With too much stress, someone can no longer meet the demands of their environment.”
Causes of stress
The experience of stress varies from person to person and from organization to organization. What causes a lot of stress for one person, may cause little or no stress for another. It’s not always easy to recognize stress early. Fortunately, it can be specifically measured with a so-called Stress Quotient (SQ) analysis: at both individual and organizational levels. This gives leaders and their employees a good insight into the exact causes of stress. Subsequently, targeted assistance can be provided to reduce or eliminate stress.
These are the 7 biggest stressors:
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Task demands
Here, the relationship between task demands and performance capacity is examined. What is the degree of workload? How are factors like time pressure and workload perceived by employees? It may be that an individual experiences accumulation and eventually feels overwhelmed. During this period of extensive remote work, I often see that this occurs more frequently.
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Reward
How is the relationship between effort and reward perceived? This can be a financial aspect, but not necessarily. Appreciation for efforts – however obvious – is important for employees. This is all about recognition. But employees also want clarity about their performance criteria: when have they done well? Additionally, rewards can be compared to other aspects of life: What really matters? What energizes someone?
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Control
What is the level of control over work? How much freedom of action does an employee have? And is there enough clarity? Clarity about what is possible and what is not, what is allowed and what is not, is more important than ever in this period of remote work.
4. Organizational changes
Changes within an organization can affect stress perception, especially when it comes to major and sudden changes. Think of a takeover, a reorganization, or changes within a team. It often turns out that employees no longer feel (fit) in a new or changed corporate culture.
5. Leadership
The role of the leader is more crucial and important than ever. Do employees feel adequately supported? Heard? Is there interest in the personal circumstances of the employee? Involvement of leaders in this period is more important than ever. Just like understanding the home situation of employees. One person can handle more work, while another benefits from different task demands. And is the leader open to feedback? Are they approachable?
6. Support from others
The level of support from colleagues, but especially from the leader, usually has a significant influence on the level of stress. Important factors here include clarity about goals, structure and performance criteria, and personal involvement and attention. More information on creating clarity and support in your team can be found HERE.
7. Job security
Transparency and clarity about career opportunities and job security reduce anxiety and stress. And if a move is made within the company, that’s great. But is the person ready for it, and are they adequately prepared for that new role? Job security also has everything to do with future prospects. Uncertainty about job security and therefore someone’s future can lead to many complaints. With the duration of the lockdown rules, uncertainty has increased for many companies and therefore for many employees.
How to measure stress in your organization
We measure stress and these 7 stress factors for organizations using the stress quotient (SQ) analysis. This profile can be used at both individual and team levels. At the team level, this can also be done completely anonymously.
These 7 stress factors are measured with our instrument: The TTISI Stress Quotient (SQ) Analysis. More information about this diagnostic tool and how to use it can be found on this page: TTISI Stress Quotient. An
