Recognizing Stress Triggers in the Workplace

There are several causes of work place stress. Great managers identify stressors within their department and put  strategies in place to minimize the risk of negative stress for their team. Some common stressors and positive management tips are:

Demand-employees are able to cope with the demands of their job

Stress triggers: work duties/overload, boring or repetitive work 

Positive management: awareness of team abilities, continually monitoring workload/ 
limiting additional work when team is under pressure or up against deadline, ongoing review of processes to identify improvements 

Control – employees are able to have a say about how they do their work 

Stress triggers: not being able to manage demands of job and life outside work, rigid 
working patterns and deadlines 

Positive management: trust employees to do their work/empowerment, steer employees
in a direction rather than impose own view 

Role – employees understand their role/responsibilities and how it fits into the big picture 

Stress triggers: lack of clarity of job role, lack of one-on-one communication/feedback 

Positive management: keep teams informed of what is happening in department and 
organization, schedule regular meetings and keep two way communications flowing 

Support – employees receive adequate support and info. from colleagues and managers

Stress triggers: lack of support and encouragement from managers and fellow colleagues, culture of long work hours, lack of sharing or withholding information 

Positive management: provide supportive/constructive criticism, operate in a “no blame” culture and have a problem solving approach, be flexible and support employees’ requests for time off 

Relationships – employees treat each other with respect 

Stress triggers: poor working relationships with manager/team, poor/ combative/confrontational communication style 

Positive management: listen objectively to both sides of conflict, have a positive approach and stay calm under pressure, treat employees equally 

Interested in learning more about managing your team? Best Care EAP offers several training programs that can help.  Call us at (402) 354-8000 or (800) 801-4182.