Within a company, the stress of an employee can not only have an impact on his or her day-to-day professional life, but can also disrupt the work of an entire team. What can managers do to help their teams overcome stress? How do you react when it's the manager who's under stress? Sandrine Bertrand, a trainer in communication, management and personal development, shares her advice on how to overcome stress.
Stress is the body's normal reaction to a situation perceived as dangerous, and is originally a form of energy. The challenge is to make positive use of this force in all situations that can trigger stress: the unexpected, something new, a threatened ego or a loss of control.
In the current climate, it's clear that everyone is being put to the test. In fact, COVID-19 brings together almost all of these triggers. So how best to support an employee who feels overwhelmed by events?
Are employees aware of their own stress?
First step: understanding. How do employees perceive their own stress? They may be aware of it or, more likely, not realise it. The first attitude to their own stress is often denial. What's more, the emergence of stress can be slow and more or less obvious. It is sometimes complicated to identify precisely the repercussions that the stress of one colleague can have on an entire team. This can be all the more difficult and insidious in recent and often new situations, such as teleworking or the introduction of a flex office. These upheavals are simply worrying for some, and very anxiety-provoking for others. Not to mention the widespread feeling of running out of steam in the face of the constraints imposed by the pandemic.
Signs of stress
However, there are some unmistakable signs, such as negativity, frequent headaches and backaches, various physical strains and peremptory and/or aggressive behaviour. A team receptive to a colleague's stress will see the emergence of a general bad mood, greater difficulty concentrating, less enthusiasm for the tasks at hand and irritability. Team cohesion will weaken, leaving more room for splits, but also for the stress of the colleague.
It is therefore important to understand this stress in order to contain it as much as possible and maintain a good team spirit, which is beneficial both for the work and for the well-being of each individual.
What strategy?
Whether you are the manager of a stressed employee or simply their colleague, the priority is to protect yourself. Certain managerial attitudes can have beneficial effects in reducing the impact of stress on the team.
Put things in perspective and think positively
Generally speaking, to defuse the situation, you can :
- be positive, always looking for the slightest constructive clue that can help us move forward together in the right direction;
- work on your creativity, to be able to put forward other options, other ideas for dealing with the situation more effectively;
- manage your emotions, breathe deeply and take a step back, to avoid reacting out of irritation;
- Laughing, making fun of certain aspects while at the same time respecting people's sensitivities;
- Boost your mental health by putting things into perspective, thereby protecting your mood and your zest for life;
- letting go, accepting that you don't have the last word.
Training options : Manager: learn to let go! – Control your emotions to be more effective
Communicate
Another area of work concerns human relations. We need to express clearly what the problem is. Communication remains the best way of focusing efforts on understanding rather than judgement. The idea is to open up the dialogue, show empathy, ask how you can help, and be assertive in expressing the difficulties that stress generates for you.
Non-Violent Communication (NVC) meets these needs. It includes the concept of active listening, which encourages calm and constructive dialogue. Indeed, the need for psychological security in a professional context essentially involves feeling listened to and supported by one's manager, as well as by the team.
Training options : Reinforce your benevolence with Non-Violent Communication – Developing empathy with Non-Violent Communication
On the manager's side, benevolence is essential. Without losing sight of objectives and productivity, he or she must manage by the person, rather than by the team, by showing concern for each individual. In other words, adapt your management style to the needs and personality of each employee. By expressing their recognition, they will foster the self-confidence of their employees.
Providing the right support
Managers have a number of levers at their disposal to help their teams 'unload' the stress they have accumulated.
For the team as a whole, he must :
- treat employees fairly ;
- institute workplace wellness and health programmes ;
- taking stress seriously;
- think about how to organise work so that everyone can achieve their objectives.
When dealing with stressed employees, you need to :
- Be alert to signs of stress;
- set up team moments to strengthen cohesion ;
- clarify work-related expectations.
Thinking about training
Managers and team members can also request stress management workshops. Or even opt for stress management training. This type of workshop or training course enables you to discover many practical tools and learn how to use them independently. This is the case, for example, with the Managing stress.
On the same subject : Stress management: what tools are needed to meet the new challenges?
The stressed manager, a stress factor for his team
There is a special but not insignificant case: the stressed manager. By passing on his stress to his team, he can lead to a drop in performance.
A lack of recognition?
I encourage employees to try to understand them, rather than judge them. The manager is accountable, responds to orders and achieves objectives. Most often through their team. A stressed manager probably also lacks recognition. Not only from their own hierarchy, but perhaps also from their team. And yet recognition is one of the driving forces behind self-confidence, including for executives and managers.
Assertiveness
When it's the manager who's under stress, the team needs to take an assertive stance and explain the difficulties arising from the situation.
Discover all the training courses on the theme of assertiveness
By expressing their discomfort, they can understand that it is hindering the smooth running of the team and its overall performance. Often thinking in terms of objectives, managers should welcome this type of communication-based approach. And perhaps find a way of transforming pressure into a lever for efficiency, in other words into "good" stress.
Ultimately, when faced with the stress of a colleague or manager, it is important to listen to any distress and show support. Whatever the hierarchical position, benevolence and professional recognition are essential aspects of the working relationship. Every employee has a valuable tool at his or her disposal: communicating about the difficulties he or she is causing.
