How Your Workplace Can Support Wellness
by Helen Roditis, CA, ACC, Essence Coaching

According to The World Health Organization, depression is among the leading causes of disability worldwide. Imagine what this means for your workplace. Two-thirds of Canadians have had experience with depression or anxiety in their lifetime, most of which are 25 to 55 years old. Here's the good news. Stress plays a major role. This means that employers can be proactive and preventive by supporting employees who are under a lot of stress and exhibiting early signs of burn out. Here's how.

1. Understand what stress is and where it's coming from.
   
   

   Being exposed to stressors is a natural part of life. We face life difficulties and pressures throughout our lifetime; work and financial pressures being the most widespread; family, health and relationship issues being the next most widespread.
   
   How we perceive these stressors and the way we deal with them determines whether or not we will experience stress - a physiological, psychological and/or social reaction. The more effective our coping strategies are, the less likely we will make ourselves sick in body, mind and spirit.
   
   Some signs of stress or burn out to look out for are:

• Fatigue or sleeplessness
• Ongoing sadness
• Irritability and/or lashing out
• Panic attacks
• Withdrawal and/or communication breakdown
• Lack of focus and concentration
• Other noticeable change in appearance, behavior and/or performance

Central to stress is the desire to control all aspects of our life. The reality is that some situations are beyond our control and the only thing we can control is our self. Seeing change as an integral part of our life instead of seeing it as a threat puts us in a better position to cope effectively with stressors.

2. Create awareness in your workplace.

As mentioned above, on-the-job stress is the most common form of stress people experience. Excessive pressure, workload and overtime, combined with problematic communication and relationships with colleagues and/or clients are major sources of on-the-job stress. Equally, when unrealistic goals and expectations are set, employees face an impending failure. All this mounts to a pile of opportunity costs, such as lowered productivity, competitiveness, customer service, and talent retention for the employer. The employee winds up less healthy, on disability, or working somewhere else. This is a lose-lose proposition for the employer and employee.

A win-win proposition begins with educational programs. Educating all employees about stress is the first step an employer can take to turn on-the-job stress around. Employee newsletters, special health memos, or the intranet are great communication vehicles to reinforce key educational messages on stress.

3. Make wellness a priority.
   
   

   Without the walk, the talk is cheap. This is why it is important to make wellness a priority. Following through with actionable programs builds trust with employees.

   The wellness programs an employer can make available are:

   • Stress workshops to introduce a stress management tool kit
   • On-site gyms or gym memberships to encourage employees to exercise as a way of managing stress
   • Nutritional counseling to support the body through stress
   • Work/Life coaching to help employees balance their lives
   • Early detection training for managers to help them prevent their staff from getting ill, and help them distinguish stress symptoms from poor performance
   • Employee Assistance Program where employees need professional counseling
   • Health insurance benefits to cover employee's health care costs
   • Other off-site programs, such as those offered by The Canadian Mental Health Association

   The above wellness programs help employees manage their on-the-job stress. However, many employees may choose to look for another job where the underlying and unnecessary causes of on-the-job stress remain unaddressed. Therefore, addressing the underlying causes of on-the-job stress is pivotal. For example, that which is driving the excessive pressure, workload and overtime needs to be addressed. Managers, directors and executives need to be trained to lead a team effectively and in alignment with the company's overall values. Hiring people with the right skills, attitude, and cultural fit, and placing them in a position that is in alignment with their career aspirations is essential. Supporting employees' growth and development, and helping them map their career path fulfills their yearning for purposeful work, achievement, and belonging.

   Professional development programs that can address the underlying causes of on-the-job stress are:

   • High-performance team development programs. Studies have shown that the most successful teams have the means in place to take action, and effective relationships to motivate and sustain action. High-performance teams are not burn out teams.
   • Leadership development programs. A strong leader is the glue that holds a team together and drives a team towards high-performance. Interestingly, stress management or composure is one of the leadership competencies being called for in a strong leader. Living a balanced life is a prerequisite. Why? Because without balance all systems break down.
   • Coaching skills training for managers. Coaching skills training is a great complement to add to a manager's tool kit. Such training will help managers empower and motivate their team, and build effective relationships.
   • Career coaching for all employees. Having a clear career vision and the support to realize it removes a lot of stress. Employees who lack clarity tend to bounce around from job to job aimlessly. By helping employees map out their careers, an organization stands to gain by tapping into their employees' greatest talents and passions, and their commitment.

In closing, making wellness a priority is far more than introducing wellness programs. Rather, wellness is also about changing the way we work and relate to one another. This is within our collective power. Teams who are in harmony produce superior results. An organization who values people and results, and who is proactive and progressive, will offer both wellness programs and professional development programs that address the underlying causes of on-the-job stress.

Helen Roditis, CA, ACC, the founder of essence coaching, helps individuals and organizations live well and work well by offering career, work/life balance, leadership and team coaching that integrates stress management.