10 tips for minimising year-end stress

With employees juggling an increased number of work and personal obligations, it’s no wonder that the year-end and Christmas holidays can often compound any feelings of stress. The result for employers at the end of the year can be a more absent and less productive workforce.

By stepping back and assessing your year-end strategy from both an employee’s and manager’s perspective, you can be better equipped to address stress and productivity issues in the workplace this holiday season.

Year-end is always a busy time. Employers need to recognise the effects that stress and other work and life obligations can have on their employees and be proactive in mitigating the potentially harmful effects it can have on employee wellness and business productivity.

What employees are thinking at year-end

The pressure to do more with less time can take its toll on employees. Putting in long hours with heavy workloads, coupled with financial pressures and family responsibilities can result in exhaustion, stress and health issues, especially during this time of year.

On top of this, as year-end deadlines loom and companies are dealing with a skeleton workforce, it can be challenging for employees to get the right approvals they need from managers or other co-workers.

Because of all this, employees may find themselves unable to work as efficiently and productively as they might at other times of the year.

What managers are thinking at year-end

Managers often get caught in the middle when it comes to workplace stress. Not only do they have to deal with business pressures and motivating a workforce, but they can also feel their own pressures.

Understanding how to be a better manager when everyone in the workplace is feeling extra stress can be a challenge.

Below are 10 tips to help managers lead their workforce during the holiday season and all year long.

1. Encourage proactive planning to minimise year-end stress
2. Prioritise workplace projects to ensure timely completion of the most important tasks – be sure to clarify how individual work priorities are connected to larger business goals
3. Leverage technology – what new or existing tools can make your processes faster, smoother and more efficient?
4. Cut meetings that aren’t productive; don’t over invite, and closely follow the agenda
5. Perform frequent review checks year-round to help ensure accuracy and compliance – so as to not let everything build-up
6. Seek out training opportunities year-round so employees are best prepared when it comes to finishing up year-end tasks
7. Create a culture of transparency and trust – adopt and support work-life balance
8. Support personal well-being – remind employees about various wellness and employee assistance programme services available to them
9. Provide opportunities for informal team socialising – adding fun and team building activities into the workday can help motivate employees and contribute to overall team effectiveness and productivity
10. Show employees your appreciation – a simple “thank you” can go a long way

As you wind down 2019, think about how implementing a few of the above tips can help minimise the effects stress has on the workplace, so that both employees and managers alike can head into 2020 feeling a little more recharged and a little less rundown from the year-end mayhem.