What causes anxiety at work?
When stress becomes unmanageable, it can lead to poor health, missed days and a significant drop in motivation, productivity and resilience. Studies show that around 37% of workplace illness is due to stress, with an estimated 11.7 million working days lost to stress and anxiety in the last year alone.
Considering these statistics, it’s likely that you or some of your team may be impacted by anxiety at some time or another during your career. This condition has a number of causes, including tight deadlines and high pressure from your team, bullying, and often simply a perceived lack of support from managers.
How do I know if my team is feeling stressed?
If you have an employee that is suffering with anxiety, it’s essential that you spot the warning signs. In some cases, team members might turn to negative behaviours such as smoking, drinking and even overeating. They may also suddenly find it difficult to meet deadlines, participate in brainstorms or contribute to the team. If you have a strong feedback culture with frequent reviews, they may even tell you outright or give you hints to how they are feeling.
How can you help a stressed out employee?
The most important thing you can do to help anyone who is suffering is to:
- Listen
- Empathise
- Offer support
In a workplace environment, it may not always be appropriate to come out and challenge them directly about their feelings, and taking note of their dropping productivity may only increase their anxiety.
That means you need to do what you can to open up the channels of communication until they come to you, and demonstrate your desire to support them through other means.
What are the benefits of massage in the workplace?
One unique and powerful way to show that you respect your employee’s mental and physical health is to increase your emphasis on office wellbeing. You can do this efficiently by booking a trained massage therapist to come to your office. A short 15, 20 or 30 minute chair massage, performed at a desk or in a quiet meeting room, can do wonders for someone who needs to step back and take a breath.
Massage gently stretches your body and relaxes your mind, allowing you to unwind and release. The benefits of massage are wide-ranging and significant, and may include:
- Reduced stress and anxiety
- Boosted energy levels
- Deeper sleep
- Improved posture
If you work in a high stress environment or feel like you could do even more to support and motivate your team, you could consider signing up for a fully or partially subsidised massage membership. This gives each individual the ability to book a massage treatment in their own home and on their own schedule, and may be a significant step in encouraging them to make positive lifestyle changes both in and outside of work.
Anxiety is often a fact of life, particularly in a high stress environment, but you can help your team to overcome it and get back to performing at their best by demonstrating that you support them and care about their health.
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Who are we? We’re Urban Massage – on a mission to make wellness rituals convenient and accessible without compromising on quality. So from just £49 an hour, you can enjoy a range of massages from an expert therapist at a time to suit you. Download the app or go to urbanmassage.com to book 60 minutes of restorative me time.
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Who are we? We’re Urban Massage – on a mission to make wellness rituals convenient and accessible without compromising on quality. So from just £49 an hour, you can enjoy a range of massages from an expert therapist at a time to suit you. Download the app or go to urbanmassage.com to book 60 minutes of restorative me time.