A stressful work environment does more than frazzle a person’s nerves. It can destroy productivity, deflate morale and keep creativity at bay. So, what can we do to make the workplace less chaotic?

In a recent online article, six stress factors are highlighted as issues that could negatively impact an employee’s workspace and productivity in the office if left unresolved. For your convenience, we have listed them below and shortened the synopsis of each:

1. Infrequent Feedback
Employees worry about performance when they don’t receive feedback from mangers. Eliminate this office stress by scheduling regular evaluations.

2. Mundane Office Hours
Forget the traditional 9-5 office hours. If it works for your small business, allow employees to decide the set hours they are in the office.

3. Uncomfortable Work Space
Simple things like glaring computer screens, limited sticky notes or painful desk chairs can cause stress. Allow employees to select desk furniture and keep a “grocery list” for needed office supplies.

4. Cubicle Confinement
Don’t trap your employees at their desks all day. Encouraging your team to interact on a personal level can foster better cohesion and a happier work environment.

5. Unhealthy Habits
Poor eating habits and lack of sleep and exercise create stress before your employees even enter the office. Help offset unhealthy habits by promoting health while at work.

6. Missing Direction
A major cause of stress for employees is not knowing where the company is going and their role plays in to the overall strategy. Involve your team in making long-term and short-term goals.

Here at The Methodology Blog, we could easily respond to each of the points above with our own assessment. We could  go on and on about the troubles with rewards and productivity. We could discuss how influential healthy habits can be for our minds and our bodies and why we encourage stakeholders to stand strong and work! We could point out the negative results that come from judging chaotic workspaces and measuring progress by sight rather than actual work. And though we can certainly recognize the benefits in the tips above, we must not fall victim to the notion that the simple equation (a+b = c) applies (and works) in every situation. Because the truth of the matter is, stress can be caused by many things outside our comprehension and knowledge, which could take more than just a preventative measure to alleviate.

Chances are, despite how much you attempt to prevent pressure and anxiety from occurring, eliminating stress completely doesn’t always occur. After all, we cannot erase the infestation of outside factors that arrive through the office’s front doors. For no matter how hard we try, preventing gridlock, broken alarm clocks, unrelenting stoplights, crabby children or car troubles is not always within our reach. So rather than spending valuable time pinpointing possible sources for stress in the office and thereby mending them, wouldn’t it make more sense to simply encourage stakeholders to empower themselves through action when tensions do in fact arise?

If you begin to feel anxious about the positive or negative effects your work may be having on the office, take the opportunity to:

• Seek feedback by scheduling a meeting with the appropriate team member(s).
• Focus on the quality of work you produce rather than the hours you spend producing it. 
• Establish an efficient and productive workflow that opens up time during your day for other activities. 
• Take the initiative to effectively manage your workspace by creating new systems.

Despite the risk of sounding cliché, it would be a shame not to remind our readers that you are your own best advocate. So if and when stress at work bogs you down, take the opportunity to empower yourself.

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