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MENTAL HEALTH
“ While workplace stressors may be changing , its apparent from the data that the effects are relatively similar , with the same impacts on output . Most of our public administration clients said they struggled with concentration ( 30 %), felt less productive ( 26 %) and had difficulty making decisions ( 13 %), which were all prevalent five years ago . It ’ s clear how one or all three of these would impact an employee ’ s work and their morale , in fact over one in 10 ( 13 %) were considering resigning from their job .
“ We ’ re encouraged to see that Governmental employees are increasingly aware of available support and able to seek help . It ’ s important that employers and HR managers continue to raise awareness of relevant resources , including EAPs and what they offer .”
Here Marcela shares her top five tips that employers and HR managers can provide to staff to help combat stress , the leading cause of workplace issues for governmental workers .
1
Accept change as a part of life
Most days require us to adapt to what we are doing to accommodate changing deadlines , new opportunities and unexpected events . When this happens , take stock of your new situation , prioritise your new workload and flag to your team anything that needs more time to complete .
2
Take five for mindfulness
This is where you let your frantic thinking be put aside without making any judgements . Try this ; pause for a moment and take stock of your surroundings , name five things you can see , five things you can hear and five that are in contact with your body .
3
Communicate , communicate
Employees want to know what is happening or they think the worst . People need to know why a change is happening and what it involves . Acknowledge that change is challenging but show that you believe in your employees , that they will get through this period . Often managers themselves do not have any certainty , making it hard to support others . Acknowledge this and focus on one thing at a time .
GOVLINK » ISSUE 2 2018