It is natural for stress symptoms to arise every now and then from normal events at home and work. But this is not a negative thing all the time. In fact, low-level amounts of stress are considered healthy. This is often called eustress, a minor pressure that can increase productivity, engagement, and performance.
But prolonged high-stress levels will start to affect the physical, emotional, and mental health of an employee, you might end up missing those unseen symptoms of employee stress in the workplace.
Here are the most common signs of stress among employees in a work environment that you should catch early on to prevent bigger and more serious problems in the long run.
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Financial Problems
Financial wellbeing is important for employees because it can compromise your company if they feel stressed out at work because of money. Many employees admitted that their financial problems are the reason behind their stress symptoms more than anything else.
Some of its most common signs include irritability, lack of concentration, reduced productivity, and frequent minor illnesses or time off work.
Anxious, Depressed, Restless, or Irritable Actions
Typical signs of these actions include a toxic attitude, difficulty breathing, difficulty participating, body language such as restless hands, tapping or shuffling feet, and hostility towards other employees.
It is important to deal with such workplace issues and understand where they are really coming from in the first place. Employees who go through anxiety or depression might be having a hard time feeling that they fit in the workplace. It is important to do anything you can to get rid of the stigma that surrounds mental health before this can result in discrimination within the company.
Productivity Issues and Lack of Interest
The common signs of these include boredom, procrastination, reduced work quality, and missed deadlines.
Failing to address low employee productivity and lack of interest can easily cost your company some serious money. When the productivity of your workers drops, it will make you lose a higher percentage of profit. Employees who don’t engage in their work can cost companies billions per year.
Overbearing Workload
One of the most common causes of stress symptoms among employees is carrying a heavy workload. Its typical signs include high absence rates, irritable behavior, high employee turnover, missed deadlines, and poor team mentality.
When staff members are often overburdened because of their job, this will start a rather vicious cycle. Since they have a lot of things to handle on their own, they will start falling behind, missing deadlines, and having a hard time starting new projects.
It will then lead to additional anxiety, stress, lack of engagement, and inability to concentrate. See to it that you don’t dump too many responsibilities on your employees. If you notice a trend in your employees having a hard time with their workloads, you might want to assess your staff and bring in extra help.
Make sure to address these stress symptoms in the workplace before it gets too late for your workers and your company as a whole.