Managing stress at work

How can you make the working day less stressful?

The 2020 CIPD Health and Wellbeing report showed that stress is one of the main causes of long-term absence and is the third highest cause of short-term absence after minor illnesses and musculoskeletal injuries. More than a third (37%) of respondents said that stress-related absence has increased over the past year.

The Health and Safety Executive highlights six causes of stress at work;

The demands of the job
The control an employee has over their work
The support they receive from managers and colleagues
Relationships in the workplace
Employee’s role
Organisational change and how it’s managed

In addition to this we have our own significant life events to deal with, such as job changes, finances, health issues etc. Add on top discrimination faced by marginalised groups in the workplace and distressing world events, can mean stress levels become overwhelming. It’s important to understand that people’s experiences of stress are not universal, we all have different levels of resilience and ways of coping.

Starting the conversation with your colleagues and understanding how to identify the signs of stress, is an important first step to preventing work-related stress.

Tips for managing work-related stress

Try identify what’s making you feel stressed and what helps you work better (writing in a journal can help you to identify triggers for stress).
Create a support network by developing good relationships with your colleagues.
Take steps to better manage your time.
Say no if you cannot take on extra work or responsibility and set clear boundaries.
Take a walk or get some fresh air during your breaks to release stress at work – both exercise and spending time outdoors are good for your mental and physical health.
Work regular hours and take the breaks and holidays you're entitled to.
Maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Accept the things you can’t change and concentrate on the things you have control over.
Develop a positive thinking style – think about how you could look at a work issues differently or discuss it with a colleague.

Mental Health First Aid England have put together some useful resources on how you can address your stress:

HOW TO ADDRESS STRESS

Take your next step to LiveWell

We're here for your health and wellbeing. Want to make a change? Register or contact us today to take your next step to LiveWell.

How does this work?

The tailored approach LiveWell Dorset uses to come up with solutions to the things that are stopping us achieving our goals, is based upon work done by University College London developing the COM-B model of behaviour change. In this model, all behaviour is influenced by understanding a person’s capability to change, their opportunity to change and their motivation to change. By understanding which of these is the biggest barrier to change, we can tailor support accordingly. This model of behaviour change is at the centre of the support we offer, online and in person.

Your Favourites?

Welcome!

Is this the first time that you've used our services, or have you already registered with us? To allow us to best serve you, please confirm whether you're new to LiveWell Dorset, or if you've spoken to us before and may have an existing account.

Welcome back, it's good to hear from you again!

To speak to one of our dedicated team and get the help you require please request a call back. All call backs from this service are free of charge to both landlines and mobile.

Request a Call Back

Do you provide your consent to share your information with the LiveWell Dorset team – part of Public Health Dorset ?

When you register with LiveWell Dorset, we ask you some questions about you and your health (how much you smoke, how active you are, how much you drink and how much you weigh). We store that information and use it to shape our service offer to you – such as the advice we give or the extra services we connect you to. The only people who will see this information will be those involved in the delivery of the service and management of the data. If you would like to use extra services (such as slimming clubs and pharmacies) we have to share this information with them. For us to be able to put you in touch with these services, we must have your consent to share that information with the service (we’ll ask for that later, when if you sign up for extra services).

Before we can sign you up any further, we need to know:

You're happy for your personal information to be shared with LiveWell Dorset.
You understand what information may be shared and why, and that at times, our contact to you may be supported by technology partners, who have the same data protection standards and safeguards as we do
You acknowledge that you can withdraw your consent at any time by informing LiveWell Dorset.
You understand that if you do not give consent or withdraw consent then it could be difficult for us to connect you some of the services we offer.

If you require any more information to help you make your choice then please contact the LiveWell Dorset team on 0800 840 1628. All telephone conversations at LiveWell Dorset are recorded for quality and training purposes, and stored whilst you are registered as active within the service.

Yes I consent

Sorry we can't continue at the moment

Unfortunately we need your permission to store your personal information to help us to assess the best support we could provide or signpost you to. If at any stage you change your mind and are happy to provide your personal information please come back and visit us again.