Maximising employee performance while minimising employee stress

The key to maximising productivity while minimising stress is understanding the factors that influence whether someone working very hard will feel stressed out and burnt out, or whether they will feel motivated, excited and committed. Scientific research on stress, combined with best practices of high performance companies, offers clear clues about the key factors that determine whether employees will be stressed out or energised by workplace demands.

Maximising employee productivity and performance

Give employees as much control over their jobs as possible. Research shows that control is the biggest factor in whether people feel stressed out or invigorated when facing a challenge. The more control people have over their work, the greater their job satisfaction, the higher their work quality and the lower their stress level. Giving employees control includes giving them the power to make job-related decisions, the flexibility to organise their work in the way they find optimal and the authority to make improvements on how their job is done. Making this work requires providing employees with the training, coaching and information they need to make intelligent decisions.

Communicate clearly and often about everything important. One of the greatest sources of employee stress is not knowing – not knowing about changes taking place in the company, not knowing their supervisor’s job and performance expectations and not knowing if they are doing a good job. Communicating clearly in these areas not only reduces employee stress, but also helps them do a far better job.

Talk with your employees about what makes your company great, how you bring value to your customers and how your employees make that possible. People want to feel part of something great and they want to feel that they are making a significant contribution to that greatness. When they feel this way, they not only become energised by challenges, but they’re also more able to endure difficulties without becoming burnt out. You can put this principle into action by making sure you always deliver a high quality product or service, by talking with employees about the value your company provides to your customers, and explaining how their doing high quality work makes it all possible.

Make sure supervisors know how to bring out the best in people. Supervisors play a huge role in employee morale, performance and stress levels. Supervisors who know how to provide guidance, support and encouragement minimise employee stress. Supervisors with poor management skills or personal problems are a tremendous source of stress and can’t help employees deal with stressful times. The time and financial resources you invest in selecting and training managers will pay huge dividends in reducing employee stress, increasing productivity and minimising turnover.

Encourage employees to talk freely and support one another. An ‘all work and no play’ environment burns out people quickly. Having a workplace where co-workers can talk without worrying about getting into trouble is especially important in high pressure jobs. Encouraging connections among co-workers also reduces stress, because having social support reduces the negative effects of stressful situations. A large body of scientific research indicates that having supportive friends and family members is one of the most important factors influencing a person’s ability to handle stress and major life crises without becoming physically or emotionally compromised.

Help employees design their jobs to be as rewarding as possible. Although not all jobs are equally rewarding and fulfilling, much can be done to make even the least desirable ones more enjoyable. The more opportunity employees have to make decisions, use their mind and take responsibility, the more fulfilled they will be. To make this work, employees need to be involved in the job enrichment process. If changes are made without their input, this will most likely backfire. If employees have worked for years in an environment where they were told what to do, it might take time for them to learn how to take a more responsible and active approach to their jobs.

Improve your hiring and orientation process.Because the first few months on the job are often the most stressful, new employees are often the most vulnerable to accidents and injuries. For companies that have a sink or swim approach to new employees, these first few months are also a time of high turnover. The more effective your hiring, new hire orientation and training is, the more likely new employees will be well suited and prepared for their jobs.

Make sure employees have the resources and training to do their jobs well. When people feel inadequate and ill-equipped to handle a challenge, they get stressed out. If employees don’t have the tools, technology, time, staff, or training to do their jobs well, they are going to be stressed out and won’t be able to work at their true potential. Investing in these areas pays huge dividends both in terms of reduced stress-related costs and in increased productivity.

How burnout affects the bottom line

Employee burnout is generating serious implications for Australian organisations, according to a recent Hudson survey of more than 7,800 employers. It found that 32 per cent of managers are witnessing a growing amount of burnout among their employees, while 37 per cent of these managers believe this is a direct result of increasing numbers of valuable employees leaving the organisation. The survey also found that workplace burnout will erode the bottom line of Australian businesses, with 34 per cent of those employers experiencing increased levels of burnout witnessing a decline in productivity and 29 per cent reporting an increase in the number of sick days being taken.

The issue of burnout is prevalent across organisations of all sizes and all industries in Australia, according to Hudson. The results also indicated that those hardest hit by burnout are the government sector and fast-moving telecommunications industry. Regionally, the Australian Capital Territory returned the highest level of workforce burnout when compared to other States and Territories.

“Given that employers’ top HR priority for 2005 is staff retention and development, these findings sound a clear warning to employers who are battling to hold on to their best performers in an environment of record low unemployment levels,” said Matthew Dale, Hudson’s national practice manager for talent management. “Growing numbers of workers feeling physically and emotionally exhausted leads to poor customer and client service, a sense of low morale and reduced job satisfaction.”

Australian management doesn’t appear to be grasping the simple concepts of increasing productivity and holding onto top talent at the same time, he said. “Given the snowball effect of burnout, this is an issue which must be tabled at the most senior levels of Australian organisations.”

David Lee is the principal of HumanNature@Work. He can be contacted at [email protected] or via www.humannatureatwork.com.