Reducing Your Employees' Stress Levels

Stress can have negative consequences on both your physical and your mental health. It can weaken the immune system that protects us from flues and more serious diseases. Stress is known to cause insomnia and other sleep related disorders, as well paranoia and nervousness. Also, it is responsible for several skin diseases such as psoriasis, eczema, and asthma.

We spend almost half of our lives at work, in some cases even more. Studies show that work conditions affect the employees' opinion on the employer. So, as an employer, it is your duty to do the best you can to provide a healthy work environment for your employees. When they are satisfied with their work conditions they will be more productive and more optimistic about coming to work and doing their best.

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Introducing Small Changes

By introducing small changes in your office and your work desk, and introducing healthy habits you can do a lot to lower stress and improve the work environment.

In the Office

Avoid setting very high temperatures. Since many people don’t even know what the optimal temperature should be, studies show it should be around 71 degrees Fahrenheit.

Make sure there is enough natural light in the office, unless there are no windows. Natural light help employees feel relaxed and more focused. If natural light isn’t an option, full-spectrum lights can help, and they will be definitely better than ordinary lights, especially in the morning when no one likes to see them.

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Don’t be afraid to invest some time in redesigning the office to make it look more pleasant. The least you can do is paint the walls in a calming color such as aqua or lavender or use interesting wall cladding to make office more Feng Shui friendly. Try adding an aquarium with some exotic fish. It will be a pleasant sight for your employees. Plants are also a great idea. Not only do they look nice and calming, they also make your office more eco-friendly.

On the Desk

As far as the desk goes, it is up to the employees to decide what it will look like. But, you can offer some suggestions that will help with stress and increase productivity. For example, you could recommend better chairs that have adjustable height and support the lower back. The knees should be parallel to the ground.

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Recommend placing the monitor of the computer at a reasonable distance so it doesn’t strain the eyes. The optimal distance is about 19 to 27 inches away. If your employees don’t already have a photo of their beloved, bringing them to work might prove to be helpful. It can even be a picture of a dog or pet.

Dogs Reduce Stress Levels

Dogs are man's best friend, and according to many studies, the best business partner as well. Consider allowing your employees to bring their dogs to work. It will surely make your employees more relaxed, happy, and productive. The dogs will thank you as well, because they don’t like to be left alone in the house.

This is especially important if you notice a lack of team work. Having dogs at work will bring your employees together and result in improving the company's team work more than you could imagine.