• Home
  • About Us
  • Our Team
  • All-Access
  • Contact Us

Join In!

  • facebook
  • pinterest
  • twitter

Progressive Women's Leadership

Empowering. Supportive. Bold

EMPOWERING. SUPPORTIVE. BOLD.
  • Live & On-Demand Training
    • Live Training
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Custom Training
  • Leadership E-Guides
  • Blog
    • Leadership
    • Communication
    • Community
    • Life Balance
    • Gender Partnerships
    • Women in the World
  • Free Resources
    • Free Leadership E-Guides
    • Podcasts
  • PWL All-Access
You are here: Home / Leadership / The Surprising Factor Stressing Out Your Staff

The Surprising Factor Stressing Out Your Staff

November 27, 2017 By Lynn Varacalli Cavanaugh

‘Tis the season to be …. stressed? We know stress is on the rise. But how much does this really affect folks? 

According to the American Institute of Stress:

  • 44% of Americans feel more stressed than they did 5 years ago
  • 3 out of 4 doctor’s visits are for stress-related ailments, and
  • Stress increases the risk of stroke by 50%, heart disease by 40%, and heart attack by 25%.

While you can’t save your staff from all stress, you can control the amount of stress they deal with in the office. Question is, what’s the No. 1 thing driving them crazy? Spoiler alert: it’s probably not what you think it is.

What’s stressing out folks?

Career monitoring site Comparably showed the top stress cited by 42% of employees is “unclear goals.”

Some of that can fall back on managers’ shoulders. While it’s ultimately up to staffers to find their path, managers can help them get there.

How you can help:

  • Break out the leadership compass. The best kind of leader is the one who helps her people develop. Share details with your team about current operations happening across the company. Be honest and transparent about any changes or challenges the firm is facing. Encourage questions, thinking-outside-the-box and suggestions from the team.
  • Don’t stick to annual conversations about career goals. Rather, have fewer, less formal conversations throughout the year. No matter how often these meetings happen, dive into the employee’s career goals and overall interests. Keep up with these meetings regularly and you’ll help employees’ eyes on the prize.
  • Ask for their input. When you’re mapping out a project, ask staffers to speak up on what they can contribute and if there’s any areas they want to branch into. They’ll appreciate being in charge of what they get to learn and how they can make it happen. Plus, it’s more likely to push people out of their comfortable zones and not just volunteer for projects they already have the skills for.
  • Ask for updates. Reach out from time to time and ask what they’ve learned so far and how they’re doing. See how they’re using their new skills and knowledge and if they like it so far.

When employees are in supportive, positive environments, it gives them the room they need to be productive and creative – without all the stress.

Recommended For You

  • PWL BizQuiz: What info is private in email … and what’s not?PWL BizQuiz: What info is private in email … and what’s not?
  • Women in Tech: An Interview with Melissa EsquibelWomen in Tech: An Interview with Melissa Esquibel
  • Assess yourself: The essential CEO behaviors (based on a study of 17,000 leaders)Assess yourself: The essential CEO behaviors (based on a study of 17,000 leaders)
  • Someone Quit: Now What? Here’s a Step-by-Step GuideSomeone Quit: Now What? Here’s a Step-by-Step Guide
  • Stop the Bleeding: The 4 Key Steps to Owning a MistakeStop the Bleeding: The 4 Key Steps to Owning a Mistake
  • Decision fatigue: Do you have it? Does your team?Decision fatigue: Do you have it? Does your team?
  • The Silent Power of Mirroring: Connect With Your Team On and Off SiteThe Silent Power of Mirroring: Connect With Your Team On and Off Site
  • Make Your Presentation Stick With a Tough Crowd: 3 StepsMake Your Presentation Stick With a Tough Crowd: 3 Steps

Filed Under: Leadership

Lynn Varacalli Cavanaugh

About Lynn Varacalli Cavanaugh

“An important attribute of success is to be yourself. Never hide what makes you, you." -- Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo

As editor-in-chief of Woman’s Own and American Woman magazines, I have championed the personal and professional development of women for years. I started my career unsure of my own path and abilities, but I always had a natural curiosity and an interest in words and writing. When selected to launch American Woman as editor-in-chief, after a string of editorial jobs, I was thrilled—and terrified at being responsible for a brand new venture. All I could do was my best, based on my instincts and years of experience. American Woman was a success, offering me things I hadn’t achieved before—the confidence to do public speaking and a journalism award (Exceptional Merit Media award from the National Women’s Political Caucus & Radcliffe College). I hope my insights, now as an editor for Progressive Women’s Leadership, will help you on your own journey to career success.

Looking to Make a Difference?

Join thousands of other leading women who have made the commitment to change.

GET MORE INFORMATION

KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST

Updates, discounts and content from Progressive Women’s Leadership straight to your inbox. Your information will never be sold or distributed.

Negotiating Skills: How to Ask for – and Get – What You Want | Course | Starts November 2nd

Popular Posts

  • Why It Pays to Praise: 40 Ways to Say ‘Good Job’
  • Best interview questions asked in 2018
  • Inside the C-Suite: Meet Indra Nooyi, CEO, PepsiCo
  • It’s International Women’s Day! Here’s how to shine a light
  • Do You Look Like A Leader? 7 skills that convey executive presence
Progressive Women's Leadership

Training

  • Live Training
  • On-Demand Webinars
  • Custom Training

Blog Topics

  • Leadership
  • Communication
  • Community
  • Life Balance
  • Gender Partnerships
  • Women in the World

Leadership E-Guides


Free Resources

  • Free Leadership E-Guides
  • Podcasts

Copyright © 2021 · Progressive Women's Leadership · Privacy Policy