Did you know that stress makes people nearly 3 times as likely to leave their jobs? To de-stress your work environment, try these approaches. 

1. Increase psychological safety.

Guard against employees viewing the workplace as a threat. Make sure your expectations are obvious by giving your employees clear goals. Second, make sure everyone feels like their voices are heard, and that everyone knows that you want their voices to be heard. Third, develop a work environment that is both challenging and unthreatening. Let people know it’s okay to fail.

2. Build regular break times into the workday.

The human brain can focus for around 90-120 minutes before it needs to rest. That’s why you should encourage your employees to step away from their desks and mentally disengage from challenging tasks every couple of hours.

3. Encourage the use of private workspaces when team members need to focus.

Open offices are prone to distractions, increasing stress and decreasing productivity. If you don’t have private workspaces where employees can go to focus or decompress, try using signals like “do not disturb” signs when needed, or scheduling “quiet hours” when people can work.

4. Set boundaries around time outside of work.

Teams that are not all in one location might need to work outside of traditional hours from time to time. However, the blurring of work and personal time is a significant source of job stress. A study found that it is not just answering emails that increases employees’ anxiety — it is also the expectation that they will be available to do so outside of work hours. To combat this, set clear guidelines and follow them. Send emails and make calls after hours only when it’s urgent.

5. Look into flexible work policies.

If you want a highly adaptive team, then create an adaptable work environment. Give your employees flexibility by allowing them to work staggered hours, taking into account their varying needs.

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