What is Stress?

Presenteeism is real, it is not however the opposite of absenteeism. It is actually, being at work in body but through stress, anxiety, depression or other mental ill-health condition being unable to function effectively. As you can see from the picture above the costs are far greater with presenteeism because in the main the condition goes unnoticed. It is fairly common for my private clients to start off by telling that they are under a lot of pressure at work to improve or perform. Many have been on performance action plans, which for someone who is suffering from presenteeism is extremely unhelpful. I could quote so many examples, but I’ll just tell you about Jenny. Jenny had been a top performer for her employer for a number of years, winning many accolades and advancements. Then, all of a sudden, her line manager noticed that she wasn’t anywhere near as productive and was making uncharacteristic errors. This was apparently monitored for a short time before she was called in and told to up her game. She was put on an action plan that consisted of a new set of targets (greater than before) which she had to achieve before a set date, or the matter would be taken further. Subsequently, these targets weren’t achieved, and she was let go. Jenny came to see me privately and I discovered that she had a few months prior lost both her parents in an horrific car accident. No one at work knew about it as she could not speak about it without breaking down. She had taken annual leave over the period of the funerals so as again to hide this from her colleagues as she couldn’t talk about it. She had gone through the initial shock of the loss but was unable to come out the other side. The additional stress from work had pushed her further into depression. This whole work situation started with presenteeism that wasn’t picked up on by any of her colleagues until it was too late. I know what you’re thinking, she should have said something, and yeah your right, but when an employee doesn’t feel they can say anything for fear of being singled out, or treated as less of a person because of the stigma about mental health, and yes it still exists and this case proves it. We are getting there, but there is still a way to go. Her previous employer championed Wellness in the Workplace, so why did this situation still happen? In my opinion there are several reasons and here’s a couple. From the several hundred strong workforce only 3 were trained as Mental Health First Aider’s and none of them worked in the vicinity of Jenny’s work station; therefore, could not pick up on the obvious signs and symptoms that something was wrong. Also, when the performance dropped off to an extent her line manager (senior management level) called her in, there was no soft skills or compassion. She wasn’t even asked if there was a problem that he wasn’t aware of, she was told her performance had to improve and that he was all over her. I am so pleased to say that since Jenny started her sessions with me, she has come to terms with the awful loss of her parents, gone through the bereavement cycle and become much stronger. She is now a top performer for one of her previous employers’ main competitors, I think there is a little payback there for not looking after what was a very valued employee who clearly just need a little support. Mental Health in the workplace has been such a key topic over recent time. Companies have to have Mental Health and Stress in the Workplace policies and procedures in place under Health and Safety Legislation. Many businesses have followed governmental advice and trained members of staff as Mental Health First Aider’s (MHFA’s). One of the key roles for a MHFA is to spot the signs and symptoms of Stress, Anxiety and Depression amongst their colleagues, this then opens up the opportunity for early intervention. Early intervention is key to reducing the potential long-term harm caused to the body by the raised levels of adrenalin and cortisol. When your body is stressed you go into the fight or flight scenario which is the normal response, we either confront it head on or run away to safety. The trouble is fight or flight is a short-lived safety mechanism that needs to normalise. Now where most people are having problems is when the perceived danger/threat/stressor doesn’t diminish, and the stress levels stay high. The heightened state of readiness keeps the adrenalin and cortisol surging through our bodies and eventually they start to attack our muscles and vital organs. The side effects of these high levels cause all kinds of debilitating conditions. It’s like being prescribed medicine for a particular illness, the medicine does its job so you stop taking it, if you kept on taking it in time it will have a negative effect on your body. Presenteeism is a key indicator that something is wrong, therefore ensure all your employees are aware of the signs and symptoms and ensure that within the support you offer your employees is the provision for one to one counselling sessions. The most effective way of supporting your employees who need it. It is way more cost effective than presenteeism! If you would like an infographic on the signs and symptoms to circulate amongst your employees send me a quick email to paula@stressright.co.uk. Subject: infographic and I’ll send you the pdf. Ps. Jenny’s not her real name. Thanks for reading this your time is appreciated

In Septembers newsletter I look at whether or not you should train your employees, there's a little about energy drinks and I wrap up with a bit about our Wellness Workshops! Click on link Newsletter September 2019 to read more.

I was delighted to be asked to write an article on generational differences in the workplace and how this has a major effect on employee stress. This is a new National Bookazine called 'Psychology Now', which is out now and available in WH Smiths and online at https://www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/knowledge/psychology-now Hope you enjoy reading it!

The best risk management approach is to act on what you know and what is likely to happen. This requires a business to be proactive and dynamic. If a business ignores readily available information about a decline in performance, they are heading for problems. So why is it that many businesses are still not embracing " wellness in the workplace " and " work-related stress "? This week alone, and we are only at Tuesday, I have spoken with two companies who have NO policies or procedures in place to deal with the wellbeing of their employees! In fact and quite worryingly, both do not monitor absence or carryout return to work interviews. I have always had the opinion that businesses with this approach would be managed by old school owners, but that is not the case with either of these. They have however both got one major element in common. They were both fairly small businesses that have gone through a rapid period of growth driven purely by sales. The need to meet demand was more important than the administrative infrastructure to support the businesses growth. They saw the sales increasing and that was that, but now sales have levelled off the owners are looking inwardly to see why! Now, even more worryingly, one of them has four members of staff off on long-term sick , and trust me when I say long-term I really do mean long-term! Taking key employees out of the system, often leads to system failure. Surprisingly this is not that uncommon. A lot of what I do is to help employees who are off sick through stress and anxiety, return to work more quickly than the traditional approach. Another aspect of my work is to help employees who are at work but suffering from stress and anxiety, to stay at work. Teaching them practical ways to overcome or manage their stress so that their work is unaffected and the employer get more of the employee that they hired in the first place. The costs to a business for long-term sickness and/or presenteeism is huge and yet in the main are either avoidable or at least controllable. Employees who are turning up for work as healthy as they can be, are able to perform to the best of their ability and this is what you expect them to do. If during the recruitment interview a candidate said that they would only give you about 50% of their ability/attention, would you employ them? Of course not, so why do you keep paying them each month for poor performance? By promoting wellness in the workplace and monitoring work-related stress levels you can ensure that you are meeting your Health and Safety obligations and the payback is in improved employee engagement, loyalty and productivity. When was the last time you had 100% attendance, today, yesterday, last week, last year or never? OK, so that maybe unrealistic for the larger employers but if you strive for it, your business will benefit from it! Because I'm passionate about the help and support I can give to businesses and their employees I felt that I had to share this weeks discoveries. Obviously, I'm not sharing who they are or even what they do or which county they're in, but please, please, please don't be like them! Don't become so wrapped up in sales and growth that you ignore, no actually it's not ignoring, it's failure to see the bigger picture. Without the employees you wouldn't have the business you do, with better performing employees you may well have the sales and growth you desire. #wellness #stress #wellnessintheworkplace #workrelatedstress #hr

Often conflict in the workplace will lead to stressed employees and stressed employees will often suffer dips in their performance and see an increase in their errors. In time they are more likely to be off sick which can lead to long-term sickness. A cost you can avoid! Now whilst I appreciate conflict in the workplace will not all be 'generation' related, generations will act in differing ways. They will also expect different things from their management teams and colleagues. When you have the greatest of generation gaps working in the same department it can indeed often lead to conflict, their expectations and demands on each other will be poles apart. Understanding their differences and knowing how they work and can work with each other, will make work life easier and far less stressful. Now whilst the equality act 2010 stops you from discriminating on age, it is actually really positive because it forces you to be open minded about the individuals. I believe that all generations have qualities that a business can benefit from. The skill is knowing how to bring out the best in these individuals. I recently had a 12 month review with a client, he owns a company that only wanted youth in his teams, 'quick thinking, fast paced and understanding technology is everything' etc. Well circumstances led to him employing a 'Baby-boomer' to one of his teams. It was turmoil to start with, however, his calmness and attention to detail has made this particular team the top performers in Q1 and Q2 this year. It hadn't been a good start though with much of the turmoil and conflict causing low morale and stress leading to some long-term sickness which was where I came in. Once I had worked with the department and individuals we then did some group training about the generational differences and how to make them work within a team, harmony was restored, morale improved and performance went up. My top tip is that no matter what generation your employees are, they are still individual people and therefore should be treated as such. The more you know what motivates an employee and what makes them tick the easier it will be to bring out the best in them. As your business grows this becomes harder to achieve, which is why you need to recruit/train the right managers and supervisors so that they can take on the knowledge of their teams individualities. Knowledge isn't always power, but it can be a powerful tool when it is used to drive positive actions in people working for the same goal. If you'd like to know more about how I can help your business please get in touch for an informal no obligation chat! email paula@stressright.co.uk or by phone on 07767 826255

One of my Hampshire clients has given me permission to talk about how I've helped him from a very dark place where he didn't want to carry on, to where he is now, back working, in a caring relationship and looking forward to a bright future. I promised him that I wouldn't use his name but his story is so real that I know it could help others, so I'm calling him Jim. Some time ago Jim contacted me asking if I covered his part of Hampshire, he went on to say that he was at rock bottom and at this point he broke down and sobbed uncontrollably for a good half hour. Needless to say, I agreed. Without becoming to detailed, and I am missing out some bits, but you will get the gist of how Jim had ended up at his all time low point. Over the past 7 years Jim had suffered the loss of both of his parents, his son, his wife through divorce, his perfect job and countless so called friends . He had tried to take his life on 3 occasions and if not for a nosy neighbour he probably would've succeeded. After years of treatment, hospitals, institutions and groups, Jim was lost. His nosy neighbour told him to never give up, help is out there you just need to find it! Now just for a little perspective, prior to the death of his parents, Jim had a great job, a stable marriage, a son he idolised and what appeared to a strong circle of friends. The decline started with the death of both parents in a road traffic incident, his parents were his world, a slightly pushy dad who had guided him on his career path leading him to his perfect job where he had excelled. His mum would embarrass him to her friends telling them how proud she was of him, what he did for a living and what a great father he was to her grandson. They were in contact every week often having holidays together and sharing family weekends. This loss over a period of around 6 months saw him slip into a depressive state where he had become very angry. He had also started drinking quite heavily and isolating himself from everyone except his son who was doing his best to be the support his dad needed. Jim had cut back on his drinking and his son was going with him to AA, partly to ensure he went but also to learn how to help him through this difficult time. One evening about a month into his efforts in moving on he was woken by the police with the sad news that his son had been killed in a motorcycle incident. This hit Jim like a sledgehammer undoing all the progress he had been making. This led to the first attempt on his life through alcohol and tablets, on this occasion he was discovered by his wife and got help via 999. This was the point where she decided she'd had enough and left him, leaving a letter for him to find when he came out of hospital. Their relationship had been going through rough patches since the death of his parents and more so after the death of their son. Jim had become very dependant on her and she'd just had enough and left without contact details. Now then, I feel a mention about his job is quite important. His boss had not only kept in touch whilst he'd been off on long-term sickness but was happy to keep his job open until he was happy to return. This was a great testament for the business and how highly they thought of Jim. An issue that became apparent during Jim's sessions was that his dad had encouraged him into his profession, his dad knew the owner of the business personally and his dad basically had got him the job there. Now whilst this explained the companies loyalty to him, Jim couldn't face going back because of all the memories, it was just too painful. In the end Jim met with his boss and explained why he couldn't return. He had a skill set that would make it easy for him to find a new job when he was ready and subsequently using my recruitment background I helped him find that new job. Now obviously I can't go into how the sessions went or what we discussed but what I will say is how Jim described them back to me. He said "you just listened, you didn't interrupt me and you managed to get me to make the right decisions instead of telling me what to do". He told me of all the different medications he'd been on, some had helped in the early stages but others had made him feel worse and that just being able to talk seemed to work better than all those tablets. He was also very honest and said that he couldn't see how I would be any different to all the others and only agreed to see me because his neighbour badgered him into trying someone different. Jim is now in a much better place, he has a new job, a new home and a new hobby. The new hobby is part of his healing process, Jim is helping out at his AA group, using his own personal experience to help others. Jim has been dry now for just about 2 years and he remembers during his fourth session with me he suddenly realised that it was really down to him to want to be better and that was the day that he change his thinking. Now, if I tell you that Jim has a new lady in his life you might think they either met at AA or his new place of work but you'd be wrong, as I was. Jim, in a very bashful way explained how his nosy neighbour had tracked him down. I expected them to have been older and retired, but no it was the neighbour's daughter, turns out she'd always had a thing for him and as she was single she wanted to let him know that she wasn't just nosy, she was interested! Over the past few years I've helped many people, some similar to Jim and others not so far down that road. I often get asked why I succeed where others have failed. In truth I don't know, partly because I don't know the others or how they work. I believe some of it is because I've been there, I know what it's like and I came out the other side. It could also be because I'm a trained Samaritan, all I do know is that in seeking help the earlier you start the easier it will be and the less harm will be done. You need also to be able to relate to the person you are seeking help and guidance from, if you don't feel that they can help you, they won't, it doesn't matter how good they are. Jim hasn't got over what happened but he now has the skills to help him cope with it, he has a new job, new friends and a new partner who knows what he has been through, saved his life and wants to be with him. He still contacts me occasionally mainly by phone or skype and it's more about keeping in touch than actual support but it's very rewarding to hear him being so upbeat and positive about his future. If you or anyone you know needs help in coping with stress, anxiety or early depression get in touch via my contact page, email to paula@stressright.co.uk or by phone to 07767826255. Thank you for taking the time to read about Jim's journey. Paula Thompson

Shocking isn't it! However, this doubles to 1 in 5 by early adulthood. I am working with Tangerine Mind to deliver training for schools, colleges and teachers to help control this growing area of concern. We have already had great success and it is so rewarding to be able to help children who have stress, anxiety and early signs of depression. It is also extremely saddening that the way children used to grow and develop through their childhood seems to have change completely in the modern day. Children are forced into growing up too quickly, they are under huge pressure to achieve and be successful at everything. Their playtime has changed from messing about in the garden with friends to sitting alone with gaming equipment and often not even interacting with their family. (I know this is not across the board but neither is it the exception to the rule any more) It is fair to say that most of the issues people have as adults stem from their childhood, this is why we have created our mental wellness programme for children, students and young adults . Suicide is the most common cause of death for boys (17% of all deaths) and girls (11%) aged between 5 and 19, in 2015. 3 in 4 children with a diagnosable mental health condition do not get the access to the support that they need. Our aim is to humanize mental ill-health and breakdown the stigma that still exists. Talking about mental heath issues to people who care and are there in front of you, are non-judgemental but compassionate is the way ahead. Whilst there is a lot of things on-line for help which is great but having the human interaction and the immediate feedback is key. Busy lives, the pressure of having to succeed, the pressure of social media and the diminishing family and social interaction are all playing their part in causing this growing isolation the younger generations are living with. I often see clients (late teens to mid 20's) who don't know how to interact with others, they are very nervous of crowded areas and would be filled with dread at having to give a presentation or verbal report at work. We all have stress in our lives and in fact we need it to help us function to our potential. Our stress should be like waves that rise and fall, however, when the rise doesn't fall 'normalise' the resultant chemical changes in your body become harmful. The skills we teach you will help you to cope with stressful situations and also help you to 'normalise' your stress levels if you are feeling overwhelmed. For more information about Tangerine Mind click here Please feel free to send me any questions you may have about mental wellness and I will get back to you as soon as I can! paula@stressright.co.uk or paula@tangerinemind.co.uk

It is well documented that companies that support wellbeing in the workplace achieve: - · Higher level of productivity · Reduced absenteeism and staff turnover · Motivated employees However, organizations have typically focussed on a narrow set of workplace factors such as – · The type of the job · Working environments and organizational culture · Quality of leadership · Relationship with colleagues With a focus on just these factors may not necessarily lead to higher levels of engagement and maybe looking at employee wellbeing in a slightly different way could be the way forward for an effective organisation. Taken from the Panchakosa framework in Patanjali Yoga sutra, a business School in Gurgaon, they have created a holistic model of happiness to measure wellbeing at five levels. It acknowledges the fact that choices made by employees in their personal life and actions taken by organizations at the workplace, both impact well-being · Physical well-being: Refers to the physical space, ambience, and levels of comfort and fitness experienced by the employee in the organization and outside. · Communication Well-Being: Denotes the quality and frequency of energy and information flow experienced by the employee, through various communication channels, in the organization and outside. · Emotional well-being: Demonstrates the positive emotions experienced by the employee characterized by a sense of community, serving others, deep relationships and belonginess at the organizational and individual level. · Intellectual well-being: Represents a perception of enhanced learning, autonomy and intellectual growth by the individual. It is manifested in the actions the individual takes to learn on his own, and in the structures, systems, processes and 'nudges 'of the organization which enhance his learning and knowledge. Using this framework, an organization can measure wellbeing in the workplace, at different levels and the overall sense of wellbeing amongst employees. This model also gives the employer an idea of what actions could be taken to support their employees and aspects that need to be considered by employees to make choices that enhance their well-being. Would this have a huge impact on employee happiness and Well Being in your business?

Employers are increasingly more aware of the effect poor-quality sleep can have on productivity, employee wellbeing, absenteeism, as well as directly on health and safety in the workplace. When we have had a bad night’s sleep we know the next day we’re just not at our best, we show signs of irritability, we find it hard to concentrate or don’t perform as well as usual and the longer our sleep is disrupted the worse these impacts get. If you’ve had the pleasure of having a new born you know the feeling all to well. However, being stressed has a major impact on our sleep patterns which lead to these systems and the direct result will be low productivity, poor customer service both internally and externally, absenteeism and increased risk of accidents in the workplace. Due to the increase of stress related absenteeism more and more businesses are now taking an interest in the specific impact of sleep deprivation due to stress or disruption on the health and wellbeing of their employees and the implications for productivity and competitiveness. We all need sleep, it is essential for maintaining good levels of cognitive skills such as speech, memory, innovative and flexible thinking. Going back to basics, sleep is a period where our body recharges, repairs and restocks itself, so when an individual is sleep-deprived this recovery time is lost. Although we can cope with sleep loss for a couple of days, eventually the body just can’t keep limping on without this essential recovery time. Stress at work or worries at home can keep us awake at night, so it makes sense for all employers to think about the broad range of causes as well as potential action to help improve sleep quality and duration. Links between a lack of sleep and high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes are emerging. A lack of sleep also makes us more vulnerable to infection and raises the risk of accident and injury. There are many reasons why you might get less sleep than the recommended 7-9 hours a night. Work-related stress, working anti-social hours, illness and injury, getting older, money worries and personal loss are just a few of the issues that can keep us awake at night. But how do you or an employee know if lack of sleep is affecting you at work? Common signs include a general deterioration in performance, concentration or poor memory as well as mood swings. Although we all make our own decisions at night when to lie down and go to sleep, there are lots of ways employers can support us all as individuals to get a better night’s sleep, and ultimately help us all to be healthier and achieve our potential in the workplace. Taking action on sleep issues in the workplace is about considering prevention, like job planning or taking steps to mitigate stressors like night shifts or organisational change, as well as providing support and intervention when sleep issues are identified such as stress management therapy. As with most health issues, prevention is always more cost effective for business the potential gains in terms of productivity, and positive outcomes from avoiding sleep issues, could be significant. There are steps you can take if you feel you or an employee are showing signs of any of the above and think it may be down to not sleeping enough. This is where “sleep hygiene” comes in. Don’t be confused by the phrase “sleep hygiene”. It’s not about how clean your bedding is! Rather, sleep hygiene is about creating the ideal conditions for a good night’s sleep. Everyone is different, but good examples include sticking to regular bedtimes and making an effort to relax as the time for sleep approaches as well as avoiding heavy meals, caffeine and alcohol late at night. Think about your use of technology too – this isn’t just a late-night distraction (or the cause of stress if you’re always checking work emails). Blue light from computer screens, tablets, smartphones, LED lighting and some TVs can keep you awake by suppressing the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin. Finally, if an individual is still finding sleeping difficult, recognise that there is a range of help available. Should you be interested in what I can offer as stress management therapy please get in touch.