During his “stress at work” training, Philippe Zinser will discuss the importance of regularly addressing the problem with his teams.
Whether it is during a pandemic or not, stress is an integral part of our lives. Some will even say that it is closely connected to their profession, or even that they do not imagine their career without stress.
However, concrete ways exist to help employees manage stress better, points out Philippe Zinser.
He is conducting a training on this because, according to him, stress is the equivalent of a “psychological work accident.”
However, the expert argues that, of course, some people manage stress better than others.
There are people who say that they are very efficient when it is five minutes to noon, because they work in a kind of stress adrenaline. Then there are others where it’s quite the opposite. Stress is really part of our lives, but it must not become disabling.”
A fire within teams
Companies must therefore take action to prevent or best manage the stress of their employees.
A company that does not manage the stress of its employees is a bit like a company that does not have an evacuation plan in case of fire. Alarms, ground markings, evacuation plans … we all hope we never need them. However, it’s not feasible not to have. Just because it exists, doesn’t mean there will be a fire. Stress is the same. Better safe than sorry.”
Like a fire that would cause a lot of damage and hit the organization head on, stress can also strongly impact teams.
If poorly managed, stress can cause a lot of team absenteeism, sick leave, and reduce or even destroy a company’s culture,” adds the trainer.
Act before, during and after
In his training, Philippe Zinser proposes concrete ways to manage the “Before”, or how to prevent the onset of stress within a team, the “During”, or the management of stress once discovered, and the “After”, or the follow-up and possible controls once managed.
One thing is certain, the thing not to do is to bury your head in the sand.
Whether it is the individual or the managers, the teams must be able to discuss this problem and address it regularly. Individuals and businesses alike can/must also try to understand the source of this stress.”
Another advice offered by the expert is not to assume that stress will pass, that it is simply temporary.
Stress, once again, is like occupational health and safety. It’s as if one day you see someone who usually puts on safety glasses and who, all of a sudden, for a period of time, does not put them on anymore and you say, “No, it doesn’t matter, he usually puts them on, he will get over it”.”
In the end, the expert adds that one of the simplest ways to take stock is to ask the question frankly: “Do you feel stressed right now?”
You need to be in regular contact with your teams, whether it’s simple surveys or training managers on these issues. You have to be sensitive to the indicators.”
