All organisations should pursue the goal of being stress-free environments. But can they avoid being places entirely free of pressure? Not exactly…
Pressure is the natural feeling when an outcome depends on your actions or performance. This can be exacerbated by the complexity of the task or the knock-on effects of the outcome but is an unavoidable part of every professional role. Whatever day-to-day work a job entails, there are inevitable consequences associated with doing it within certain timeframes and to certain standards.
Every organisation needs staff who can take personal responsibility for challenging tasks or big projects and cope with the pressure that comes with them. Pressure, when managed properly, can even be a motivating force – encouraging problem-solving, sharpening focus, and building resilience. But when unmanaged, it can easily tip over into something far more harmful.
Standing over the penalty kick needed to win the cup for your team and fans = pressure
Stress occurs when someone has demands placed upon them that they have inadequate resources and/or capability to meet. Those resources could be time, money, energy, or even less quantifiable resources such as emotional ones, like resilience. Capability means knowledge, skills, and experience. When pressure escalates without the right support or resources, it stops being a driving force and starts becoming an obstacle to wellbeing and performance.
Two reports to hand in by Friday, one of which you haven’t started yet, in and out of meetings all week, with half your team on annual leave and a computer on its last legs = stress
Research and wellbeing surveys regularly find that stress is a leading cause of long-term workplace absence, particularly the anxiety and burnout associated with being stressed for an extended period. Left unaddressed, stress doesn’t just affect the individual – it impacts team morale, productivity, and ultimately, business outcomes.
Employers can work to ensure that staff have the time, training, and equipment to consistently meet the standards expected of them, and provide access to support or extra resources when things are particularly challenging or busy. They cannot avoid staff being placed under pressure, but they can support their ability to cope with it – something that developing knowledge, understanding, and awareness via wellbeing training can really help with.
The objective of wellbeing training is not to ‘help’ your workforce survive unsustainable conditions, nor is it to ‘train’ them into being ‘well’. This point is particularly true with learning content around stress – the aim is not to teach that stress is just ‘one of those things’ and they must be able to cope, the aim is to give them understanding and tools that help prevent their pressure becoming stress.
A workplace that understands the difference between pressure and stress is one that can build resilience without burnout, maintain motivation without overload, and create a culture where people feel supported, not overwhelmed.
Eliesha delivers cost-effective and impactful learning workshops on many wellbeing topics. Our trainers are experienced at creating psychologically safe learning environments and treating sensitive subject matter with care. Examples include:
Mastering Emotions & Resilience for Managers
Learning outcomes:
- Understand what is meant by Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Resilience
- Understand why EI and Resilience are so important in working with others, and how to develop your own
- Understand why people react differently to pressure and change, and how to effectively support others through such times
- Be able to use techniques that will encourage others to develop their own EI and Resilience.
Stress Awareness & Management
Learning outcomes:
- Define stress and describe its effects
- Discuss and explore the triggers of workplace stress
- Identify how individuals contribute to their own stress
- Create a personal ‘stress management’ action plan
An Introduction to Mindfulness
Learning outcomes:
- Describe what mindfulness is, in both theory and practice
- Understand mindfulness can be ‘used’
- Have trialed a mindfulness technique and discussed it with others
Resilience & Wellbeing
Learning outcomes:
- Feel more confident & equipped to deal with sensitive wellbeing issues
- Better understand the importance of resilience at work and some of the factors that contribute toward one’s level of personal resilience
- Have considered personal level of resilience
…and many more!
We have supported public and private sector organisations to include wellbeing topics into their training plans – including a comprehensive suite of wellbeing workshops delivered to staff at Natural Resources Wales (Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru).
To arrange an exploratory chat around your requirements or request course outlines for any topics that are high on your agenda, get in touch now!
