Occupational stress is quite common among professionals. In the healthcare industry, the level of stress is relatively higher than other sectors as healthcare workers are prone to long working hours, limited staff, and sudden vacancies. All of these factors contribute to physical and mental stress of employees. As a result, balancing life and profession becomes a challenge for many, and they end up suffering stress and physical burn out. This leads to frustration, fatigue, depression, drop in performance and also increases the threat to physical well-being.
The ongoing stress is an issue that has been bothering healthcare professionals since long. Every worker, be it ICU nurse, technician, physician or a social counselor, every professional is subject to stress at the workplace. In the last 20 years, the US healthcare industry is struggling to combat the side effects of occupational stress that’s impacting worker’s life and productivity. According to stats, the US businesses incur spending of $300 billion a year because of work-related issues leading to absenteeism, turnover, presenteeism, and employee health expenses.
Stress is the backlog that comes with every profession, healthcare being no different. But what is important is learning to manage stress to prevent it affect life and mental peace. One cannot run away from work stress. However, the administration of healthcare companies and organizations can do their part in helping employees manage stress. They can take initiatives to turn work into a fun place, relieving the pressure of the healthcare workers at work.
Have a look through the five ways that can help combat work stress in the healthcare industry.
Promote Positive Work Environment
Positive work culture is something that every company should aim for and work towards achieving. As workers spend the majority of their time in office, work environment plays a crucial role in their well-being. Especially for healthcare workers who work day and night, a positive work surrounding is something that can reduce their stress considerably.
Healthcare employers can make efforts to keep the work environment healthy for employees. They can arrange for welcome lunch for new recruits, organize team outings if possible and encourage team building activities. Also, appreciating every worker’s contribution and efforts work great in making them feel comfortable in work. Employees should always be motivated and given the space to voice their concerns without any hesitation. Everyone including both the employer and employee should take initiatives together to turn their workspace into a better one. Companies like MedicoReach arranges for employee engagement programs every quarter to promote talent and bond with workers.
Follow Good Habits at Work
Taking care of patients is the responsibility of healthcare workers. And in doing so, healthcare professionals always encourage patients to follow and practice healthy habits. Likewise, even they too need to practice healthy habits that can help them reduce stress.
From eating healthy to maintaining a good bond and relationship with co-workers, a lot can be done to relieve stress. If you are a healthcare worker and facing pressure at work, then you must seek support from colleagues, and that helps. Everyone is stressed and so standing strong beside each other as support systems in the workplace enables you to deal with occupational stress. On the part of the hospital administrator, what they can do to promote healthy habits among employees is stock canteen with fresh food. Even if they outsource food catering services from third-party vendors, they must ensure that the food that comes is healthier.
Also, practicing yoga and physical exercise in between breaks can stimulate the flow of energy and calm in workers. Regular workouts can add fresh air to the stressful life of healthcare workers.
Automating Stressful Work
Other than taking care of patients, healthcare workers often require to do additional work. From record-keeping to performing quality checks, assisting physicians, managing administrative tasks, they do have quite a lot of responsibilities. As a result, they are obviously going to stress out and suffer. In such cases, what frontline staff and administrators can do is automate their work. There are various software available in the market today that can securely perform tasks like maintain medical records, updating systems, etc. Even scheduling calls, taking appointments, reviewing documents, and other time-consuming and stressful works like these can be automated.
It is true that every work is not possible for an automated tool or software to do. However, some tasks need no human intervention which can be easily carried out through automation. By letting technology take care of these responsibilities, organizations can reduce employee work pressure.
Meditation is the Real Stress Buster
From ancient times to the present, medication is the ultimate stress relief tool. It calms your mental disturbances and relaxes your mind, body, and soul. A minimum of ten minutes of meditation a day can prepare you to fight for the day’s stress at work. Shedding those extra minutes in meditation actually works in refocusing and fighting your mental imbalances.
Healthcare companies can also encourage employees to meditate. And for that, they can organize meditation camps and make workers value the benefits of meditation in dealing with stress, anxiety, and depression related to work as well as personal life.
Engage in Recreational Activities
The best and most suggested way to beat professional burnout is to engage in brain games and other recreational activities. It’s a fact that healthcare workers hardly get timely breaks considering their field of work. However, to break the monotony of work and to deal with the associated pressure, they must undertake recreational activities to relax.
Even the few minutes they get to rest, healthcare workers can use that and play brain games like crosswords, Sudoku, puzzles, etc. Also, they can listen to music, watch cartoons, sing, and chat with colleagues during breaks. Even at the workplace, workers must utilize the free time they get in entertaining themselves. This is perhaps an effective way that can help any professional from any field combat stress.
Note of Advice!
Don’t let any stress take your peace of mind and impact your survival. Keeping professional and personal life at par is the key to achieve a balanced life. Work pressure is likely to increase as professionally one grows and reaches great heights of success. However, as professionals don’t let your work stress ruin your mental and physical health.
Make sure to spend a good time with loved ones including family and friends and most importantly do what you are best at.
Stay Healthy and Mentally Fit!