Supervisor Tips: Managing Office Stress

Fact Sheet: "Managing Stress" (pdf)
Print and share this fact sheet with office staff.

Assess your Office:                                                          

• Are office tensions rising as staff members are trying to do more with decreasing resources?
• Is your office affected by high levels of absenteeism, accidents, or turnover or low levels of morale or productivity?
• Does your office provide a supportive environment where employees feel comfortable with sharing problems and proposing solutions?
• Is your supervision style more empowering or micromanaging?

Suggestions for Action:

• Distribute "Managing Stress" to staff.
• Develop a supportive work environment by practicing good communication skills, especially active listening. Be as available and accessible to staff as your work permits. Encourage them to bring workplace problems and concerns to you for joint problem solving.
• Hold regular staff meetings or provide other forums for communication among office staff. Share information that may affect your staff and work of your department. Solicit ideas and input on ways to improve office operations and solve workplace problems.
• Make sure that staff know what is expected of them by providing clear job descriptions, timely performance evaluations, and objective feedback on a regular basis. Don't wait until the yearly performance evaluation to express your appreciation for a job well done. Actively look for opportunities to send messages of acknowledgement and appreciation.
• Encourage employee decision-making within the context of their jobs. Create opportunities for input on job responsibilities and joint problem-solving when possible.
• Reprioritize departmental goals, objectives, and workloads if you have lost staff. Remember that staff with already full job cards cannot take on more work unless they are relieved of non-priority work tasks.
• Provide opportunities for staff to increase their job skills through workshops and on-the-job training. Promote career development among staff by discussing their career plans with them and encouraging participation in career development workshops and internships.
• Encourage staff to take breaks. Make sure that back-up support is scheduled, if required, for employees to take their breaks. A supportive orientation toward breaks sends a signal that you care about employee well-being.
• Support flexible work schedules to help staff balance work/life issues, to exercise for stress management, or to address their personal needs..
• Build social support in the office through organized group activities. Encourage staff to join departmental or campus-wide social activities and staff organizations to meet new friends and build social support among others on campus with common interests.
• Support attendance at campus classes offered by CARE, Health*Matters, Office of Human Resources, and others
• Seek consultation and supervisory training on dealing with stress, personal problems and change in the workplace. Become familiar with campus resources and how to refer employees to get help. Post or share publicity materials about CARE Services and Health*Matters activities.

Action Plan
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