5 fun ways to help reduce employees’ stress

April is National Stress Awareness Month. Busy work environments, tight deadlines, demanding clients and big projects can easily lead employees to develop stress, no matter how much they love their job.

Stressed employees become disengaged and less productive, which negatively impact businesses. On the other hand, happy and healthy employees will go the extra mile to help companies to succeed. It’s no wonder the popularity of wellbeing programmes is on the rise.

The most effective and cheapest way to tackle stress at work is by simply listening to employees. However, it’s not always easy to get them to open up with their line managers or HR as many worry about the effect it could have in their job prospects. In fact, only 43% of employees have disclosed their stress of mental health issues to their employer, according to last year’s research from CIPD.

Here are some fun ideas on how to minimise stress at work and increase employees’ appreciation:

Fun games – Board games are great to help employees unwind if they need a break from work. And, if you have the space, you could go one step further and add table sports to the mix, such as pool and football table. You could even organise tournaments and raise money for charities to make it more fun.

Step challenge – Set up monthly step challenges. Divide employees into teams and reward the winners with gift vouchers. This will not only help employees to de-stress but it will also work as a team building activity whilst keeping them fit and healthy.

Relaxing room – Create an area where employees can go to relax, meditate and recharge their batteries. Sometimes when the day is too stressful, all employees need is a few minutes of peace a quiet.

Organise social events and team outings – It could be anything from having a few drinks after work now and again to team building activities and days out. Crazy golf, bowling, Go Ape, organised football or volleyball matches are just some ideas that you could explore.

Hide and seek treats – Take special dates as opportunities to treat your staff. Organise an Easter egg hunt, for example, or give away advent calendars around Christmas time. These are just small gestures that employees would really appreciate.

A little fun at work can go a long way.

Our sister company, Secondsight, has created a guide on wellbeing in the workplace. If you would like to download a free copy, please visit the website.