Reducing stress in the workplace

Stress can be very damaging in the workplace, but it does not have to be all negative. While there are common ways to reduce stress in the workplace, there are also a few more entertaining ways you can get involved with everyone in the office to improve morale and reduce the stress of the staff!

Social Events

Bonding that occurs while going out to eat or having a crazy golf tournament works better to build strong relationships that reduce stress and conflicts both in and outside of the office environment. Spending time as friends rather than colleagues can help to form stronger relationships that will help socially and emotionally.

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Sports

Everyone knows that exercise helps you in many different ways but if heading to the gym after work is just too exhausting, there are plenty of perfectly ways to create an office challenge of something as simple as monthly walking contests with a gift card at the end, or the office organizing football matches, for example.

Invest in comfort

Furniture can have a big impact on both happiness and productivity. Invest in quality pieces like the Eames Office Chair from a site like https://www.pash-classics.com/office/chairs/

Games

On a smaller scale, a game room with pool or pingpong table gives a good rest and can lead to some healthy competition with an extended tournament! You can also consider providing a quiet space where people can go to get some quiet time to focus on a task or relax for a while. Meditation is becoming increasingly popular, so you can also consider a group meditation session.

Hide and Seek Challenges

It can be seasonal, like an Easter egg hunt, hiding a small Santa around the office, or a little thing going on-all-year round. The premise is that treats or hidden objects are hidden around the office, and people are encouraged to keep an eye out to find them. This should encourage people to walk around the office more, talking to other people, moving more and having a bit of harmless fun!

Creativity

Getting creative with the team is a great way to reduce stress. You could hold a holiday decorating contest, or hold a drawing competition each week. Something that will encourage people to express their creativity a little bit can help reduce stress. If they are resistant to being creative, then providing lego bricks or colouring books provides a great stress outlet without a lot of pressure for anything too challenging.

Stretching

Maybe you cannot work in the gym for an hour while in office, but installing a pull-up bar in one of the doors may be enough to raise the heart rate. You can also stretch while at your desk, or move to a sit-stand desk to allow you greater flexibility when working. You can even assign certain times of day when the team get away from their desk for a while to work through the stretch together.

Laugh

Some common themes throughout many of these tips is to have fun and enjoy time together as a team. It helps you relax and reduce stress. Providing an opportunity to laugh at the workplace can drastically reduce stress. This could be through a night of comedy or allow teams to share funny videos (in moderation). Make people happy and you and your productivity will benefit.