Employees are worried.  They are worried about losing their jobs, personal finances, retirement investments and paying their bills.  Visits to EAPs (Employee Assistance Programs) are up.  Much of the stress is caused by the fear of the unknown.  Employers can help ease those fears by providing as much information as possible about the status of the business.  Employers should take extra care in assigning work to be sure that employees are not receiving unbearable work loads and deadline pressures.  Employers must be sure that employees know the expectations for performance and production.  Communicate, communicate, communicate.  

Workplace stress causes employee health disorders and increased accidents and mistakes at work.  Stress-related dysfunctional behaviors cause anxiety among coworkers resulting in disciplinary action, lowered productivity, contagious discontent among the workforce, and even violence.  These are high costs for employees and employers.

When practical, employers should consider offering additional self-care training and work life balancing seminars.  Perhaps some much needed downtime and fun get-togethers could help.  Offering alternative and flexible work schedules and offering an “extra” paid holiday to just ease the load and tension and show appreciation could be tried.  Communication is always key though to ensure employees know what the company is planning and the realities.  A company blog with employee feedback allows information to flow both ways.   

EAPs have been shown to be a worthwhile investment for employers.  In today’s uncertain climate, employees can seek assistance through EAPs for not only behavioral health issues but also for seeking financial, family counseling, stress mitigation support, improved work life balancing and planning and learning to deal with uncertainty. 

Many of the above ideas came from SHRM News.