6-Methods for effective stress management for managers

Managers work in a highly stressful environment, yet few leadership development measures focus on managing work stress. It is estimated that work stress costs Switzerland approximately 7.6 billion Swiss francs annually in lost productivity, health care costs and stress-related lawsuits. Current trends in the world of work include longer working hours and an increase in demands and pressure from management.

While all employees experience work stress, managers tend to experience particularly stressful activities due to the high demands and responsibilities associated with the management position. An important, but often overlooked, component of leadership development is therefore preparing managers to deal with work stress.

Today's managers operate in a complex work environment characterized by globalization, rapid technological advances, dwindling resources and rising costs. To adapt to these conditions, companies are downsizing their workforces, restructuring, hiring more temporary employees and demanding greater flexibility in working hours from their permanent staff. Managers are at the forefront of these changes and can become stressed by the excessive demands and lack of control they have over the implementation of certain organizational measures (e.g. redundancies, transfers and changes to working hours). For example, managers involved in the delivery of redundancy notices and those affected both directly and indirectly by downsizing have experienced a significant increase in physical health problems (e.g. headaches, high blood pressure), depression and job insecurity. There is also ample evidence that chronic, unmanaged high work demands lead to exhaustion and ultimately burnout.

Preventing stress is the task of every manager today and can be implemented using the following methods:

1st method: Self-leadership and self-management

An effective way for leaders to cultivate an active work environment is to encourage self-leadership in themselves and their employees. This allows managers to gain more control over their own motivation, coping and overall effectiveness through effective self-leadership. Practical strategies for self-leadership include goal setting, self-monitoring, self-rewarding, practicing, reframing one's work and self-managing self-talk and mental imagery. Applying these strategies can help managers to better control their work role.

2nd method: Physical fitness

Physical fitness is a fundamental way to build good physical, psychological and social resilience and therefore an important way for leaders to support healthy recovery. Building resilience through physical fitness is particularly important for leaders in demanding professions, as physically fit leaders have been shown to have greater stamina and mental focus. Physical fitness also contributes to healthy recovery through psychological and social resilience (e.g. improved mood, self-esteem, social identity). Research suggests that both short bouts of exercise and exercise over a longer period of time improve mood by reducing anxiety and depression and increasing feelings of vitality.

3rd method: Integrating health and nutrition into their schedule

Regular exercise not only helps to reduce stress, but can also help to reduce anxiety, improve sleep and boost immunity against colds and flu. Start slowly incorporating healthy practices. Start by improving your diet. Eat more fruits and vegetables while reducing sugar, fat and sodium. Then commit to exercising at least twice a week for 30 minutes (walking, yoga, strength training, cycling).

4th method: perceiving support

A coach can help you organize and prioritize your life by showing you ways to make better use of your energy and time. A coach will also help you to distinguish between what is important or impossible and what is simply a behavioral pattern or habit you have developed.

5th method: Creating your own board

Make sure you have a support group to help you manage stress and leadership tasks in a positive way. This group should consist of peers, your boss, a family member and a trusted friend. You should be clear about your stress management goals and let them help you stay on track.

6th method: The art of recovery

Athletes have long known that 100% effort 100% of the time leads to little or no long-term performance gains. Make sure you take real and frequent breaks throughout your day. At the very least, make sure that you take a 10-minute break every 90 minutes and that you give yourself a vacation after a long project or task.

A famous saying goes: "You can't control the wind, but you can adjust the sails". With this in mind, we assume in this article that these methods are effective mechanisms with which you can adjust the "sails" in your life so that you can cope better with the stress factors (the wind) that may arise.

If you still don't see any improvement, it may help to seek professional support or consider changing jobs. Here too, we at Batterman Consulting will be happy to assist you. You can find our current jobs and the opportunity to submit a speculative application here: https://www.batterman.ch/jobs/