Early Warning Signs of Stress

Overburdened, under-resourced, always-on, quarter-led and comparison-triggered. It is no wonder that stress has reached such epidemic proportions. The risk to individuals and businesses are huge: productivity, profits, teamwork, customer satisfaction, good-will, wellbeing, not to mention the damage to the brand you’ve likely taken such care to cultivate.

Noticing the signs early is the first insurance against burnout or breakdown. However, you need some stress to perform well, but too much of the negative kind for too long and it may be too little, too late. Everyone has a tipping point where optimum energy and performance starts to slide into the danger zone. Where would you put yourself on this bell-curve?

A 2015-2016 study found that work-related stress accounts for 37% of all ill-health cases and 45% of all working days lost due to ill health. It is an expensive problem with repurcussions impacting above and below the radar, within the business and beyond, including the risk of time-consuming, reputation-damaging and profit-guzzling legal action.

Here are 10 of the early warning signs to look out for in yourself and those working with you. Assess them to the following scale:

Green: All is good
Amber: Take action now to avoid the slide
Red: Urgent action is required

The more you have in the amber and red columns, the more at risk your employees and your business are. The warning signs become danger signs. Remember that there is a potential of huge financial penalties too.

Whether you use it as a tool to assess someone you may be concerned about, or perhaps your best performer, or even as a litmus test for the company as a whole, I do hope you find it helpful. Too many in the red column is an indication of serious issue which cannot be left to chance. However, it is more prudent to address issues when they are in the amber column so you avoid the risk of further problems.

Of course, there could be other reasons for these symptoms but it should give you an insight into what could be going on:

These are just some of the warning signs that may be visible. Everybody is different. Noticing early and taking action sooner rather than later will help to stem the tide so you can enjoy a more engaged and productive workforce. When dealing with stress, it is important to look at the causes, the perpetuating factors and implement a plan to inoculate the business.

Tricia Woolfrey is a consultant, coach, trainer, therapist and published author, specialising in performance, productivity, stress resilience and wellness. Based in Harley Street, London and in Surrey. Incorporating Neuro Linguistic Programming, Positive Psychology, Neuroscience and Nutrition to achieve positive change in individuals, teams and organisations. She conducts stress audits, stress and wellness assessments, stress and wellness coaching, as well as retreats. To see how she can benefit your business, call her on 0345 130 0854.