James Marston, Trainer and Inspector at the British Institute of Cleaning Science, reports.
Anxiety in our everyday lives is a feeling we all have to manage at one time or another. In modern times with the complexities and responsibilities at home and work, becoming anxious can become a persistent sense of worry and apprehension. This state of mind can affect every part of your day if left unchecked. Lack of concentration, fatigue, impatience, and anger can be the result.
For some, getting away from anxiety at home by going to work is a small relief. For others going to work, anxiety kicks in because of a work-related issue – overworked, unrealistic goals or even a toxic work culture. We often hide our anxiety because it’s our problem or we think it is. Workplace anxiety is everyone’s problem because the workplace is possibly creating it. Renewal of contracts, complaints from clients, and staff absence adding huge pressure to achieve results on the team are just a few examples within cleaning services.
Anxiety, a leading symptom amongst other mental health conditions, is a growing problem not to be ignored. The Health & Safety Executive reported 35.2 million workdays were lost in 2022/23* due to work-related ill health and non-fatal workplace injuries, with a large percentage of these being due to mental health issues. The average absence per person due to stress, depression or anxiety was 19.6 days. This has a massive impact on workforce performance and on the employee who will likely lose income for the period of absence.
What can organisations do about it? I hope we all agree an open and safe culture is the best position for business. The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) provides guidance on a holistic approach for employers which should be adopted and sets out good practice at all levels of the organisation.
What is critical is to identify anxiety displayed by a team or individuals. Anxiety can formulate many behaviours. Communicating to get to the root cause of anxiety should be considered. A future change in the business or unfounded rumours can often be dealt with through transparent action and communication by management to the whole team. Hopefully this will dispel anxiety about the future.
On an individual level, the matter can be deeply rooted and difficult to address. Relationships at work, a friend or a long-term colleague may have the best chance of getting to the problem. Line management is not always the best route. Often a problem shared can break the cycle of dread or uncertainty anxiety creates and individuals can move on in a happier place. Sometimes the individual needs professional help if their anxiety is acute. Organisations should support with professional intervention and mentor through the solution.
For staff who have mild anxiety good ways to relieve symptoms include smiling, even when you don't feel like it – endorphins are increased replacing anxiety with calm and making you feel better. Deep breathing which sends more oxygen to the brain can help you relax and think more clearly. Journaling is a method of writing your feelings down which forces you to slow down and work through your anxious thoughts. It can also help you identify patterns within your thoughts maybe finding new ways to cope.
Organisation policies and approaches should be widely distributed to all staff. Often the answer is a subtle one through managers and champions that can identify when anxiety is the issue and take the right action to dispel it.
Release from anxiety can be a huge relief. People are not always aware of their anxiety and just how much it affects their lives at work and home. We spend much of our time at work. Our colleagues often hold the answers when stress, anxiety or nerves kick in. An organisation that recognises it and takes the correct action to help gets my vote.
All of us live with anxiety at some point in our lives. In the workplace, we do not have to be alone and suffer its effects.
Reference:
*https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/dayslost.htm
www.bics.org.uk
About the contributor
James Marston
Trainer and Inspector
BICSc