Tips For Effectively Managing Teams During Stressful Times

Tips for Effectively Managing Teams During Stressful Times

FREE office Stock Photos from PikWizard

Image Source: Pikwizard

Every organization goes through stressful periods where challenges can feel overwhelming. During these times, managers must take actionable steps to reduce the tension and stress felt by the people in their team.

Your goal should be to create a healthy, happy workplace that maximizes productivity.  By using the following five tips, you can effectively manage your team, even during stressful times.

Re-Evaluate Priorities

If your employees feel overwhelmed with their workload, the most obvious thing to do is re-evaluate the team’s priorities. As the manager, it’s your responsibility to develop an action plan that allows every worker to become more productive with their time. Look over each project and think about what’s most important to your company’s compelling shared vision. The compelling shared vision of an organization is the shared goal of all members of the team.

In TVL, incorporating the propriety tool known as “Influence Map” can help your team reach a shared vision. Once your team has a better understanding of each other and the organization’s broader goals, each individual will be able to prioritize their tasks better.

Set Boundaries

Technology has created a culture where work is always accessible, even outside of working hours. Many people feel ‘disconnected’ without their phones and feel pressure to be available 24 hours a day – so managers must take up the responsibility to set boundaries between work time and personal time.

One of the ways you can do this by limiting the emails you send to your employees after work. Unless it’s absolutely urgent, most emails can wait until the next morning. Your team needs time to relax and recharge, where they aren’t thinking about work at all. Without this time, your team will feel increased levels of stress and anxiety, which can negatively affect their productivity and enjoyment at work.

FREE office Stock Photos from PikWizard

Image Source: Pikwizard

Keep the Team Energized

It’s important to find creative ways to energize your team. Consider incorporating a fun space in the office, where employees can play games or socialize during breaks. Having a fun break during the day gives your team a chance to release tension and improve their overall mood. Remember, happier employees will work more effectively throughout the day.

Another option is to encourage at-work exercise initiatives or get the company involved in fun physical activities after work. Exercise is one of the best-known stress-relievers and has been shown to improve physical and mental well-being. Encouraging employees to get regular exercise will ultimately enhance workplace productivity and performance.

Effective team management enables high achievers even in stressful phases

Fix Team Meetings

Meetings can be a waste of time if they are not appropriately managed. For every meeting you hold, there should be a standard agenda set to allow for productive discussions and decision making. It’s best to establish no more than three core objectives for the meeting to save time.

To maximize productivity, it may also be a good idea to change the venue of your usual meeting room - a refreshing change in scenery can do wonders to boost your team’s mood and focus. Above all, you should always ask yourself if holding a meeting is actually necessary for what you need to achieve. Much of the time, sending email or memo is enough to accomplish a specific goal.

FREE conference center Stock Photos from PikWizard

Image Source: Pikwizard

Encourage Self-Assessment  

During highly stressful periods, it can be helpful to provide opportunities for self-assessment for your team members. Clean Slate is a session developed by TVL that can help team members identify and eliminate mental obstacles that may be holding them back at work.

By encouraging self-assessment in a positive, secure environment, the session can help your team de-stress and move on from any negative mental baggage. It’s easy for employees to doubt their ability once in a while, or to have work-related or relational stresses that accumulate over time.  When you make sure that your employees feel free to express and discuss their concerns with trusted people who will encourage and help them, they will feel more relaxed and productive throughout each workday.

Watch below a video of Susan Gibson, CEO and co-founder of Temenos + Agility talking about Compelling Shared Vision- an objective that could inspire teams even in stressful times.

Johanna Cider is a New Zealand-based writer who has experience writing about a diverse range of business and lifestyle topics, including articles for technology sites such as Trustpower. You can read more about Johanna and her work here.


Like this post? Share it with friends