Empowering employers: Effective ways to manage stressed employees

Helping employees manage stress in the workplace is no longer just a personal health concern — it's a business imperative with serious consequences for productivity, engagement, and your bottom line. According to a new report, Stress in the Workplace 2024, nearly all employees — a whopping 90% — are stressed on the job, and 80% say that stress hurts their productivity or quality of work. Even more alarming? Nearly half of employees (44%) are actively thinking about quitting their current job because of stress, and 71% have called in sick at least once during the last 30 days. 

The causes of stress in the workplace are wide-ranging, from lack of autonomy and unclear communication to unrealistic workloads and poor managerial support. Chronic workplace stress costs U.S. businesses over $300 billion annually in absenteeism, lost productivity, turnover, and healthcare expenses. 

To survive, employers must offer more than the typical wellness perks and benefits. They can deal with stressed workers by implementing practical, system-level changes that create a healthier, more resilient workplace culture. Continue reading as we explore how to reduce employee stress so your employees and your organization can thrive.

Check in with stressed employees

Regular one-on-one check-ins and open communication can help management deal with stressed employees​. These efforts enable leaders to identify employee stress before it escalates. Staying proactively engaged with your workforce ensures leaders can spot early warning signs of stress, like changes in behavior, performance dips, or increased absenteeism rates. Once a problem is identified, it can be addressed before your entire team is impacted.  

Empathetic check-ins also promote trust and honesty. Yet, many leaders lack training and don’t realize the importance of recognizing mental health concerns. Fortunately, there are some strategic ways to help leaders create psychological safety in the workplace and encourage their employees' emotional well-being. 

For example, managers can start:

• Using active listening
• Demonstrating support and empathy
• Practicing emotional intelligence
• Engaging in supportive dialogue
• Delivering consistent, constructive feedback
• Resolving conflicts early and effectively
• Identifying and addressing bias

Set clear boundaries to support work-life balance

Lack of work-life balance is a major driver of employee burnout and stress in today’s workforce. Studies show a strong relationship between work-life balance and job performance and satisfaction. Setting expectations and creating firm policies about balancing personal and professional lives will empower employees to disconnect and recharge so they’re at their best when on the job. 

To support employee work-life balance:

• Establish clear policies about after-hours emails and work requests
• Communicate holiday and time-off policies
• Encourage leaders to model healthy boundaries themselves
• Offer mental health days and personal time off
• Give employees autonomy to manage their schedules and responsibilities

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Research suggests that the benefits of flexible work hours and autonomy do more than increase job satisfaction and performance—they can also reduce family conflict. Further, employees who lack boundaries experience psychological discomfort far more often than those who prioritize balance. 

Make mental health resources easy to access and use

Offering mental health resources is an essential aspect of stress management for employees. This can include counseling, workshops, and digital tools, but it’s only effective if employees know about them and can access them easily. 

Unfortunately, while we’ve come a long way in reducing stigma about mental health, it still exists. Fear and lack of awareness often prevent the utilization of many employee-offered resources. It's well worth the investment, though. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every $1 invested in mental health yields a $4 return in improved employee health and productivity. Removing barriers to support can increase utilization, reduce absenteeism, and help create a culture where seeking help is respected. 

‍To maximize impact, organizations can:

• Promote mental health resources frequently and visibly
• Make access easier by using direct links and reducing paperwork
• Offer digital tools and apps for confidential, on-demand support
• Provide local support options
• Partner with platforms like Talkspace to provide flexible, accessible mental health care that’s tailored to employee needs
• Reduce stigma by normalizing conversations about mental health

Hold managers accountable for recognizing and addressing stress

Leadership is pivotal in shaping a workplace culture that encourages stress management for employees. Understanding how managers can reduce workplace stress is key to long-term organizational success. Managers need to be accountable for recognizing the signs of stress, such as increased absenteeism, declining performance, or withdrawal. They also must be willing to take action. When stress management becomes part of core leadership competency, it’s easier to ensure that employee support is consistent and effective across all levels.

Organizations can create accountable leadership teams by:

• Training leaders on how to reduce employee stress by identifying warning signs
• Equipping managers with resources 
• Ensuring leadership has referral pathways to offer employees
• Setting expectations for regular check-ins and follow-ups

Rebalance workloads and fix operational inefficiencies

Unrealistic workloads and inefficient processes are top contributors to workplace stress. According to research, 38% of employees say they’re too stressed to do their jobs well. Employees who are overloaded or weighed down by unnecessary meetings and ineffective workflows are more stressed and likely to disengage. 

Employers can improve operational inefficiencies by:

• Regularly assessing workloads to ensure fairness
• Streamlining internal processes to eliminate unnecessary steps
• Reducing or consolidating meetings 
• Clarifying priorities and responsibilities

Streamline internal communication to prevent overwhelm

Communication overload via constant emails, messages, and meetings often leaves workers feeling overwhelmed and unable to focus. Clear, streamlined communication helps to reduce noise, prevent burnout, and enable employees to focus on high-value work.

The following techniques can help reduce communication fatigue:

• Using centralized platforms for key communications
• Limiting unnecessary emails and messages
• Prioritizing and clearly labeling any urgent communication
• Encouraging asynchronous updates where possible

Give employees autonomy 

Autonomy involves allowing individuals to control how, when, and where work gets done. It has a powerful impact on stress reduction and employee engagement. Autonomy builds trust and helps employees perform at their best. It also means they’re more likely to take ownership of their work, be innovative, and manage stress effectively.

Employers can foster autonomy by:

• Setting clear goals
• Limiting strict processes
• Including employees in goal-setting
• Respecting individual work styles
• Allowing independent decision-making
• Offering development and advancement opportunities
• Letting employees make decisions within their roles
• Encouraging experimentation and innovation

Integrate flexibility into the workweek to prevent burnout

Flexibility is an excellent way to enhance stress management for employees. Flexible work arrangements, like remote work, flexible hours, or compressed workweeks, can reduce the risk of employee burnout and improve mental and physical well-being. In fact, studies show that workers who have control over their schedules report lower stress, higher job satisfaction, and better work-life balance. 

‍You can integrate flexibility into the workplace by:

• Allowing employees to adjust start and end times
• Offering remote or hybrid work options
• Supporting compressed or four-day workweeks where feasible
• Encouraging job sharing or part-time arrangements
• Regularly assessing your flexibility policies

Create space for recovery, not just time off

It goes without saying that vacations and holidays are important for supporting and dealing with stressed employees. But daily recovery is just as — if not more — essential for sustained well-being. 

Today, simply offering time off isn’t enough. If employees feel pressured to work during off hours or they’re constantly overwhelmed when returning to work, it’s even more damaging. Creating a culture that values recovery ensures employees can recharge and maintain high performance over the long term.

Support recovery with strategies like:

• Encouraging regular breaks throughout the day
• Providing no-penalty mental health days
• Designating “no meeting” periods for focused work or rest
• Supporting actual disconnect hours outside of the typical workday
• Creating quiet spaces in the workplace
• Training leadership to recognize burnout early

Improve the work environment to reduce daily friction

Physical and psychological work environments have a significant impact on employee stress levels. Factors like workplace design, ergonomics, noise, and comfort can help employees manage stress​. Even simple changes to work environments can reduce friction, improve morale, and help employees feel more focused and less stressed.

Employers should:

• Ensure workspaces are comfortable and free from distractions
• Invest in ergonomic furniture and equipment
• Address noise issues and provide quiet zones
• Streamline tools and processes to eliminate redundancy and simplify workflows
• Limit unnecessary meetings
• Clarify roles and responsibilities
• Train leadership on the perils of micromanagement
• Foster open communication across teams and leadership

Empower your employees to thrive with mental health support

Supporting employee well-being is no longer just a “nice-to-have.” Today’s workforce needs it more than ever. Not to mention, it’s a strategic move for business success. 

Chronic stress can destroy productivity, increase turnover, and damage company culture. Implementing the strategies and tips we’ve shared here will help you create a supportive, resilient workplace where your workers and your organization can thrive.

Talkspace makes it easy for employees to access confidential mental health support tailored to meet their needs. If you’re willing to invest in mental health benefits for employees, foster open communication, and build a culture of trust and flexibility, you’ll find sustainable gains in productivity, engagement, and retention.

The data is clear — addressing workplace stress is vital for your organization’s health and success. Taking proactive action will help you transform workplace stress from a silent productivity killer into an incredible opportunity for growth, innovation, and well-being. Request a demo today to learn how to help employees manage stress​ with therapy for businesses.

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Sources:

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1. Hull, Thomas D., Matteo Malgaroli, Philippa S. Connolly, Seth Feuerstein, and Naomi M. Simon. 2020. “Two-way Messaging Therapy for Depression and Anxiety: Longitudinal Response Trajectories.” BMC Psychiatry 20 (1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02721-x. Accessed April 21, 2025.
2. Insightful. n.d. “The Disengagement Dilemma: 2024 Workplace Stress Report.” https://www.insightful.io/reports/stress-at-work. Accessed April 21, 2025.
3. Susanto, Perengki, Mohammad Enamul Hoque, Taslima Jannat, Bamy Emely, Mega Asri Zona, and Md Asadul Islam. 2022. “Work-Life Balance, Job Satisfaction, and Job Performance of SMEs Employees: The Moderating Role of Family-Supportive Supervisor Behaviors.” Frontiers in Psychology 13 (June). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.906876. Accessed April 21, 2025.
4. World Health Organization: WHO. 2016. “Investing in treatment for depression and anxiety leads to fourfold return.” World Health Organization (WHO), April 13, 2016. https://www.who.int/news/item/13-04-2016-investing-in-treatment-for-depression-and-anxiety-leads-to-fourfold-return. Accessed April 21, 2025.

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