Alleviate Team Member Stress

Project work isn’t for the meek. Pressure comes from management, stakeholders, and acute business needs and the resulting stress reduces team members’ performance. Helping your team alleviate their stress improves their performance and increases their loyalty to the project. Here are ways to decrease stress in your project environment.

• Recognize people’s emotions. You might hear that emotion has no place at work. That’s total crap. We are human. We have emotions. And ignoring them is unrealistic. Acknowledge that emotions are present and can make us shine or stumble in the workplace. And yet focus on the work, rather than the emotion. Be compassionate, which demonstrates your concern for your team member while supporting the need to produce the work.  
• Provide downtime. Under pressure, project managers often look to overtime, which can work for a short time. Yet, extensive over time (50+ hours/week) leads to stress. Recognize the need to take a break from work and re-energize. Downtime is like sharpening a saw — it helps increase productivity in the long run.
• Acknowledge the work people produce. It’s easy to fall into the trap of looking only at the incomplete or late tasks. Instead, acknowledge what people deliver along with the good work and effort they’re contributing. This recognition boosts people’s spirits and helps them focus on making progress toward delivering project outcomes.
• Meet and walk. Physical activity can act as a “stress off-switch.” Have one-on-one meetings while walking. Working virtually? No problem. Hold your video meeting or call with each team member walking in their neighborhood. Fresh air and a change of scenery can increase energy and generate new ideas, while exercise reduces tension and increases productivity. Use an AI meeting recording tool to take notes so all attendees can participate in the meeting.
• Champion coaching. Allowing team members to work with a coach can significantly reduce stress. Team members can work through their concerns with their coach. They can also get tips from the trenches or work on skill development. With an external coach, these benefits come without fear of judgment from management, which can build people’s confidence. It also reduces team member stress and improves project outcomes.

OK, we’ve all been stressed out at some point on projects. Let’s share our knowledge on this incredibly important topic. What have you done to relieve your stress or a team member’s stress?

For more about decreasing your stress, check out Todd Dewett’s course Managing Stress or Dr. Judson Brewer’s course, Train Your Brain to Unwind Stress and Anxiety Habits 

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 67,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

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